This won’t be news to anyone who has stepped into a shopping centre in the last few weeks, but we can nearly count the weeks to Christmas on two hands. For most of us, that means present thinking, buying and wrapping – with some targets easier than others.
Do you have that one friend who is super hard to buy gifts for, not necessarily because they have everything, but because they know what they need and they’re already two steps ahead of you? They’re the type-A, the one who takes care of everyone else, the one who has the trip itineraries in perfect grammar and the one who knows you better than you know yourself.
Giving back to these people sometimes feels like throwing spaghetti at the wall and hoping something sticks. This year, step up your game by following our guide to the best gift ideas for your type-A friend.
Photo by Antoni Shkraba
Give them a planner
One of the best ways to show you know your type-A friend is to lean into their personality and make organisation even better and more fun for them with their own 2025 personal planner. An organised person often loves ways to keep on top of tasks and schedules, and writing down their schedules and to-do lists is like a dopamine hit for them.
With a calendar and areas to write notes in each day, these diaries allow them to write important scheduling dates and details, jot down their appointments, enter their friends’ and family’s birthdays and plan their travel itineraries. A type-A’s dream! This will show that you really know and support their personality, so it’s not just a practical gift but a validating one, too.
Quality organising equipment
Okay, this is one all of your friends can probably relate to, but your type-A friend will appreciate anything storage and order-related. If you can find cute and aesthetic storage or organising material, then you will have found a wonderful gift.
This could include modern lunchboxes with simple designs that are the envy of the office, desk organisers with a pop of colour to reinvigorate the office space or a nice quality set of bookends. Any products like these or similar will keep their space and life more tidy and make sure your friend goes about their day that little bit more organised.
A set of super-fine pens
Staying on the topic of scheduling and planning, consider getting your type-A friend a good set of pens or pencils to turn their organisation into a work of art. Go for a colour set to add a sense of pizazz to their bullet journaling, note-taking, appointment planning and birthday monitoring. You can even take it a step further by opting for super-fine pens. These keep the lines nice and neat and promote better handwriting.
Photo by Jess Bailey Designs
Let them get some beauty sleep
Some organised people often deal with stress and can struggle to get a good night’s rest. This type of person is often a perfectionist and can stay up at night trying to ensure they perform at their best, which is a recipe for stress and pressure. The best antidote is a good sleep.
You can focus your gift-giving on anything that will help them improve their sleep like a sleep mask that helps restore an ideal sleep cycle by blocking out all light stimuli. Or you could opt for noise-cancelling headphones to cultivate quietness or even some candles to bring a cosy environment to help them feel refreshed.
Photo by Zura Modebadze
Help them squeeze their stress away
You might notice by their need to perfect everything on their task list within a particular timeframe, they’re often a friend who finds comfort in things they can control. They are the responsible ones who can be dependable – but it’s typically a double-edged sword, as seeking perfection is often a stressful venture not known for its relaxation. This opens the door to another thoughtful gift, something to help them manage stress.
Stress-relief gifts come in all shapes and sizes. Stress balls are making a comeback because they’re simple and effective, and they don’t detract from the task at hand. There are modern ones that work even better, like memory gel stress balls, so your type-A friend can squeeze it as many times as needed while powering through their day.
Arrange a getaway for them
Quite often, our type A friends are the planners of the group. They plan all the parties, the get-togethers, the holiday escapes. As a way to show your support for everything they have helped organise for you, you could plan a trip or pampering day for them. If they have a partner or someone who knows their schedule, work with them to plan something that suits their availability.
Whether it’s a spa retreat weekend with them and your friends, or a holiday away, doing something that they or you both enjoy, will allow them to switch off. This can be a great surprise gift for that friend who likes to surprise everyone else and who is often the one with takes on the responsibility in the group. Who is planning a surprise for these people if not you? And this way, they can’t interfere with any of the planning, while seeing how special they are to you.
Photo by Jonathan Borba
When buying gifts for your type-A friends, think about the things that will appease their planning and worker-bee personality. Lean into their personality by providing them with more aesthetic and simpler ways to organise, or even go out on a limb and plan a pampering session where they can relieve some stress and relax.
