Increase Productivity | List Producer

Make the Most of Your Weekend

August 1, 2013/0 Comments/in Beauty, Benefits of List Making, Health, Holidays, Home, Increase Productivity, Learning With a List, List Making, Reduce Stress, Technology, Travel, TV/by Paula Rizzo

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.

Orchestra To-Do App is Discontinued

July 30, 2013/1 Comment/in Apps, Benefits of List Making, Increase Productivity, Learning With a List, List Making, Reduce Stress, Saving Time, Technology, Tool for Success/by Paula Rizzo

Another to-do app is shutting down! Orchestra is joining Astrid and closing up shop.

Here’s the story

Despite Orchestra’s great success (ranking as the App Store’s Productivity App of the year in 2011,) the Orchestra team is changing their focus. Part of what made Orchestra a great app was its compatiblity with email — you could forward an email to Orchestra and it would turn it into a task on your to-do list. Somewhere along the way, the Orchestra team decided that they wanted to take this idea a step further and created Mailbox, an app to streamline your email.

Easy Ways to Clear Mental Clutter

July 21, 2013/2 Comments/in Benefits of List Making, Boost Memory, Decision Making, Increase Productivity, Learning With a List, List Making, Reduce Stress, Saving Money, Saving Time, Tool for Success/by Paula Rizzo

It must happen to you too — you wake up and already a million ideas and things you need to do are whizzing through your head. Then you get on with your day and all these pesky tasks just won’t go away. Having mental clutter can make you frustrated, tired and annoyed. So I say clear it out!

Here are a few ways that work for me:

Write a To-Do List

This may seem a bit obvious, but it works! If you’re mind is crowded with all the things you have to get down, write them down in a To-Do List. This way, you can easily see what needs to get done and you can prioritize better. Read more

To-Do List App Astrid Shutting Down

July 16, 2013/2 Comments/in Apps, Benefits of List Making, Increase Productivity, Learning With a List, Reduce Stress, Saving Time, Technology, Tool for Success/by Paula Rizzo

When the to-do list app Astrid first launched — I was instantly in love. I raved about it’s adorable octopus mascot, Astrid, and I really enjoyed the little nudges she gave to help you get things done. I even interviewed the CEO of the company, Jon Paris, on my YouTube channel. A few months back word got out that Yahoo had bought the productivity app. Fabulous, I thought! Finally one of the good ones made the big time! However…now I’ve heard that on August 5th Astrid will be no more! I don’t know why but they are shutting down the service.

Don’t Panic!

If any of you, as I do, happen to keep a lot of important data in your productivity app of choice, no need to panic! In response to closing their service, Astrid has created a way for its users to keep all of their information after closing up shop. All you need to do is go to this link: astrid.com/home/export and you will be able to download all of your data.

Also, if you want to keep using your lists and other information, Astrid recommends that you upload your data to one of these apps.

They are set up to allow you to pick up where you left off:

1. Wrike

2. Wunderlist

3. Sandglaz

4. TickTick

5. 24me

6. Any.do

I recommend these to-do list apps as alternatives to Astrid:

1. Carrot

2. Don’t Forget

3. Clear

4. Paperless

I’m sad to see Astrid go and I hope you find another productivity app that you love just as much! If you do — please let me know about it!

6 Fun Ways to Take a Break and Avoid ‘Summeritis’

July 9, 2013/0 Comments/in Benefits of List Making, Increase Productivity, Reduce Stress, Tool for Success/by Paula Rizzo

Summer Shoes (Photo credit: Klearchos Kapoutsis)

I’ve been trying to fight it but I have “summeritis.” The official definition (that I’ve made up) is when “you’re more focused on your vacation, the weather, summer cocktails you want to make or just about anything summer related rather than your work.”

While it’s healthy to daydream – there’s work to be done people! I try to take a few breaks during the day to recharge. Taking a walk to get a cup of tea or talk to a coworker is all you need sometimes. Pressing the pause button for a few minutes can give your mind time to rest and prevent burn out or frustration. Then, when you do get back to work, you’ll be more focused and productive.

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