Happiness | List Producer

Limit Your Options And Get More Done

July 29, 2014/1 Comment/in Apps, Benefits of List Making, Food, Happiness, Increase Productivity, Learning With a List, Reduce Stress, Saving Time, Tool for Success/by Paula Rizzo

(Photo credit: maclauren70)

We often think that the more choices we have the better. That’s the whole idea behind bigger supermarkets and larger malls – more choices. But is that really what’s best for us?

For example, if you’re a bridesmaid picking your dress can be a fairly daunting task, especially if the bride has told you to wear whatever you like. You know very well that she’d be unhappy if you really did wear whatever you like so you second guess every option. But if the bride narrows it down to a specific color and designer — the choice suddenly becomes much easier.

This concept is called decision fatigue – the central premise being that the more decisions we make the less likely we are to make good decisions. Once you accept that fewer choices are better you can start being more productive and improve your judgement.

Follow the items on this list to limit your options: Read more

It’s Malala Day – Help Change The World

July 13, 2014/0 Comments/in Children, Happiness, People, School/by Paula Rizzo

Malala Yousafzai speaks at World Bank headquarters on the International Day of the Girl (Photo credit: World Bank Photo Collection)

When I was younger I loved going to school and my passion for learning has never really left me. I’m always looking for new opportunities to find out more about a subject or research a new trend. Whenever I fill in Buzzfeed quizzes, I always end up with the bookworm or nerd personality type. I like to think of myself as curious but even still I’m a big fan of education, especially education for women.

Who is Malala?

Today I would to share with you the story of Malala Yousafzai. Like me, she is a girl who loves going to school and learning. Unfortunately, some people around her did not want her to learn. They feared education would give her power. Those people had a meeting and decided to assassinate her in Pakistan, where she lived. On October 9, 2012, they walked onto her school bus, asked for her by name and shot her in the head. The bullet hit her forehead and ran down the length of her face but did not kill her. She is lucky to be alive. Read more

Checklist for Overcoming Awkward Moments at Work

June 24, 2014/1 Comment/in Decision Making, Happiness, Increase Productivity, People, Reduce Stress/by Paula Rizzo

(Photo credit: B Tal)

The average American spends 1,700 hours a year at work, and unfortunately for you and me that means it’s a statistical inevitability that something embarrassing or awkward will happen while you’re at work. I don’t know about you, but it always seems to happen to me at the most inconvenient time, like spilling coffee on yourself right before a big meeting.

Here’s a checklist of ways to deal:

Find An Extra Hour in Your Day

June 10, 2014/0 Comments/in Benefits of List Making, Decision Making, Food, Happiness, Increase Productivity, Learning With a List, List Making, Reduce Stress, Saving Time, Tool for Success/by Paula Rizzo

(photo credit: wikipedia.com)

If you’re a busy person like me, you’ve probably found yourself day-dreaming about a 25 or even a 26-hour day. A fantasy world where you not only finish all your tasks for the day, you even find time to pick up that book you’ve been meaning to read. Unfortunately I can’t make the day longer, but I do know how you can save one hour at a time.

Don’t let waiting time be wasted time

On hold with the bank? Bored on your daily commute? Use this time to do smaller tasks like reading your emails, checking your Facebook page or paying bills with a mobile app. This not only saves time, but stops these smaller errands from becoming pesky interruptions at work.

Time saved: 10 minutes Read more

Make THIS List This Summer

June 3, 2014/0 Comments/in Benefits of List Making, Boost Memory, Decision Making, Decorating, Happiness, Health, Home, Increase Productivity, Learning With a List, List Making, Reduce Stress, Saving Time, Tool for Success, Uncategorized/by Paula Rizzo

(Photo credit: melodygranger.com)

Any season is great for list-making but summer is especially perfect. There’s always so much I want to do and hopefully, the weather cooperates. With a busy schedule and summertime just around the corner, it’s a great time to make a list of goals to accomplish by the end of the summer.

My Summer Goals

1. Go to the beach at least two times. I grew up near the beach on Long Island and strangely enough, I haven’t been on the sand in the summer in a few years. I must remember to take a beach chair with me the next time I go so I at least have a bit of protection from the sand! As much as I love the beach, there isn’t anything worse than being covered in a large amount of sand.

2. Read two fiction books. I spend a lot of time reading lots of non-fiction for work and my own research that some of the stories I love to get lost in getting put on the back burner. Right now I’m reading Emily Giffin’s “The One & Only” and I have a few others on my list. Check them out on GoodReads. Read more