Most of the time, we become more productive and less stressed through the sustained diligence of building habits that support us. But sometimes there are products that can help us get there faster.
If you’re looking for a gift for someone this holiday season, or just want to treat yourself, here are a few things I can suggest.
YETI CUP
How can a cup make you more productive? Well, let me ask you this: Are you one of those people, like me, who reheats a single cup of coffee several times before you’re finally finished with it?
If so, the YETI cup might change your world.
My husband got one last year, and I promptly stole it…until he bought me one for my birthday. I can pour a hot cup of coffee into this thing at 8am, and at 2pm, it’s still hot. This means that I no longer take a cold swig of coffee, then get up to reheat for 30 seconds, several times a day. Fewer interruptions = more productivity (and fewer moments of an unpleasant mouthful of lukewarm coffee).
A GOOD PILLOW
I’m a side sleeper, and finding the perfect pillow was always difficult, until I found the HIBR side sleeper pillow (which now seems to be sadly unavailable). This one seems pretty comparable, though. Both are kind of kidney shaped, so your shoulder fits right in AND have some sort of magic cooling technology.
Now, you might be a back sleeper, or a stomach sleeper. But find yourself a pillow that feels just right, that you don’t need to flip over to the cool side, or readjust ,several times a night, and you’ll be sleeping easier.
Sleep is so central to productivity and mental health. 2020 has done a number on us. Make getting to sleep just a little bit easier.
TILE
Do you misplace your keys, or something else, on the regular? Enter: Tile.
For me it’s my purse. I’m forever setting it down somewhere when I come inside and then immediately losing track of it. But last year, my dad gave me Tile and I put one in a pocket in my purse. Now I can always locate it.
(Now, of course, with COVID, we’re not really leaving the house much, so this is less of a problem. But think of this as a gift of hope for yourself, that one day, you’ll be rushing around in a mad dash again yelling, “for the 10th time, please put on your shoes!”, and needing to find our keys, or purse or wallet asap, lest you be late.)
TICKTICK PREMIUM
You probably know I love TickTick; it’s my favorite task app. I recommend it all the time. It’s so easy to use, it syncs seamlessly between web and mobile, it’s got all the features you want without being bloated. It has a habit tracker. It has voice-entry. I could go on and on. I love TickTick so much I even made a few Youtube videos about it.
I used the free version for a really long time, because it’s great. But eventually, I upgraded to Premium. (Because my “too read” list reached the item limit for the free version and I couldn’t bear to kick any books off the list.) But then I discovered there are some other really cool features available in Premium, like custom smart lists, that I now really enjoy.
If you’re using TickTick already, and you’ve been thinking about upgrading, here’s a quick overview of the differences between free and Premium.
(Also, if you want to try out a free month of TickTick Premium, just email me and I can give you a code for a free month to check it out for yourself.)
*Full disclosure: I love TickTick so much that I reached out to them and convinced them to start an affiliate program. So if you click the TickTick links above and upgrade to Premium, I will receive a small affiliate commission, at no cost to you.
ONLINE COURSES
We can’t take classes in a classroom, with other humans, right now. But online courses can be completed from your couch, at your own pace. There are TONS to choose from, but I’m going to (not so) humbly suggest my own.
I have 2 online courses available here:
Time Management Mastery: Do More, Stress Less
Over 26,000 people have used this course to help them take control of their time.
In this course, I distill the content, strategies, techniques and skills that I acquired, developed and implemented over 15+ years managing Operations and HR in start-ups (and that I use daily with my clients in my time-management coaching practice) into an easy-to-follow, step-by-step process for anyone looking to get more out of their time.
Enroll today and you’ll be doing more and stressing less in no time.
Frazzled to Focused: How to Regain Control, Connection and Calm When Working from Home
This course was the brainchild of the pandemic. A few of my coaching clients urged me to put all the good stuff about how to work from home productively into one spot and make it widely available. In this course you’ll learn to set boundaries, stay focused, communicate effectively, stay connected (and manage your team if you have one) while working from home.
And there’s even a bonus section about how to work from home productively…with kids. Enroll today and end 2020 with some skills to help you make 2021 better.
(And seriously, I believe in online courses. I don’t just create them, I also take them. I’ve taken online courses on copywriting, on online courses (meta, I know), on emotional intelligence, on happiness, on guitar, etc. So much stuff you can learn from inside your house!)
So, if there are still a few people on your gift list, or you haven’t found the right thing to gift yourself, consider the above!