5 Ways To Stay Productive While Sick

Woman with tissue and hot drinkWith winter cold season just beginning, it’s important to be proactive and boost your immune system with extra vitamins and get your flu shot. I got my flu shot last month but there’s always a chance that you’ll catch a bug at some point this season. Most of the time, it’s nothing a few wellness products and some concealer can’t take care of, but there have definitely been times when a cold takes me completely out of commission.

Here are a few ideas to boost your efficiency even when you’re feeling under the weather:

1. Sleep! Even when you’re not sick, it’s important to get enough sleep at night, but when you’re sick and your body needs to recover, sleep is even more important. Think it’s overrated? I was recently at an event with Arianna Huffington and she revealed that she’s crazy about maintaining her sleep schedule. She attributes a ton of her success to getting enough sleep so that she can be more focused and productive.

2. Outsource. With services like TaskRabbit and Wun-Wun, someone else can stock your medicine cabinet and pick up chicken soup for you. Simply send them your wellness list and wait, health is on its way.

3. Maintain your To-Do list. It’s always a good idea to keep a notebook next to your bed for late-night bursts of inspiration. When you’re sick, keep your to-do list bedside so you can easily add tasks you’ll need to accomplish when you’re better. This will allow you to easily prioritize these tasks and head back to work as if you had never been gone!

4. Delegate. Whether it’s your co-workers or family members, most of us have a team we “work” with every day. Delegating tasks to others allows us to stay super-productive while personally only focused on a few tasks. People understand if you lean a little more on them when you’re sick, especially if you’re someone who always makes sure to do a good job.

5. Use the buddy system. I once asked a co-worker to keep an eye on my email as well as hers when I was out sick and to call me if anything needed to be urgently addressed. I could sleep soundly knowing that not every ping of my cell phone meant I had to get up and attend to some task. Later, I was able to return the favor when she took a personal day!

Remember: the most productive thing you can do when you’re sick is focus on getting better. Take care of yourself and try a few of these tips and the rest will follow. Stay well!

Fab Find: Cross Off To-Dos with HandyBook

Handybook LogoIf you’ve ever hosted Thanksgiving, you know how much has to get done before the turkey gets served. This year, many will be celebrating the first night of Hanukkah on Thanksgiving as well, and that means double the prep! This is the time of year for long to-do lists, so it’s important to remember to get help to avoid getting burnt out and stay cheerful! Just because you can do something doesn’t mean you should. Get outsourcing! Read more

6 Things I’m Thankful For In My Life

Thanksgiving2This month, I’m featuring a short list of things I’m thankful for in the List Producer newsletter! I

Things I’m Thankful For:

1. Everyone who follows my blog!
2. My fun and fabulous family
3. My Interns
4. Dark Chocolate
5. YouTube videos of cute puppies
6. Evernote

There’s more where that came from! Sign up for the mailing list or use the form below to receive even more lists and awesome special features.

But also work on your own “Thankful List” — scientists have discovered that giving thanks and being grateful are extremely important to increasing happiness!  Don’t believe me?  Watch this video to see a little experiment to prove it.

Make the Most of Your Weekend

Remember that song “Working for the Weekend” by Loverboy from the 80s?

It always puts a smile on my face! Weekends are the best — I think you’d be hard pressed to find someone who disagrees. You have time to sleep in and indulge in all the things you’re too busy for during the work week.

List of Must-Watch TV Shows

Breaking Bad (season 2)

Breaking Bad (season 2) (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

I’ve literally been glued to my TV for weeks watching Breaking Bad on Netflix.

Each night Jay and I would watch a few episodes and we are finally all caught up and excited for the series finale in August. The writing and the characters are superb. If you don’t watch it — you need to!

Summer can be a great time to indulge a little and catch up any TV episodes you missed last season or discover your new favorite show. Access to old TV shows has never been easier — with the amount of streaming videos available online, a marathon of your favorite series can be just a few clicks away.
And the best part is, you don’t need to sit through commercials or wait through the end-of-the-season cliffhangers — its all right there for you to watch when you want. (That’s one of my favorite parts about watching an old show. All the episodes are already out!) So break out the popcorn and get cozy on your couch!
Set aside some time this summer to relax and unwind. Here’s my list of TV shows to give a try:
  1. Breaking Bad (Netflix, Amazon Instant Video)
  2. Homeland (Amazon Instant Video, Showtime Online, iTunes)
  3. Downton Abby (Amazon Instant Video, Hulu Plus)
  4. The Sopranos (HBO Go, HBO on Demand)
  5. Lost (Netflix, Amazon Instant Video, Hulu Plus)
  6. Grey’s Anatomy (Netflix, Amazon Instant Video, Hulu Plus)
  7. Bones (Netflix, Amazon Instant Video)
  8. Mad Men (Netflix, Amazon Instant Video)
  9. Alias (Netflix, Amazon Instant Video)
  10. Dexter (Amazon Instant Video)
  11. Heroes (Netflix, Amazon Instant Video, Hulu Plus)
  12. Girls (Amazon Instant Video)