If you’re like me – a person who is often stressed out and not what you would call overly organized – maybe you are also not great at sending family and friends things like birthday presents or other gifts, even though you really want to.
What’s the issue? The present sending process has too many steps.
Let’s say I’m walking along in Boston, I see something cute in a shop window that’d be perfect for my sister, who lives in California. I have every intention of sending it to her, but now I need a shipping box.
And the item’s on the fragile side so I need bubble wrap and some kind of packing material – which are not exactly things I keep around the house.
So I put the gift to the side, with every intention of getting the things I need to ship it – and then life happens, I move on to other things, and don’t even remember I got my sister a gift until I wind up seeing some other cute thing in a shop window and bring it home to put beside the first gift. Great – now I need a bigger box.
Does this sound like your life? If so, let me share my lifehack with you. It takes about 15 minutes to set up, but it’s worth it if you’re interested in sending your family and friends presents in a timely fashion.
Part One: In your phone’s contacts, update your favorite people’s information with their correct mailing address. The reason you’re doing this is you’re equipping yourself to send gifts from anywhere. Again, speaking from my own experience here, I don’t know anyone’s address by heart – but I always have my phone with me.
Part Two: Find your best local packing and shipping service and put their information in your phone. Here is the one I use. Now, when you find yourself in possession of a gift that needs to be shipped, go directly there. Have them pack and ship your present for you. Yes, you pay for this service, but everything you need is in one convenient location and the job gets done fast.
Delighting someone is always better than disappointing them. If the shipping part of the gift giving process is what is messing up your best intentions, let the local packing and shipping company take over that part of the process. You will be glad you did.