A List for the Low-Maintenance Bride

/2 Comments/in , , , , , , , /by

Shows like Bridezillas give brides a bad name. Just because the bride to be has her heart set on something like Northwood Rings for her big day, that doesn’t mean that her passion for her wedding should be ridiculed. No one wants to be “that girl,” so some new brides play down their excitement and take a more laid-back approach. Others – genuinely aren’t into all the details. It’s OK — some women just don’t have the “wedding planning gene.” As you can imagine…I am not one of those women.

Fun fact: I once had a short-lived wedding planning business with my best friend and fellow journalist, Danielle. The business was thriving until we worked on the wedding from hell and threw in the towel. But we found that planning a wedding is a lot like planning a newscast – and my producing background really helped me pay attention to every last detail. Planning a wedding is not something you can do last minute, so whether you have to get the help of family/friends or click here for website so you can get inspiration for your dress, hopefully you’ll find that it was all worth it. It made planning my own wedding a lot of fun too.

Laid-back brides might view some of these details as “no big deal” – but they are and here’s why they should be on your wedding to-do list:

1. A Planning Binder: I know you think this will make you look like a total nerd but you need one. All of your ideas, invoices, addresses and vendor contacts must be kept in one place. It will save you time and make planning less stressful. You don’t have to buy a fancy wedding-themed binder but you should have a place to keep all your wedding stuff. You can also keep all your questions for vendors in this binder and take it with you when you have meetings. You’ll look smart and prepared. Read more

Successful Financial Guru is a List Maker

/2 Comments/in , , , , , , /by

List making can help you strive in so many areas of your life: work, home, relationships, leisure and even fashion! No one knows this better than Joe Duran. He’s this month’s featured “list producer.”

Joe is the CEO for United Capital, a national wealth-counseling firm that is one of the fastest growing companies in the financial services industry. Pretty impressive, huh? Well he owes a lot of his success to being a list maker!

1. Why do you call yourself a compulsive list producer?

Lists keep people synchronized. I expect myself and everyone that works with me to stay on top of all the many things we are working on.

2. What do you make lists about?

I like everyone that works with me to keep two kinds of lists: action lists for any follow up items as well as checklists for repeatable activities.

3. How often do you make lists?

There is not a day that goes by that I am not given multiple checklists and action lists to look at. Read more

Shopping for Clothes with a List

/2 Comments/in , , , , , , , , , /by

This weekend my husband was cleaning out his closet – so I was inspired to do the same thing. Our approaches were quite different – he was done in 10 minutes after giving each item a quick glance.

I, on the other hand, had to try on EVERYTHING with the right shoes and undergarments. Please! How am I supposed to know if it still looks good without seeing the whole look? This process took me two hours. (I have a lot of clothes.)

Closet-Cleaning Strategy

I made five piles to keep myself organized as I went through my clothes and shoes:

1. Keep: Stuff that I have worn in the past six months and look really good on me.

2. Donate: Stuff that I really loved at one point but no longer fits, I’m tired of wearing or I’ve never actually worn (I know I’m not the only one who has done this! Right?) If you don’t know where to donate your clothes — here’s a list for “Getting Rid of Stuff.” Read more

A List for a Happy Baby

/4 Comments/in , , , , , , , , /by

I’ve gotten to the age where everyone is either getting married or having babies. It’s like when you’re 13 and everyone is having a bar or bat mitzvah and you wish you were Jewish so you could have one. Or when you turned 16 and every girl had a “Sweet 16” and was learning to drive. The marriage and the babies stage are the same. Except…those who don’t have them are either happy without them or yearning for them. It’s a mixed bag.

Me — I’m not ready to be a mom but from what I’ve heard…your life is turned upside down by that little human — in a good way. And your priorities and entire schedule completely changes. But guess what — a list will help you cope!

My good friend Arianny is a new mom. She said that one of her friends told her about buying second-hand clothes for her baby, so she can save some money to spend on other things, like diapers.  Anyway, she wrote me this email recently:

You would be proud: I keep a list of everything I need to pack in Gabriel’s diaper bag in the side pocket of the bag. Every time I pack it to go out, I take out the little list. Everything from bottles to toys. It’s the key to a happy baby.”

Here is Arianny’s list of things that I think should be kept in diaper bags (recently updated because he just started solids):

1. Diapers

2. Wipes

3. Burp Cloth

4. Bibs – lots of them

5. Blanket

6. Bottles & Water

7. Formula

8. Pacifiers – a couple for when they drop and get dirty!

9. Change of clothes/PJs

10. Solid meal

11. Spoons

12. Toys/Teether

Don’t forget the tablet with those sing-along songs that helps baby sleep. Who knew having a baby would have so many accessories! But it makes sense — being prepared for a new task is all you need to be successful and less stressed out. You’ll even save some time too. Who cares if you need a cheat sheet…even to be a good mom. Trust me — your baby won’t mind!

The Power of a Pro vs. Con List and a FREE Giveaway

/9 Comments/in , , , , /by

This blog is three posts in one:

1. A case study of the power of one of my favorite kinds of lists: the pros/cons list.

2. A plug for a cool website and the pre-made list paper they make.

3. A chance for you to win FREE list paper from KnockKnockStuff.com.

 

 

WHO: Colleen Cappon – my colleague and a non-list maker

WHAT: Colleen and her fiancée Chris are getting married and having trouble planning their honeymoon

WHEN: Their wedding is in October

WHY: It’s tough to narrow down the perfect destination to celebrate their nuptials because they are overwhelmed by all the choices

WHERE: This is just the problem! They have too many options and are losing sight of what they really want

The Power of a Pros/Cons List

Enter the “List Producer” with the solution I have for everything – make a list! I told Colleen that a pros/cons list is really the best way give attention to each choice individually. I also shared some cool list paper that I’d gotten from KnockKnockStuff.com for her to write out pros and cons about each resort she and Chris were considering. Read more