Increase Productivity | List Producer

Eliminate Small Annoyances to Boost Productivity

August 3, 2015/3 Comments/in Apps, Decision Making, Decorating, Happiness, Health, Increase Productivity, Reduce Stress, Saving Time, Tea, Technology, Tool for Success/by Paula Rizzo

We all experience them, those little everyday things that get in our way.

But you deal with them even when they set you back. I do it too.

I’m sent tons of magazines and books at work and they are good resources for story ideas. However they take up so much space.

I keep them on my desk because I always plan on looking at them. But in the end they just get in my way and slow me down and create clutter.

They topple over onto my keyboard.

They spill onto my notes and pencil and often I can’t find what I’m looking for — but there they are…under that stack of magazines.

So why don’t I just move them! Right? We’ll it’s a lot easier said than done. These types of irritants are only slightly annoying so we let them slide. Read more

The Most Productive 15 Minutes of Your Work Day

July 29, 2015/2 Comments/in Benefits of List Making, Increase Productivity, Learning With a List, List Making, Reduce Stress, Saving Time, Tool for Success/by Paula Rizzo

For those of you who work a typical 9 to 5 job, looking at the clock and seeing it’s 4:45pm can be quite a relief. Only a quarter of an hour and you’re out of there! Yay!

For others it can be quite stressful – only 15 minutes to get everything done!

But would you believe the way you spend those final 15 minutes could completely change what happens the next day?

Every day, when I’m nearly finished with work I create a “roadmap” for the following day. I’ve stolen the idea from my time as a live news producer. We always have a rundown to keep us on track during a live show. Your work day should run the same way. Read more

The Perfect Combo: Tea and Productivity

July 27, 2015/0 Comments/in Benefits of List Making, Food, Happiness, Increase Productivity, Learning With a List, List Making, People, Tea, Tool for Success/by Paula Rizzo

Last week I held the very first ever ProductiviTEA event at Podunk tea shop in New York City. I’m still beaming from the amazing energy in the room. (Maybe it was the boozy tea too?) The group was a mix from all different backgrounds. We had lawyers, fashion designers, personal trainers, financial services gurus, productivity coaches and branding experts.

Between sips of delicious tea and bites of yummy scones — it was clear that despite the differences in careers we all shared similar productivity issues. Some of the problems that popped up included:
1. Focusing on one task at a time (I suggested trying the Pomodoro technique where you work on a given task for a set amount of time — like 25 minutes.)

2. Dealing with email overwhelm (I’ve been there too – I love to sign up for newsletters newsletters,PDFs and free gifts of all kinds. If there’s a free promo code out there — I want it. All these goodies are delivered right to my inbox and I always have the best intentions to read them all but….the truth is I rarely do anything with that stuff. I created a system to Take Back My Inbox! For some tips and tricks on that front check out my new course.

3. Stopping your brain from going 100 MPH before bed (Reading a fiction book is a great cure for this. I used to read non-fiction all the time because I’m just so curious and always want to be learning something new. But about a month ago I realized it wasn’t working and switched to fiction. It’s amazing how much it settles you down before bed.)

We also talked about productivity styles and how you have to find out what works for you. I had so much fun helping people with their list and productivity problems and cheer on their successes. I created ListProducer.com to help those who where struggling to get organized – it feels really good to see the effect the blog has on people. Thanks so all who attended and hopefully we will have a repeat event sometime soon. I’m even thinking of doing a virtual event so people from all over can participate.

What Google Headquarters Taught Me About Productivity

July 13, 2015/4 Comments/in Happiness, Health, Increase Productivity, People, Reduce Stress, Technology, Tool for Success/by Paula Rizzo

Paula & Jay with Gopi at Google

Last week I decided to use the 4th of July weekend as an excuse to go on vacation. I have always wanted to go to San Francisco and figured now was the time. My husband Jay and I toured around the city — saw the Golden Gate Bridge, walked up Lombard Street, strolled along Fisherman’s Wharf and even tasted some amazing wine in Napa and Sonoma Valleys.

While there – we were amazingly lucky to get a tour of the Google headquarters in Mountain View, CA. That’s about 50 minutes south of San Francisco. Anyone can check out the grounds but to get a real look inside the buildings an employee has to take you around. I was lucky to be introduced to Gopi Kallayil by a mutual friend and he was our very gracious host. He’s the Chief Evangelist at Google for Brand Marketing — isn’t that the coolest title ever? Read more

Checklist to Finish What You Started

July 8, 2015/0 Comments/in Decision Making, Happiness, Health, Increase Productivity, List Making, Reduce Stress, Saving Time, Tool for Success/by Paula Rizzo

I have loads of advice about how to get started with a big project on this blog. But what about finishing a task? Most people assume that when you’re in that final stretch it will all fall into place. However, sometimes finishing can be just as difficult! Especially if you’ve put all your motivation into getting started.

Here’s a checklist to help you finish what you started!

1. Stop asking for advice – My friend Terri wrote about this recently, she calls it an addiction to advice. When you’re addicted you become so wrapped up in getting all the best possible advice from the best people that you never get around to actually doing it. Sometimes you just have to get on with it! Plus once your project has started to take shape you will find yourself getting more specific feedback. Read more