List of Things to Say in Awkward Situations

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We’ve all been there — in a situation where we are fidgeting and searching for just the right thing to say. These awkward social encounters can make us anxious, stressed out and agitated.

Dinner Parties

For some people – dinner parties can be excruciating. Small talk, people you don’t know and awkward silences can really make you uneasy. If you go into social situations like dinner or cocktail parties prepared — you will have a much better time. Here’s some ideas to pull you out of this tough time: Read more

Keeping Track of Your Book Lists

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A recent comment by fellow list producer, Katie C., on my blog about “Keeping a Book List” peaked my interest. Katie told me about a website called LibraryThing.com that she uses to list her favorite books. So I decided to check it out.

She’s right – it’s a great website. It’s a social cataloging site that lets you keep track of your favorite books, wish lists, etc. You can read other user’s reviews and it connects people who like the same types of books. It gives you suggestions about what to read next and can be accessed from anywhere – including your cell phone. So when people ask you “what should I read?” you’ll have all the information at your fingertips!

Basically it’s a social media site for book nerds. Well, I’m in! There are a bunch of other sites and even an application on Facebook that does similar things. But what I like about this site is that it searches the Library of Congress, Amazon sites and more than 80 libraries all over the world. It lets you organize your collection however you’d like – even by using the Dewey decimal system.

Signing up is free but it allows you to only catalog 200 books. That’s fine by me– I probably won’t need more than that. But if you’re a real bookworm you might want to get a paid account that costs $10 a year or $25 for a lifetime! Seems like a small price to pay to get your “nerd on.”

What other book sites do you like to use to keep track of all your reads?

 

Save Your Favorite Places With Matchbook

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I’m all about shortcuts to make life easier – even when it comes to list making. Up until now I had been testing out a few apps to store my “must try” and “favorite” restaurants. But I kept reverting back to my usual list-making ways: writing them down and storing them in Evernote or Wunderlist. Those have all worked fine.

But – I have found an app that is smart and easy to use and does just what I need it to do. Perfect! Gone are the days of trying to remember the name of that restaurant or shop that you passed by last week. Now all you have to do is download one app – Matchbook.

Matchbook allows you to enter the name of the place you want to remember manually or search for it. If you are nearby – you can click the button “I’m walking by it” and Matchbook will find it for you! Brilliant!

You can add tags to remember certain things about the place like if it’s got a great brunch, is loud or is super trendy. If you’re stumped for a spot to meet friends after work – you can search via neighborhood and tags. It’s much easier to navigate than Yelp’s vast database of knowledge but the searching is a bit quirky. That will be fixed in future updates, I’m sure!

It works all over the world and organizes your bookmarks by area, which makes it easy to find a place quickly. There’s also a map so you can see your bookmarks laid out in front of you and see what you’re closest to.

You can share places with friends but you don’t have to “friend” anyone through the app. Just lots and lots of list making! Check it out and let me know what you think.

18 Ways to Cheer Yourself Up

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Photo credit: D Sharon Pruitt

It happens to the best of us — sometimes you’re just not feeling yourself and need a little pick-me-up.  For the most part I’m a pretty positive person but there are times when I have a tough day or week.

You don’t have to rely on others to put you in a good mood.  There are so many things you can do yourself to turn the day around.  Here are a few of my favorite ways to cheer myself up when I’m feeling a little down: Read more

Be More Efficient When Working Virtually

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As a producer I don’t often work from home. But when I do I find that I have to be extra disciplined to get stuff done.

It’s so easy to get distracted when you’re at home and the comforts of, well…home, are all around you.  But fear not — there are ways to be more productive when working virtually. Shilonda Downing, the owner of Virtual Work Team has a few dos and don’ts for being successful.

Dos and Don’ts for Working Virtually

by Shilonda Downing

As the owner of a successful virtual assistant company, there is one question I’m often asked by not only those looking to start their own virtual business but also by journalists who write for major media and that question is: “What does it take to work successfully, virtually?”

I think it goes without saying that you should have the skill set to pursue your virtual dream business, however, I’ll discuss a couple of “Dos and Don’ts” that people often forget and that can wind up causing problems when trying to start and run a successful virtual business. While I can’t provide as much information as I provide in my consultations, making a list of these few key points, will get you started on the right track. Read more