Gift Guide for the Multi Gig-er in Your Life

It's that time of year to find the perfect gift for the people you love. If you are multidisciplinary or know someone who wears several hats (which, these days, is a heck of a lot of us) then this gift guide is for them (or you). I pulled together a list of some of my favorite books and finds that I use regularly (or want to use!) that multidisciplinary and/or creative people will love. And last year I put together this Gift Guide for Entrepreneurs, so you may want to take a look there for some gift inspiration as well. Take a gander friends! Happy holidays. 

Gift Guide for the Multi Gig-er in Your Life

1. A planner. Truth be told, I use a running task list/schedule right on my MacBook Air as well as a Google calendar that syncs with my iPhone (if you’re sensing an Apple pattern, you’re probably right) but if your multi gig-er loves the feeling of putting pen to paper, get her this beautiful Rifle Paper Company planner.  I almost wish I wanted to use a paper planner just so I could have an excuse to get this one.

2. Subscription to audible.com. Multi gig-ers are often long on curiosity and short on time so audiobooks are perfect. My husband was able to Snag a 3-month trial for me last year for Christmas and I LOVED it. I just finished listening to 168 Hours by Laura Vanderkam and now I’m starting the Lean Startup by Eric Ries. I absolutely love being able to listen and learn while I’m doing something like running, cooking or driving. 

3. Better than Before. This book, by Gretchen Rubin, was one of my favorite books I’ve read this year. Rubin unpacks the various strategies we can use to change our habits. Every strategy doesn’t work for every person. Rubin provides a ton of different options and you can see, based on your personality and preferences, which ones might work for you. I’ve found the strategies that I learned by reading Better than Before to help me be more productive and happy with the choices I make on a daily basis.

4. Portable charger for an iPhone. There are some stressors in life that we can’t control and then there’s the stress of having a dead iPhone. This portable charger is just $10 and gives you an extra 9 hours of time talking on the phone. It’s cheap, it’s small, it comes in pretty colors. Why haven’t I had this for a long time? We should really use things that make life easier, shouldn’t we? 

5. A Spotify Premium subscription. I know everyone has their streaming music provider of choice but it really doesn’t get better than Spotify. If your significant other is a multi gig-er—especially of the creative or athletic variety—then Spotify is a win. The premium version is just $10 a month and gives you access to pretty much all music of all time (minus T Swift but plus Ryan Adams, so…). For the musical theatre types, Spotify has karaoke tracks to even the most obscure tunes, so he or she can rehearse songs in the car, at home, wherever, without the need for an accompanist or shelling out cash for a karaoke album they’ll only use for a few weeks or months during the rehearsal process. It also has an amazing feature that gives you music that matches the speed of your steps when you’re running to help you keep pace. Spotify makes life better. That is all.

6. A framed print of a favorite quote. It’s probably on Etsy. And if it’s not you can get artwork custom made. Just ask Kathleen. I found this really pretty downloadable print of one of my favorite Bible verses—Galatians 6:9 in an Etsy shop. I printed it off, put it in a Michael’s frame (purchased with a 40% off coupon, of course) and now I have this beautiful, meaningful quote hanging right above my desk. I love it. Your multi gig-er will too.

7. Tile. This may be the year to drop $25 to get Tile. Tile connects to whatever it is that can get lost and helps you keep track of it. Multi Gig-ers have a lot to mentally keep up with. This means that keys, headphones, wallets, smart phones often don’t make the cut for memory space. This is too helpful not to have. 

8. Essentialism. This was one of the toughest books I’ve read because it completely challenged my multi-gig mentality. Greg McKeown purports that the best way to be effective in life is to say "yes" to one really important thing and "no" to other things that are good but not the best. McKeown had tons of great time management strategies in this book. If nothing else, read it for that. But he also challenges our busy, do-it-all attitudes. By the end of the book the reader should really know if he is spending his time in the best possible way. I recommend this book. I don’t agree with every point—at least for my journey. But it’s good and challenging.

9. An inspiring mug. I seriously attribute part of the start to my happy day with drinking coffee from a mug that I love. This one is an old standby. I love it so much that after it accidentally got dropped and broken my husband swiftly ordered me a replacement. He knows me. And Carole King makes a morning great and that is a fact. 

10. A wall calendar that doubles as an art print. I’ve gotten pretty committed to Rifle’s cities calendar each year but there are tons of beautiful and inspiring calendars out there to choose from. Think inspiring quotes, landscapes or even a personalized calendar that has photos of friends and family. The multi gig-er definitely needs a calendar in her life so this is an easy gift win.  

So there ya have it! Find anything on this list that would be perfect for your loved one? If you see something you'd like, it never hurts to forward this or post it on your social media. Maybe your Santa will come through. I hope you and your family have a peaceful and joyful holiday season.

Want more ideas? Check out the Gift Guide for the Entrepreneur. And, of course, subscribe to the blog so you get future posts right in your inbox.