Benefits of List Making | List Producer

Check Out My Guest Post on Manilla.com

August 20, 2012/1 Comment/in Apps, Benefits of List Making, Increase Productivity, List Making, Reduce Stress, Saving Money, Saving Time, Technology, Tool for Success/by Paula Rizzo

Mail (Photo credit: Bogdan Suditu)

Have you heard of Manilla.com? It’s a really great way to organize your bills, subscriptions and finances all in one place. Yep — with just one password you can keep track of your frequent flyer miles, magazine subscriptions, utility bills, Netflix accounts, etc. Never get miss a payment or let a coupon expire again. Who doesn’t love saving money and time? Right — no one!

I met with their team at BlogHer12 and I’ll be guest blogging for their site once a month about tips and tricks to be more productive! Check out my first post: “Take Back Your Day and Get More Done.”

The learn more about Manilla.com from fellow List Producer Carley Knobloch of Digitwirl.com click on this video:

5 Reasons to Start Holiday Shopping in August

August 13, 2012/12 Comments/in Apps, Benefits of List Making, Boost Memory, Decision Making, Holidays, Increase Productivity, List Making, Reduce Stress, Saving Money, Saving Time, Shopping, Tool for Success/by Paula Rizzo

Christmas gifts. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Planning ahead will benefit you in ways you never even imagined — especially when it comes to shopping for the holidays. I always start my holiday shopping in August. Yep — I’ve already bought a gift for someone on my list! This is a tradition that I think you should start as well. Read more

Fabulous Food Truck List

August 9, 2012/0 Comments/in Benefits of List Making, Food, Tool for Success/by Paula Rizzo

Pincho Factory Food Truck Miami (Photo credit: Phillip Pessar)

When gourmet food trucks first rolled onto the scene I was definitely skeptical. How can gourmet food go on the road like that? But somehow they do it and now food trucks are popping up all over the country. Some of my favorites are the Rogue Tomate Cart, Rickshaw Dumpling Truck, and Frites and Meats. Yum!

I’m no expert but John T. Edge is — he’s a a James Beard Award winner and writes the monthly United Tastes column for The New York Times. He wrote The Truck Food Cookbook: 150 Recipes and Ramblings from America’s Best Restaurants on Wheels and shared his list of favorite dishes on wheels. Read more

How To: A Pro and Con List

August 8, 2012/8 Comments/in Benefits of List Making, Boost Memory, Decision Making, Increase Productivity, Learning With a List, List Making, Reduce Stress, Saving Money, Saving Time, Tool for Success/by Paula Rizzo

Have you ever had to make a really big decision? You know — the type of thing that will change your life forever! It can be totally nerve wracking, for sure.

Things like buying a house, changing jobs, having a child, planning your honeymoon, figuring out what outfit to wear are all big considerations and should be given some critical thought. Enter: the pro and con list.

Silly or serious – it serves a purpose. Let’s say for instance you’re buying a house, you should really know everything about that property. From how much it costs to if there’s been any construction work done to it since it has been built. You’d need to know what the area is like and if it’s a good investment or not.

1. Paper or Digital? I’m a paper and pencil kind of girl but some of us are better at making digital lists. I find that if I like the paper I’m writing on then I’m more likely to sit down and make a pro and con list even if it’s a really difficult decision. Read more

List for Surviving a Conference

August 6, 2012/2 Comments/in Benefits of List Making, Decision Making, Increase Productivity, Learning With a List, List Making, Reduce Stress, Saving Time, Tool for Success/by Paula Rizzo

Wow — I’m tired! BlogHer12 was a great conference but I’m pooped and I didn’t even have to travel very far. I went from my apartment in the East Village to Midtown — basically the commute I do everyday to get to work.

But participating in a conference is exhausting — both mentally and physically.

Of course, I have a list to make it a bit easier the next time you are attending a conference too:

1. Prepare, Prepare, Prepare: I started really planning out my itinerary for BlogHer12 about two months beforehand. The agenda had been posted and I read through it a few times to see what sessions I would benefit from most. I chatted with other bloggers who had been to other BlogHer conferences for their take on sessions, parties and networking so I could optimize my time. I wrote out a list of all the things I wanted to accomplish while there.

2. Bring a Sharpie: I got this advice from Tanya Toledano who writes MontrealMom.com. It is brilliant. Bring a super-fine point Sharpie with you so you can make notes on business cards as you get them. Write notes on the card as soon as you get it like: “blond hair, glasses, lives in Arizona, possible guest blogger.” This is a huge help.

3. Use Evernote: What an incredible tool. I used this the entire weekend for taking notes. You can include audio, photos and PDFs along with your notes and access them from any device. It makes note taking and life so much easier. I also kept my entire itinerary saved here so I could get to it anywhere.

4. Make a Follow-Up List: While I was at the conference I had my iPad with me and as I met people or got an idea from a session — I added to my follow-up list. So now, this week I know exactly who I have to get back in touch with and what we need to talk about. The more time you let this linger — the less likely you are to make effective relationships and partnerships. Having a call to action list makes it much more possible.

5. Don’t Over Schedule: I totally bit off more than I could chew with this conference. I RSVP’ed for a lot of extra gatherings and parties that I just never made it to. Frankly I was too exhausted! Make sure that you schedule in time to recoup and relax — trust me, you’ll need it!

6. Bring Snacks: I brought almonds, fruit bars and clementines. It’s always a good idea because you just never know when you’ll get hungry and be stuck in a meeting or session with your stomach growling!