Give Time Not Money

For the second edition of “Outside the Box Thinking” I have chosen to write a topic in spirit of the holiday season. Don’t worry this is not one of those typical sappy posts about donating your time, it is a unique look at how the gift of time could be very valuable during this time of the year. Instead of spending money and worrying about what to get the people on your gift list, given them a personalized voucher with something that you will do for them. What you will do for this person should only have one requirement, it takes a set amount of time that you are willing to commit:

Provide a Service. There is a strong chance that you possess certain skills that others may not, so as a gift you may give someone a time where you provide this valuable service. For example, if you are good with graphics you could design a banner for a friend with a website, if you are good at fixing cars then you could repair a friend’s car, and the list could go on. All that matters is that you provide the best possible service with a smile, so that this person knows you truly appreciate them.

Teach something. Once again if you are great at something then you could provide a service for a person or better yet you could teach them how to do it. This will obviously take a lot of time but it definitely holds more value than any gift card or designer jeans. Once again if you are great at running a blog then you could show a friend how to run a blog instead of just doing it for them. This way they learn skills that they could transfer if they choose to start another blog on their own.

Spend quality time. Most of us have extremely busy lives so what’s a better gift than some quality time alone. This means no pagers, no Blackberry’s, no iphone’s (if humanly possible), and no distractions at all. This gift is ideal for those close to us and for those that nag that we are always busy. The quality time could be spent drinking coffee by the fireplace, going for a walk, or by drinking a case of beer while watching UFC.

Prepare a meal. Take the day off from work or any other engagements to be the one that prepares the main meal this holiday season. Not only will you surprise people but everyone will be truly grateful that you spent a whole day preparing a meal for everyone. Of course you must make sure that you know how to cook because even though it’s the thought that counts, everyone still enjoys a great meal.

That is all I could think of for now, if anyone could provide additional ideas on how to give the gift of time then please do so.