May, 2013 | List Producer

List of Ways to Make the Best of Jury Duty

May 27, 2013/in Benefits of List Making, Increase Productivity, Learning With a List, List Making, Tool for Success/by Paula Rizzo

English: New York City – Supreme Court Deutsch: New York City – Oberstes Gericht (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

It happens to all of us at some point in our lives — we all get called for jury duty. I had to serve last week in New York City and I tried to make the most of the slightly irritating and inconvenient task. Here’s some ways that you can do the same:

Take yourself out to lunch: When do you get an entire hour to yourself to eat and relax? The thing about government agencies is that they are very strict about their break times and their lunches. They will have you out to lunch at 1pm on the dot. So take advantage! Do a little prep work beforehand and find some yummy options near the courthouse where you’re assigned. Read more

Creating A Realistic Bucket List

May 19, 2013/in Benefits of List Making, Decision Making, Guest Posts, Increase Productivity, Learning With a List, List Making, Reduce Stress, Tool for Success/by Paula Rizzo

Whenever someone tells me that they are new to listmaking — I always suggest making a life list or bucket list first. You know yourself better than anyone and you know what you like and don’t like. A bucket list is a collection of your greatest hopes, dreams and goals. It can include something as extreme as “travel around the world,” or as practical as “learn Spanish.” But it is important to make your list attainable if you really are serious about crossing off all the items. For ways to keep your list manageable and realistic — Christine Harding from Wish.co.uk offers this guest post: Read more

Makeover Your Home Office

May 5, 2013/in Increase Productivity, Reduce Stress, Saving Money, Saving Time, Tool for Success, Video/by Paula Rizzo

Have you started spring cleaning yet? I went through my closet this weekend and got rid of 20 pairs of shoes. I’m not even exaggerating. It was ridiculous. But I feel much better now that the task is complete…and excited to replace some of those shoes. When I spring clean, I start off decluttering the drawers and closets then begin general cleaning stuff that I don’t do enough.

But spring cleaning doesn’t apply to your home only. Don’t forget your office too. Whether it’s at home or in an office — an organized desk can send your productivity soaring.

Recently the folks at Manilla.com came to me with a dilemma. A comedian/actress named Jo had let her desk mess get out of hand. She wasn’t even able to use her desk anymore and had moved over to her dining room table to get work done. Except — her productivity suffered so they called me in to do an office makeover. Check out this video for a look.

Congrats to Astrid: An Amazing To-Do List App

May 2, 2013/in Benefits of List Making, Boost Memory, Decision Making, Fellow List Producers, Increase Productivity, Learning With a List, List Making, Reduce Stress, Saving Money, Saving Time, Technology, Tool for Success/by Paula Rizzo

Would you like a personal assistant to help you remember appointments and check things off your to-do list? I know of one who will work for cheap and keep you organized and make sure you hit all your deadlines. Her name is Astrid. And I’d like to offer my congratulations since the company was just sold to Yahoo.

Who is Astrid?

Astrid is an adorable little octopus and one of my favorite to-do list apps for iPhone or Android. If you don’t have one of those devices you can also access this productivity tool by going to Astrid.com.

Astrid will keep all of your tasks organized and remind you of what you need to do with motivational and encouraging nudges like “How about it? Ready tiger?” You can also rename all of your lists and maintain them however you like — set reminders or not, give your tasks due dates or not. It’s up to you. Read more

5 Things You Never Knew About Saving Money

May 1, 2013/in Apps, Books, Reduce Stress, Saving Money/by Paula Rizzo

I thought I knew a fair amount about how to have healthy finances. I know how to make money, save it and spend it…so what else is there to know? Apparently a lot! A fellow blogger and friend, Scott Gamm, just wrote a book called “More Money Please: The Financial Secrets You Never Learned in School.” And he’s only 21! Yes — that’s right!

The book is written from the perspective of a college kid who knows more than most about finance. Scott started a blog called HelpSaveMyDollars.com for young people to get their money issues under control. Many people struggle to save and often run out of money quicker than they make it. Anyway, this book is geared towards 20-somethings, however, I think people of all ages, including parents and professionals, can benefit from reading it. Here’s some of what I learned: Read more