Books | List Producer

Put My Book on Your Must-Read List!

June 1, 2014/0 Comments/in Benefits of List Making, Books, Boost Memory, Decision Making, Happiness, Health, Increase Productivity, Learning With a List, List Making, Reduce Stress, Tool for Success, Uncategorized/by Paula Rizzo

Me and my publisher Brenda Knight at Book Expo America in NYC

I have exciting news to share with you — my first book is coming out in January 2015! It is called “Listful Thinking: Using Lists to be More Productive, Highly Successful and Less Stressed”! I can’t wait for you to read it.

The swag my publisher Viva Editions gave out at Book Expo America to promote the book!

Every year I go to Book Expo America here in New York City for my day job as a TV producer. I check out all the new titles and set up meetings with publishers so they can tell me about their upcoming books and authors in the health field. It’s a huge trade show and the who’s who of book publishing is always there. This year, I got a great surprise — my publisher, Viva Editions, already started creating some buzz about my book with these adorable “Listful Thinking” notepads!

We’re still working on the cover art and ironing out all the details for the January publication date. I’m working on all sorts of fun events and activities leading up to the launch and I hope you’ll participate in them! I’m open to ideas too, so shoot me an email if you have any.

I will be sure to keep you posted but just couldn’t wait to share the news! Please add the book to your “Want to Read” list on Goodreads and please spread the word!

Read Faster with the Blinkist App

May 20, 2014/0 Comments/in Apps, Benefits of List Making, Books, Boost Memory, Decision Making, Home, Increase Productivity, Learning With a List, List Making, Reduce Stress, Saving Time, Technology, Tool for Success/by Paula Rizzo

Blinkist app (Photo Credit: allmyfaves.com)

Blinkist app (Photo Credit: www.allmyfaves.com)

There are so many books on my reading list, that are sadly still waiting to be read. I’ve been reading a lot of non-fiction lately like “How to Make Every Man Want You” by Marie Forleo and “Less Doing, More Living: Make Everything in Life Easier” by Ari Meisel. But between work and my day to day schedule, it’s hard to find the time to sit down and enjoy a book in it’s entirety.

However, I recently discovered a new solution to my problem– the app Blinkist!

Blinkist works the same way as sites like Cliff Notes by providing a quick and short synopsis of a book—this time on your iPhone or iPad! The app takes the full text of a non-fiction book and turns it into quick snippets of information. Rather than scrolling through pages and pages of text, Blinkist gives you the most important information from a text in just fifteen minutes! Here are some of the perks Blinkist has to offer:

1. The books are put into categories, helping you to find what book you’re searching for easily. There’s even a productivity and self-help category! Read more

Ronald Reagan Was A List Maker!

February 16, 2014/3 Comments/in Benefits of List Making, Books, Boost Memory, Fellow List Producers, Increase Productivity, Saving Time, Tool for Success/by Paula Rizzo

I take copious notes while doing just about anything.

1. Phone Calls: I jot down keywords and phrases so I don’t forget details and can go back and reference what was said later.

2. Magazines & Books: I write down ideas or websites I want to check out as I skim through the pages.

3. Movies & TV: I’ll get a thought and have to write down a note or two about what I’m watching.

My husband thinks it’s a colossal waste of time but it turns out I’m not alone in this obsessive little habit. Former President Ronald Reagan did a similar thing!

A book called “The Notes: Ronald Reagan’s Private Collection of Stories and Wisdom,” is a collection of Reagan’s personal notes. He jotted down his favorite quotes, jokes and proverbs on 4-by-6 index cards and kept them locked away in the Oval Office. The only other person who had seen these lists was his beloved wife, Nancy.

The book says that Reagan picked up list making while he was working as a spokesman for General Electric in the 1950s. He would read during long train rides and write notes on what he thought was most important. Read more

“Netflix for Books” Can Save You Money!

January 9, 2014/0 Comments/in Apps, Books, Saving Money, Technology/by Paula Rizzo

It’s been so cold here in New York and I’m looking forward this weekend when I can stay inside and cozy up with a good book to relax! I really love biographies, historical fiction, and any book that’s about to be made into a movie. As a kid – I loved going to the library and would often pick the same books over and over (usually Curious George or Paul’s Christmas Birthday.) But with libraries becoming virtually a thing of the past, reading can actually be a pretty costly hobby (not to mention costly for the environment if you’re still buying hard copies.) And think about all the clutter those beloved books create.

Recently, I discovered Oyster – it’s the app CNN calls “Netflix for Books” because, for a monthly subscription, you can read an unlimited number of titles available in their library. I was completely into the app until I realized that their library had a lot of interesting titles, but very few that were already on my reading list.

But fear not — Oyster isn’t the only app that lets you subscribe and read all you want – BookSwim and BookLending.com offer similar services, but they each have their own pros and cons.

Let These Ladies Inspire You

September 17, 2013/0 Comments/in Beauty, Benefits of List Making, Books, Fellow List Producers, Food, Oprah, People/by Paula Rizzo

We Can Do It poster for Westinghouse, closely associated with Rosie the Riveter, although not a depiction of the cultural icon itself. Pictured Geraldine Doyle (1924-2010), at age 17. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Tonight I will be attending the inaugural New York Women in Communications‘ WiCi awards. This awards ceremony honors pioneering women who are changing the field of communications. The incredible women being honored are pushing the communications industry forward and are inspiring the leaders of tomorrow. I’m excited to attend.

This got me thinking about women who inspire me. Having mentors and women to look up to has been one of the biggest positive forces to propel me forward in my life and in my career. Here’s a list of the women who inspire me (in no particular order!):