This won’t be news to anyone who has stepped into a shopping centre in the last few weeks, but we can nearly count the weeks to Christmas on two hands. For most of us, that means present thinking, buying and wrapping – with some targets easier than others.
Do you have that one friend who is super hard to buy gifts for, not necessarily because they have everything, but because they know what they need and they’re already two steps ahead of you? They’re the type-A, the one who takes care of everyone else, the one who has the trip itineraries in perfect grammar and the one who knows you better than you know yourself.
Giving back to these people sometimes feels like throwing spaghetti at the wall and hoping something sticks. This year, step up your game by following our guide to the best gift ideas for your type-A friend.
Give them a planner
One of the best ways to show you know your type-A friend is to lean into their personality and make organisation even better and more fun for them with their own 2025 personal planner. An organised person often loves ways to keep on top of tasks and schedules, and writing down their schedules and to-do lists is like a dopamine hit for them.
With a calendar and areas to write notes in each day, these diaries allow them to write important scheduling dates and details, jot down their appointments, enter their friends’ and family’s birthdays and plan their travel itineraries. A type-A’s dream! This will show that you really know and support their personality, so it’s not just a practical gift but a validating one, too.
Quality organising equipment
Okay, this is one all of your friends can probably relate to, but your type-A friend will appreciate anything storage and order-related. If you can find cute and aesthetic storage or organising material, then you will have found a wonderful gift.
This could include modern lunchboxes with simple designs that are the envy of the office, desk organisers with a pop of colour to reinvigorate the office space or a nice quality set of bookends. Any products like these or similar will keep their space and life more tidy and make sure your friend goes about their day that little bit more organised.
A set of super-fine pens
Staying on the topic of scheduling and planning, consider getting your type-A friend a good set of pens or pencils to turn their organisation into a work of art. Go for a colour set to add a sense of pizazz to their bullet journaling, note-taking, appointment planning and birthday monitoring. You can even take it a step further by opting for super-fine pens. These keep the lines nice and neat and promote better handwriting.
Let them get some beauty sleep
Some organised people often deal with stress and can struggle to get a good night’s rest. This type of person is often a perfectionist and can stay up at night trying to ensure they perform at their best, which is a recipe for stress and pressure. The best antidote is a good sleep.
You can focus your gift-giving on anything that will help them improve their sleep like a sleep mask that helps restore an ideal sleep cycle by blocking out all light stimuli. Or you could opt for noise-cancelling headphones to cultivate quietness or even some candles to bring a cosy environment to help them feel refreshed.
Help them squeeze their stress away
You might notice by their need to perfect everything on their task list within a particular timeframe, they’re often a friend who finds comfort in things they can control. They are the responsible ones who can be dependable – but it’s typically a double-edged sword, as seeking perfection is often a stressful venture not known for its relaxation. This opens the door to another thoughtful gift, something to help them manage stress.
Stress-relief gifts come in all shapes and sizes. Stress balls are making a comeback because they’re simple and effective, and they don’t detract from the task at hand. There are modern ones that work even better, like memory gel stress balls, so your type-A friend can squeeze it as many times as needed while powering through their day.
Arrange a getaway for them
Quite often, our type A friends are the planners of the group. They plan all the parties, the get-togethers, the holiday escapes. As a way to show your support for everything they have helped organise for you, you could plan a trip or pampering day for them. If they have a partner or someone who knows their schedule, work with them to plan something that suits their availability.
Whether it’s a spa retreat weekend with them and your friends, or a holiday away, doing something that they or you both enjoy, will allow them to switch off. This can be a great surprise gift for that friend who likes to surprise everyone else and who is often the one with takes on the responsibility in the group. Who is planning a surprise for these people if not you? And this way, they can’t interfere with any of the planning, while seeing how special they are to you.
When buying gifts for your type-A friends, think about the things that will appease their planning and worker-bee personality. Lean into their personality by providing them with more aesthetic and simpler ways to organise, or even go out on a limb and plan a pampering session where they can relieve some stress and relax.
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