Tag Archive for: Periscope

10 Activities to Reward Yourself the Right Way

/2 Comments/in , , , /by

Reward yourself the right way with thisI’m going to let you in on a little secret.  I’m a huge procrastinator and sometimes the only way I can get anything done is with a reward.  You know — a light at the end of the tunnel type thing.

If you have nothing to look forward to, your workload can quickly overwhelm you. So I’m a big fan of rewarding yourself after completing a time-consuming task.

However, it’s also important that the reward matches the progress that you’ve made.  So if you spend 20 minutes replying to your emails, you probably should treat yourself to a marathon Netflix binge.

But put a limit on it.  Will you watch 1 episode of House of Cards or 2?  If you plan out your reward in advance – it will be much easier to stick to it and get back to work.

There’s the thing though — a reward doesn’t have to take hours to be effective. There are some quick ones that will do the trick just as well.

Here is my list of small rewards you can treat yourself to without feeling guilty:

  1. Make a cup of tea.
  2. Go for a walk for 15 minutes.
  3. Listen to your favorite song.
  4. Watch a cute animal video for 4 minutes.
  5. Send a silly text to your friend.
  6. Eat some dark chocolate.
  7. Go on an adventure via Periscope for 10 minutes.
  8. Look up something you want to buy online for 15 minutes. (But don’t actually buy it until you’ve finished all your to-do’s for the day!)
  9. If you like to exercise, you could go for a quick jog or do some 10-minute yoga.
  10. Read a chapter of a good book. (Sign up here for a free chapter of Listful Thinking!)

How do you like to reward yourself?

Be More Productive with a 15-Minute Vacation

/2 Comments/in , , , /by
photo credit: Nicole Rouyer Guillet

photo credit: Nicole Rouyer Guillet

BONUS FREEBIE: Want even more ways to stay organized, productive and less stressed? Click here to get access to my List-Making Starter Kit. It will boost your efficiency and get you back to doing more of the things you love.

The most productive people know the importance of taking a break. In fact studies show that brief diversions from a task can dramatically improve one’s ability to focus on that task for prolonged periods. This is a productivity tip I talk about in my book, Listful Living.

But what do you do with you break? Some go for a short walk, others make a cup of tea – but what about something a bit different? Today I’m going to show you how to take a 15-minute vacation and feel rejuvenated and re-energized.

Here’s how it’s done:

1. Go onto Google and choose the street view.
2. Type in your favorite city or a place you’ve always wanted to visit.
3. Use the Google navigation tools to take a stroll around and enjoy
4. Walk down the Champs-Élysées in Paris or relax on the beach in Bali!

Another great way to take a virtual vacation is to use the app Periscope.  If you haven’t heard it’s a new video streaming app that I’m totally obsessed with. Download it and you can watch people live streaming from their phones all over the world. Just recently I watched someone walk along the Great Wall of China. It’s so much fun and a great way to reward yourself after some hard work!

What do you like to do on your break?

BONUS FREEBIE: Want even more ways to stay organized, productive and less stressed? Click here to get access to my List-Making Starter Kit. It will boost your efficiency and get you back to doing more of the things you love.

My Latest Productivity Killer: Periscope

/2 Comments/in , /by

periscope-logo-1920-800x450Smartphones are in many ways a productivity blessing. They provide you with instant access to hundreds of apps designed to help you get more out of your day. However, smartphones can also be a productivity curse. Because you also have access to hundreds of apps designed to get you addicted and take up all your time!

As much as I write about the importance of not being distracted – I too, sometimes get addicted to apps and get thrown off course.

The latest being Periscope.

The app allows you to live stream video from your phone from anywhere in the world. It’s very exciting for me, as a news producer, to think of all the possibilities. When I downloaded the app I had expected to watch a few videos of people going about their lives, but I quickly found myself becoming addicted.

Here are some of the things I’ve watched so far:

  • Pizza delivery guy arriving at a house in Utah
  • Kid playing super mario brothers for the first time
  • Pearl Jam tribute band
  • Guy hiking in Arizona
  • Person hanging out near the Golden Gate Bridge
  • Guy walking through the mall in NJ
  • Little girl learning to ride her bike for the first time
  • Guy who couldn’t sleep in the UK drawing
  • Newsroom tours in Waco, TX, Lexington, KY, Las Vegas, CNN
  • A puppy that is afraid of a cat in Alabama
  • Mother daughter dance at wedding
  • Malibu Beach sunset
  • Some nascar race
  • A firehandler on the beach in Florida
  • A cat yawning
  • A puppy eating
  • The MTV Movie Awards red carpet
  • Cherry blossoms in DC
  • Behind the scenes tour at The View

You can download the app here. Follow me — I’m @listproducer of course. Remember it is seriously addictive – so consider yourself warned!  So use is as a reward when you get something checked off your to-do list.  Then you can check out someone walking through Times Square or a Disney parade in real time.  Let me know what you think if you check it out.