Fellow List Producers | List Producer

Successful List-Making Group

July 30, 2012/in Benefits of List Making, Fellow List Producers, List Making/by Paula Rizzo

A while back I had a thought to create a Meetup group for list makers. So I did — it’s called “Lists & Libations” and we had our first event last week in NYC. It was a success! I’ve posted more photos on my Facebook page.

I’m thrilled that about 15 fellow list producers could come together to share drinks and ideas. I had a little questionnaire with some list-related questions as an ice breaker and gave out some prizes from one of my favorites — KnockKnockStuff.com.

With the first Meetup under our belt — I’m planning two more. Another one in NYC that will probably have a theme to keep us all focused! I’m hoping to get some guest speakers too. And I’m also planning a virtual meetup — called “Common List Making Mistakes & How to Fix Them,” so anyone can join in. That one is a bit of an experiment — I’m going to use a Google+ Hangout for that one. We’ll see how it goes!

Would love to hear your feedback and have you join the “Lists & Libations” meetup group.

Keeping Track of Your Book Lists

July 16, 2012/in Benefits of List Making, Books, Boost Memory, Decision Making, Fellow List Producers, Learning With a List, Reduce Stress, Saving Money, Saving Time, Tool for Success/by Paula Rizzo

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?

App Inventor Makes Lists to Do More

July 2, 2012/in Apps, Benefits of List Making, Fellow List Producers, Increase Productivity, Reduce Stress, Saving Money, Saving Time, Technology, Tool for Success/by Paula Rizzo

Lists make life easier — plain and simple. Recently I introduced you to my new favorite list-making tool to keep track of all the restaurants I love or want to try called Matchbook. It allows you to easily add restaurants and any place with an address really – to your iPhone. I’ve used it about a zillion times since finding it. Seriously.

The brain behind this incredible app is, of course, a list maker. Meet Jason Schwartz — this month’s Featured List Producer:

Q: Why do you call yourself a compulsive list producer?

A: I actually consider myself a compulsive list-enabler. I constantly see ineffective lists in action, and that is what drives things at Matchbook. The same scrappy list of bars and restaurants shows up repeatedly in the notepad of people’s phones. If you ask people if this list is useful, they say that it isn’t. Lists are supposed to make us more efficient and organized, and a massive number of people compulsively create restaurant lists that don’t live up to that promise. I want to make all that work useful.

Q: What do you make lists about?

A: My first love is lists of places. Restaurants, bars, and shops that I want to go to, or remember to go back to. It’s like my little black book of gems that I know about and nobody else does. Read more

Get Your Dad One of These Gifts

June 15, 2012/in Apps, Benefits of List Making, Fellow List Producers, Holidays, Increase Productivity, Learning With a List, Reduce Stress, Relationships, Saving Money, Saving Time/by Paula Rizzo

If you’re still wondering what to get your dad for the big weekend — help is here. Techie gifts are super popular and will keep your dad in the know. From high-tech ties, to apps and even some clothes — my friends over at Digitwirl have you covered.

Click on the photo below for a look at their top techie gifts for dads this year.

Happy Shopping!

Check Out My Summer Lists

June 13, 2012/in Beauty, Benefits of List Making, Boost Memory, Decision Making, Fellow List Producers, Fitness, Increase Productivity, Learning With a List, List Making, Reduce Stress, Saving Money, Saving Time, Tool for Success/by Paula Rizzo

Now that I’ve got you started on your summer to-do list…it’s time to check out some seasonal lists. I had the great pleasure of creating three lists for VMV Hypoallergenics’ INSKIN Magazine!

The magazine is distributed in their stores around the world and also digitally on their website. You may remember hearing about them from me — I’ve been good friends with their CEO, Laura Verallo de Bertotto, forever and even highlighted her as one of my Featured List Producers.

I hope you enjoy these lists in the magazine:

Throwing a summer soiree (page 3)
Finding the fountain of youth (page 10)
Planning the perfect vacation (page 14)