Increase Productivity | List Producer

5 Tricks For an Easier Morning

September 2, 2014/1 Comment/in Apps, Benefits of List Making, Home, Increase Productivity, Reduce Stress, Technology/by Paula Rizzo

I believe that there’s a lot of truth to the saying “The early bird always catches the worm.” Every morning I wake up at 6:05am, hours before I need to be at work. It’s gives me a chance to relax, do yoga, read the newspaper, check email and eat breakfast before work so I feel accomplished before even getting to the office.

However, I know waking up early isn’t easy, and it’s very tempting to lay in bed until the last minute. So I’ve got some tips for you on how to get up early and get more done.

1. Try an alarm clock app – There’s an app called Walk Up that makes you walk a certain number of steps before the alarm will shut off. It can’t be fooled either — so you better get up and take those steps! FreakyAlarm will make you take photos of specific objects or even do mind-testing exercises before it will shut off it’s annoying alarm sounds. Talk about hitting the ground running! Read more

Are You Addicted to Saying “I’m So Busy?”

August 24, 2014/1 Comment/in Benefits of List Making, Decision Making, Increase Productivity, List Making, Saving Time/by Paula Rizzo

“I’m so busy?” It’s an excuse, an apology and sometimes a greeting. Did you know that this “go to” saying might actually be making you less productive? We often attribute our busyness to being as sign of the times, that in this technological age we are all working longer hours and taking on more responsibilities. But were our predecessors really any less busy? Without modern luxuries like a dishwashers and microwaves, previous generations had as many time consuming tasks as we do.

So what can you do to stop yourself saying “I’m so busy” and feeding the frenzy? Here are 3 ideas: Read more

Getting Rid of Writer’s Block is as Easy as Baking a Cake

August 14, 2014/0 Comments/in Fitness, Food, Happiness, Increase Productivity, Tool for Success/by Paula Rizzo

English: A chocolate cake decorated with icing...

(Photo credit: Wikipedia)

We are all writers in some form or another. Some of you will have your own blog or journal, or maybe you’re a student writing essay after essay. Even office workers write emails or send out a few tweets here and there. I’ve been fortunate enough to never really suffer with writer’s block. Not that often, at least. It can be difficult to break out of though.

Here’s a checklist of tricks to try when writer’s block pops up:

1. Bake a cake – I’m not kidding, baking a cake (or any other sweet treat) is a great way to get your creative juices flowing. Thinking about your ingredients and what your going to make helps to distract you from the problem at hand and gives you something else to focus on. Once you’ve put the cake in the oven, go back and look and your work with fresh eyes. You’ll probably find what was missing before. Plus you’ll have something tasty to eat once you’ve finished your work! (My intern Nicole has found this method to work time and time again!) Read more

Can List Making Make You a Billionaire like Richard Branson?

August 12, 2014/1 Comment/in Benefits of List Making, Fellow List Producers, Increase Productivity, Learning With a List, List Making, People, Tool for Success/by Paula Rizzo

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BONUS FREEBIE: Want even more ways to stay organized, productive and less stressed? Click here to get access to my List-Making Starter Kit. It will boost your efficiency and get you back to doing more of the things you love.

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Lots of successful people also happen to be list makers — like Sir Richard Branson! He’s a high-profile British billionaire and founder of Virgin Group, which is made up of more than 400 companies including Virgin Atlantic. What you may not know is that he’s also dyslexic and struggled when he was in school. In fact, his principal told him he would either end up in prison or become a millionaire. When I saw on his blog that he was a list maker. I just had to share some of his productivity tips with you.

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