FYI This is the second half of a 2-part series, “My 2016 Gift Guide for your Favorite Entrepreneur.”

If you’re shopping for a bookworm, make sure to check out my book recommendations guide!

Table of Contents

Planning & productivity tools

The 12 Week Year by Brian Moran

This book changed the way that I organize my business goals & plan my weekly & daily schedule. The idea is that instead of planning 12 MONTHS at a time, you focus on a 12-week “sprint,” during which you concentrate on 3-5 very specific goals. By narrowing down your focus, you can make giant strides in these goals … instead of trying to do ALL THE THINGS at once. If you want to improve your goal setting, productivity & weekly workflow, this is the book for you.

The Week Dominator by NeuYear

An amazing planner to implement the 12 week year concept. It has space for time blocking, goal tracking AND doodling (like a bullet journal). I buy the undated one so that if I need extra space one week or need to take time off, there’s room to expand & contract my planning to fit my life.

The Mama CEO Planner by Megan Flatt

If you’re trying to run a business AND organize a family, this planner is an incredible resource. If you want to keep your business tasks, kids’ soccer schedules, meal plans & goal tracking all in one place, no other planner does this quite as well as Megan’s. It’s broken into quarters so you can do your 12-week plan, then start every week with your big picture goals. I cannot recommend this planner enough for busy moms who are trying to balance many schedules and to-do lists!

Plan Simple Meals by Mia Moran

You’re probably looking at this like, “WTF Meg? Why do you have a cookbook on your planning section?” Because even though this book has recipes in it, it’s more than a cookbook. It’s full of strategies to not only plan & cook healthy meals, but also to bring families together. Mia also has a way of making seemingly complicated dishes feel simple, so following her advice has helped me grow more confident in the kitchen. (And I’ve learned a ton of her shortcuts to make dinner prep faster!) Mia’s recipes are all gluten-free & mostly vegetarian, but I find myself adding in meat to many of them. After all, why make red beans & rice without sausage?

Treat. Yo. Self.

Lavender Lotion Body Scrub with Honey and/or a gift set of spiced apple Hand and Body Lotion + Body Scrub by Jillian’s Apothecary

I’m in love with pretty much every product I’ve used from Jillian’s Apothecary: her deodorant is my go-to, her herbal hand balm is clearing up my psoriasis, and her bug repellant makes summers much more pleasant. Everything is natural & handmade with herbal extracts from her garden.

Handmade Dessert-Inspired Lip Balm by Eclair Lips

Want something small & sweet to pop into a stocking or Christmas card? Sylvie makes all this lip balm by hand, and it smells & tastes delicious. I keep the mint chocolate chip in my car & the chai tea next to my bed. And each lip balm set of 3 comes in a container that can be turned into earrings. How cute is that?

Foam roller

You know that feeling you get when you’ve been sitting in your chair too long & your back aches & legs get tight? You can roll that feeling right out of your muscles using a foam roller. I recommend this short one (13″ long) because it doesn’t take up nearly as much space as the full-length ones you see in the gym. I keep mine near my desk for when I’ve been sitting too long, and even roll it underneath my feet to prevent toe cramps.

Yoga Bolster

These are essential for yoga-lovers, and can be used by anyone who wants a break to relax & let their body unwind. They’re frequently found in yoga studios to prop up students legs and chests so that they can hold poses while relaxing comfortably. I use mine to prop under my legs when reading, to open up my chest & shoulders after too many hours at the computer, and to relax at the end of the day while watching Netflix.

Savor the Flavor

Chocolate Mint Tea

Ok, confession: the brand of chocolate mint tea that I get is from Trader Joe’s, and it’s not packaged nearly as fancy as this one. But I’m going to stand by this choice because there’s no better pick-me-up in the afternoon than a sweet, calorie-free tea. Except maybe …

Dark chocolate

Seriously. What would I do without dark chocolate? Plus these bars are organic and fair trade, so you can feel good about eating them. Well, besides how good you feel just from the sheer pleasure of enjoying chocolate.

Organic Whole Bean Coffee, Mind Body & Soul by Equal Exchange

What would an entrepreneur gift list be without coffee? Seriously … we, as an industry, are addicted to coffee. I’m recommending Equal Exchange for a few reasons: their coffee is organic, small farmer grown & fair trade, which is important for the planet. And their company is a co-op, which means that they take care of their employees. I toured their facility while in graduate school & was incredibly impressed with the company culture. So buying Equal Exchange means supporting a locally-owned business and making a global difference.

Organic Rainforest Blend, 80 Single Serve Coffees by San Francisco Bay Coffee

If you just can’t get enough of your single-serve Keurig, this is a great choice. The coffee is fair trade & organic, and it’s packaged in a really cool way: instead of a non-recyclable plastic container, these pods have a “OneCup” design that is 97% biodegradable. (Plus? The coffee tastes delicious. Win-win.)

Affiliate Disclaimer

Many of these products are listed with affiliate links, meaning that I will get a small commission if you buy from the link on this page. I would recommend each of these even without the potential payment, because I use them all personally. So what do you think? Any favorites on the list that you’ll snap up to enjoy? Any major suggestions that I’m missing? Leave a comment or send me an e-mail with your additions!

Planner & Self-Care Gift Guide for your favorite entrepreneur