Picking the perfect gift is never easy. And right now, following Christmas’ orgy of consumerism and a morale-sapping second lockdown, inspiration is running low on choosing a present which will be genuinely, warmly received.
When you’re buying a present for a workaholic, whose interests revolve around deadline meeting and dollar chasing, things are even tougher. Fear not, even for those friends or family with a one-track, work-focused mind, there are a whole host of great present ideas out there. Read on to find them; our 7 IDEAL gifts to give a workaholic.
TECH TO TRANFORM A PHONE INTO A LAPTOP
Many of Britain’s workaholics have found themselves in a bit of a pickle with recent ‘work from home’ advice issued by the Government. Suddenly, those carefully calibrated central office spaces and fully appointed desks are out of reach, and maintaining productivity from home has been hard.
To improve flexibility and versatility in the home office setting and when on the move, cutting edge tech is available to transform your smartphone into a laptop, turning it into a portable pocket computer. Buy a folding Bluetooth keyboard designed to hold your phone (and be carried in your pocket), a Bluetooth mouse, and a Type C, Male-to-Female USB cable-convertor to connect the mouse to your phone, and you’re away! Hey, you could even do work in the bath…
A MASSAGE
You’ve probably heard your workaholic friend complain about their back aching. Whether this is from stooping to kiss the boots of their superiors or, more likely, from the bad posture associated with long stretches at a computer, rest assured that there are gifts you can give which will ease their discomfort.
According to the Mayo Clinic, massage is one of the most powerful weapons in the alleviation arsenal for promoting health and wellbeing. Why not present your workaholic friend with a massage voucher for their local spa or health club to help? That, or you could invest in an ergonomic chair for them…prevention or cure, you decide!
A SUBSCRIPTION TO A MINDFULNESS APP
With your workaholic friend constantly switched on, dialled in and never off, they probably haven’t ever considered making time for meditation to ease their stress. However, stepping back from the cutthroat world of work for a daily ten minutes of relaxation and reflection can help those feeling overworked immensely. In fact, research published in 2017 by the University of Derby suggested that ‘’meditation can help cure workaholics’’, concluding that the Buddhist practice could help ‘’people de-stress from work, giving them more quality time to do what they enjoy’’.
If you’re wondering how to give the gift of meditation, then why not invest in a monthly or yearly subscription to a guided meditation app? Check out these 5 of the best mindfulness and meditation apps for more tips on the best platforms currently available on the market.
A DECENT COFFEE MAKER
We hope that we’re not being too presumptuous here, but every workaholic runs on coffee, right? For the coffee-loving friend who is addicted to work, very few things can be as meaningful as a quality coffee machine. Because, after all, there’s nothing a workaholic values more than a sense of efficiency…
A cafetière or percolator is great if you’ve got the time to manually make coffee periodically throughout the day, but for a workaholic who has constantly got their hands full, then a filter coffee machine with a ‘keep warm’ function is best, enabling them to make several cups in the morning to fuel the day ahead.
What’s more, some filter coffee machines have programmable functions enabling you to have a coffee ready-and-waiting for you when you wake up in the morning. When it comes to the best 4 cup coffee maker, on the market right now include the Brentwood 4 Cup Coffee Maker, the Aigostar Buck and Cuisinart’s 4 Cup Coffee Maker. A freshly brewed Cup of Joe has never been easier!
A LAPTOP BAG OR BACKPACK
A workaholic without a laptop is just, well, an ‘’aholic’’. As such, losing a laptop is akin to losing a limb for those dedicated to spending their lives sending emails and getting told off. Gifting your workaholic friend a laptop bag – or better still, a laptop backpack – that they can be proud of (and one that can be secured to their person!) is a great way to ensure that they can bring their laptop everywhere with them, safely and securely.
Just be aware that buying then such a versatile, wearable bag might mean their laptop shows up at your next dinner party, in the gym when you’re supposed to be sparring, or even at your wedding! Don’t say we didn’t warn you…
DAILY PLANNER
Alternatively, you could encourage your workaholic friend to take their eyes away from the screen for a little while. A pen and paper might sound old school, but sometimes the collecting of thoughts and dates on the page can really help stressed out folk gain perspective and look at things from a different angle.
And the best part? With a daily planner, your friend will still know what appointments and deadlines are fast approaching, even after they lose that laptop of theirs once again!
NOISE CANCELLING HEADPHONES
Finally, your workaholic friend may well appreciate a pair of noise-cancelling headphones. A workaholic needs peace and space to concentrate, particularly when working from home with domestic life buzzing around them, and a pair of these headphones can help enhance productivity and refresh the mind to increase focus and efficiency. They’re also great for protecting your hearing health. What? You didn’t hear us? We said that they’re also great for protect…..oh, never mind.
If you’re keen for even more great ideas for gifts which might help home workers, check out these 5 gadgets to help you work from home better.
