Why You’re Not More Productive and How to Fix it

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notproductiveHere’s something that might surprise you — all this productivity stuff doesn’t always come so easily to me. I’ve shared this at several of the signings for my book Listful Thinking and people have really been shocked.

The truth is I’m actually a big procrastinator.

I know that working in television under really strict deadlines, with serious time constraints has helped to pull me out of my procrastinator ways. The same rules for productivity applies for many businesses too, as well as personal goals.

I use systems all the time like list making, rewarding myself and making fake deadlines to get more accomplished.

That’s how this blog got started but I want you all to know that I work at it every single day.

Yes I do have an advantage because I like to organize shirts by color and write my to-do list on beautiful stationery. But I have to work at maintaining my lists, keeping my schedule in check and being more efficient with my free time.

I think it’s important to share our productivity struggles as well as our successes. Too often when I speak with people who are struggling they feel like they are the only one.

If this rings true with you — remember you’re not alone!

In fact, the more people I talk to, the more I realize how similar our stories are.

The same phrases always seem to come up:

“I’m too busy.”

“I don’t have time.”

“It’s too difficult.”

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Track Your Time Challenge

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waiting-410328_640Are you wasting precious minutes of your day without even realizing it? Many complain there aren’t enough hours in a day to get things done but it turns out you could be the problem. Gasp! I know!

The issue may not be the amount of time you have but how you’re utilizing it. Staying focused is really important in order to have a productive day.

Distractions are what keep us from reaching our daily goals. Hey- we’re in a society of instant gratification. Just today I had a few spare seconds and I was instantly checking Twitter mindlessly without really even noticing.

I want to challenge you this week to track down where all your spare minutes go.  Here’s a few ideas of how to track that “busy” time:

  • Moment is an app that will track how much you use your iPhone or iPad throughout the day. You can set daily limits and receive notifications once you go over the allotted time.
  • iDoneThis is another great tool to keep track of your day. The app will email you at the end of the day to ask “What did you get done today?”  Stop, reflect, and write about your day just by hitting “reply.” This also works well if you are managing a group.  The next morning, you’ll receive an overview that shows everyone’s accomplishments from yesterday to kick off your day.
  • Rescue Time A web-based service that tracks how much time you spend on tasks. You can also set limits on how long you check emails or update Facebook.
  • Daily Journal –  Write down every single thing you do for an entire day.  This is similar to a food journal where you write out every meal, snack and drink you consume. With a time tracking journal you write out where all your minutes go.  You could also do this in an Excel sheet or in Evernote. Be honest!  This is not a judging contest – it’s a way to get to know your habits better so you can improve your focus.
  • Toggl I just learned about this one at a conference where I was a guest speaker.  It’s a digital way to track all your time.  It makes it easy to capture everything on the go so you don’t forget.

Now that you know what to do – go track those minutes.  I want to hear where you are wasting most of your time – it may surprise you!  Please leave a comment below, a Facebook message or tweet me @Listproducer.  Good luck!

See How I Detox a To-Do List on TV

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Last week I shared with you the exciting news that I was going to be on The Better Show. If you didn’t have to chance to catch it when it was on TV, here are the clips from the show:

Detox Your To Do List

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There’s a right way and a wrong way to make a list. Watch this clip to make sure your doing it the right way to set yourself up for success.

 

 

Make A List That Works!

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In this clip I show you how to make our lists work for you, not against you. Plus there’s a round-up of gadgets that can help you. Do your best ideas come to you in the shower? Watch this!

 

Appy Listing

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In this clip I give a rundown for the best  apps to keep you organized while you shop and travel.

Stop Reading, Start Listening to Podcasts

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200364775-002If you follow this blog you probably know how much I’m loving podcasts these days. It’s such an easy way to get smarter! Podcasts are just so convenient for my commute as I spend most of my time walking, making it difficult to read. Podcasts are a great way to learn on the go and make the most of your limited free time.

Here is a list of my favorite podcasts:

Happier with Gretchen Rubin – I’m always inspired by Gretchen and she’s a list maker too so you know how I feel about that! She’s the author of The Happiness Project and the soon to be released book, Better Than Before. This happiness guru always seems to have the right answers and the best ways to love your life. This podcast is new and Gretchen and her sister host it together. It’s worth a listen for sure. Read more

5 Ways to be Productive While Being Lazy

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Screen Shot 2015-02-23 at 9.26.42 PMYou can be productive and be lazy at the same time.

This sounds crazy, right? But it’s not impossible to get stuff done AND be a couch potato!  It’s true! There are a lot of ways you can be efficient without leaving the couch.

So I’ve put together a list:

1.  Watch a Ted Talk. All you need is access to the Internet. Ted Talks are powerful videos that cover a wide variety of topics. Their goal is to spread ideas and give insight to those who are looking for a deeper understanding of the world. Gain knowledge and spark ideas all from the comfort of your home

2.  Outsource: I’m a huge fan of giving your to-do list to someone else. Take advantage of some of these instant gratification apps so you can relax while your chores get.

  • Wun Wun will deliver you food from a restaurant, supermarket or shop in under and hour, for about 8 bucks.
  • Postmates is similar to Wun Wun, except they charge $5 for delivery. You can get just about anything delivered to you while you watch the latest episode of Girls.
  • Zipments is a bike messenger style currier app that allows you to text or talk to your courier directly.  You can use this to send paperwork, pick up dry cleaning or drop off lunch to your kid’s school. They also do restaurant and store pickups too. It’s also worth comparing these against other couriers such as Shiply, especially if you regularly use couriers for things like motorbike deliveries.
  • Minibar will deliver wine, spirits, beer and mixers to your door. Delivery is free and under an hour in NYC and 2 hours or less in the Hamptons.  A great solution to prep for a party without leaving the house.

3.  Listen to Umano. Sit back, relax, and have your favorite articles read to you. Umano offers a wide selection of content. The more you listen, the more recommendations you will receive. You can also build playlists! Subscribe to the List Producer Umano playlist for free, and use my code to get unlimited listening:  NN8MEZ

4. Use Evernote While You Lounge. This is basically a digital filing cabinet. Strategically organize everything from your grocery lists to your bucket list. You can do this on any device while lounging around the house. If you’ve tried it before and just can’t get into it – trust me…give it a second chance.

5. Exercise! Yup, there’s a lazy way to exercise. I put together a Pinterest board for you to check out.

Follow Paula Rizzo – ListProducer.com’s board Exercise the lazy way! on Pinterest.