We struggle to find the perfect gift for everyone on our list. Something that will make them smile, add joy to their lives, be fun but practical, special but economical, and most of all, say “You’re important to me!” If you’re striking out at the mall, and gift cards just aren’t right, why not give a gift that requires no shipping and is sure to be valued?

The gift of time.

Time is one of those things we all need but never have enough of. If someone gave you an extra few hours of free time in a weekend, would you be able to put a price on it? Here are three ways to give someone the gift of time:

1. Organize

Do you have a talent for organizing? Offer to organize a friend’s home office. Not only does it check a task off their list, but it makes their daily tasks easier to manage because they can find everything.
2. Clean

I have yet to meet the people who love reserving part of their weekend to clean their bathrooms and mow their lawns. Offer to come over for a morning and clean their kitchen, mop their floors, trim their yards, whatever they need. Not feeling up to the task? Take that money you would have spent on a gift card and hire a maid service.

3. Cook

When we’re crunched for time, we end up eating out or grabbing a frozen bag of something. Help your friends free up some time in their evenings by cooking a homemade meal in a disposable container ready to pop in the oven. No cooking AND no cleanup. The perfect time saver.

The perfect gift is fun to receive, but even more fun to give. You’ll never go wrong by helping people with their time management by giving the gift of time.

Help give your favorite student time all next year with The Time Diet: Time Management for College Survival

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