I hope you enjoyed our week full of gift recommendations. I’m wrapping up the week with five big areas of focus in my life broken down by cost.
Electronics
Large: Recently, I got the new iPad mini with Retina display, and it’s my constant companion. It’s perfect for reading, answering email, composing blog posts, and losing to my son at Real Racing 3. The text is crisp, the graphics are beautiful, and the thing is tiny. Retail Price: $499 for 32GB Wi-Fi.
Medium: The Adonit Jot Touch is the stylus for people who’ve always hated them. I now take notes – using the Goodnotes app – on my iPad mini. It’s pressure-sensitive and reportedly lasts for months on one charge. It connects to the iPad mini via Bluetooth, and it knows the difference between the stylus and my hand resting on the iPad. It’s a game changer for this guy who hated styluseseses. Retail Price: $89.99 (They have a new Evernote edition coming out in 4-6 weeks that won’t have one of those little plastic discs protecting the screen. It looks awesome.)
Small: Since the Jot Touch has no pocket holder or anything, it’s perfectly cylindrical… which means it wants to roll away. Adonit sells an iPad case that will keep the stylus locked in. I use one of my daughter Sarah’s hair bands.
Golf
Large: Bandon. If there’s a golf resort in Heaven, I imagine it looks, sounds, and feels pretty much like Bandon Dunes Golf Resort on the remote Oregon coast. It’s my favorite place on earth, and I cannot wait to return. If you love golf, a two to five-day visit to Bandon needs to be at the top of your bucket list.
Medium: A membership to golfTEC. Before this year, the last time I took proper lessons with a video camera, it was the size of a microwave oven. Now, at golfTEC locations across the United States, you can observe your swing from multiple angles under the counsel of PGA Professionals… indoors. Yep – hone your swing year-round regardless of climate. Schedule practice sessions and swing lessons using their website or app. Review previous sessions online as well. It’s golf nerd bliss.
Small: David Owen’s golf blog, My Usual Game. There are golf writers, then there are writers who love golf. To say Owen loves golf would be a gross understatement of his obsession with the game and its quirks and characters. He’s published several books about the game – start with this one – but he writes regularly on his blog about his love of the game and the friends who play it with him. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it many times hence: David Owen is a national treasure. He’s the spokesman for golf junkies everywhere – telling our stories the way we wish we all could.
Travel
Large: Tom Bihn luggage. It’s made in America, and it’s made to last 1000 years. Every bag is meticulously thought out to include only what you’ll use and nothing more. They really help me keep my packing to a minimum and make traveling light a comfortable breeze. I own three of their bags, and the oldest – bought five years ago – still looks like I bought it yesterday. I believe in paying for value. Bihn’s bags may cost a little more, but they’re worth it.
Medium: Ex Officio Boxer Briefs. If you think spending twenty-six bucks on a pair of underwear is ridiculous, you’re doing it wrong. There are a few things in this world I never need to comparison shop for again. I’ve found my undies. These are the most amazing things ever invented. They’re right up there with air conditioning, the internal combustion engine and nacho cheese fountains as the great inventions of the modern age.
Small: My favorite travel apps include Kayak for planning and booking travel and hotels, Southwest and United apps for booking and checking FF miles and stuff, White Noise (pro) for helping me sleep in hotel rooms (I struggle with this), TripIt to keep my travel organized, and TripAdvisor and Yelp to help me find great local restaurants and things to do while I’m on the road.
Kids
Large: Theme Park season pass – if you live anywhere near one (we currently live about two hours from Six Flags St. Louis), it’s worth investing in the season pass. Season passes usually run no more than 1.5-2x the cost of one regular admission ticket. Whether it’s a theme park or water park, if you can, make this a recurring adventure next summer with your kid or kiddos.
Medium: Build a Minecraft server. We did this for Will’s birthday, and it costs us about sixty bucks a year to host. We’re still learning about things like Mods and other stuff, but he loves it, and I’ve grown to love this world of pure imagination as well… except for the spiders. They freak me out.
Small: Who does’t want need a rad, hand-crafted magic wand? Whether it’s for your daughter who believes in fairies and magic, your son who loves Harry Potter, or your favorite wizard, you’ll love these beautifully designed, inexpensive magic wands made by the extremely talented Ruth Hinkle.
“Small”: Put down your phone and give your children your time. It costs so little, and it’s worth so much. Focus on presence… not presents.
Personal Development
Large: Attend either the Authority Intensive conference or the Chick-fil-A Leadercast. They’re both scheduled for the same time period in May 2014. Run by the folks at Copyblogger Media, Authority Intensive looks the be the best content development and conversion conference in many years. The speaker lineup is a who’s who of professional communicators. I’ll see you there. If leadership and management are more your things, I’m not sure you can do better than the Leadercast. Every year, in Atlanta (and simulcast around the world), Chick-fil-A brings together the best of the best to share strategies and best practices.
Medium: A subscription to Lynda.com. One of our companies core values is wisdom. As a result, we invest heavily in continuing education materials for our team. You’d be shocked by our budget, but it’s important for us to continue to grow. One of the least expensive but most valuable services is Lynda. You can learn virtually any software application in step-by-step video screencasts, or you can cherry pick only the most relevant solutions for your specific problems. It’s really quite delightful.
Small: Subscribe to our blog, The Daily Blur. Each weekday, we email out short, sweet, thoughtful advice for owner-operated companies and nonprofit organizations. When you sign up, you also get a free copy of our popular eBook on shareworthy customer service. Give us a couple minutes each day, and we’ll feed your brain breakfast.
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Well, that’s my rather long list. I hope you’ve enjoyed this week’s look at our favorite things.
Now that you’ve read ours, why don’t you share yours in the comments? What should be on our list for 2014? Oh, and PS – These aren’t affiliate links or paid placements or anything… I just like this stuff.
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