Increase Productivity | List Producer

Best Food Apps

March 25, 2013/0 Comments/in Apps, Decision Making, Food, Increase Productivity, Saving Money, Saving Time, Shopping, Technology, Tool for Success, Travel, Wine/by Paula Rizzo

Salumi e vino lucchese. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

It’s no secret — I love food! For someone who works in television I don’t actually watch it that often but when I do I’m always watching a cooking show. I love talking about food, eating it and planning out menus.

So when Mindy Kobrin of Meals on Heels asked me to write a guest blog for her food site I was thrilled! I decided to write about some apps that make planning, eating and enjoying much easier. Here’s a look at that blog post: 5 Must-Have Food Apps.

Bonus App

While on vacation in Italy and Paris recently I found another useful app that I didn’t include in my guest post. It’s called Delectable and it’s a wine app that is very smart. You just snap a photo of a wine that you’re enjoying and the app does the rest. The photo is sent to a database that identifies where the wine was produced, what year it was, what type it is, etc. And it even tells you where you can buy the wine. It’s a clever and practical app for wine lovers. It definitely came in handy in Tuscany. More on that trip soon. But I hope you find these apps helpful in the meantime.

A List Can Save Your Life

February 26, 2013/4 Comments/in Benefits of List Making, Boost Memory, Decision Making, Fellow List Producers, Health, Increase Productivity, Reduce Stress, Saving Time/by Paula Rizzo

Turns out making a list can do a lot more than just help you remember to pick up milk from the grocery store. When I first started this blog I got a comment on one of my posts from a family friend. She mentioned that having a list actually saved her life. Yep – you heard me right. The act of writing something down reminded her to do something crucial, which prolonged her life. Amazing right!

Checklists and Your Health

The comment was from a woman named Kate — who is a mother of three and a full-time teacher. She’s constantly running here and there between her children, husband, work and personal life. But it was a to-do list that stopped her for a moment and reminded her to make her annual doctor’s appointments.

Because of that list – doctors found a precancerous breast condition. She was able to take precautionary measures to reduce her chances of developing advanced breast cancer later in life. She told me that checking off “make doctor’s appointment” from her to-do list – saved her life. The power of a simple list is amazing — it’s no wonder that doctors use them too. Read more

Start Your Day Fresh, Not Frantic

February 17, 2013/4 Comments/in Benefits of List Making, Boost Memory, Increase Productivity, List Making, Reduce Stress, Saving Money, Saving Time, Tool for Success, Video/by Paula Rizzo

Home Office Toys (Photo credit: cogdogblog)

It happens to everyone from time to time. You walk into your office and your day is completely derailed because of added meetings, ringing phones and creeping deadlines. But there is a way to tame the beast. Check out my latest YouTube video for my number one tip on how to start your day fresh, not frantic. It’s a technique I’ve been using for years as a tv producer and it’s served me well! Hope it works for you — let me know how you do.

9 Ways to be Productive on a Snow Day

February 7, 2013/2 Comments/in Apps, Benefits of List Making, Decision Making, Increase Productivity, Learning With a List, List Making, Relationships, Tool for Success/by Paula Rizzo

SNOW DAY in TIMES SQUARE 2011 – Manhattan, New York City – 01/26/11 (Photo credit: asterix611)

The mention of extreme weather does a funny thing to people. It throws us into a total frenzy. No one wants to sit in a freezing home in the middle of winter. All you can think of is how much milk you have in the house and whether or not your car has gas. My office has been a buzz about the Nor’easter headed for New York City for days.

A snow day is a good excuse to do all the things you’ve been “meaning” to do but just haven’t gotten to do. If you do get snowed in — here’s my list of things you can do to be productive:

Clean out just ONE desk, junk or dresser drawer. Get to more if you can but start with just one.
Catch up on your saved DVR shows. (in your PJs)
Look up and try out a new workout on YouTube.
Start compiling all the paperwork you need to do your taxes. I recommend Evernote to keep track of it all.
Do some online shopping to cross off some birthday or holiday gifts from your to-do list.
Do research for an upcoming wedding, vacation or project.
Download the Next Issue app to browse all your favorite magazines in one spot.
Try out a new recipe. One of my favorite blogs Cooking With Books should give you some inspiration.
Begin a new book. Check Goodreads.com for fabulous recommendations from friends.

Fancy Hands: Make Your Life Easier With An Assistant

January 31, 2013/4 Comments/in Benefits of List Making, Home, Increase Productivity, Reduce Stress, Saving Money, Saving Time, Tool for Success/by Paula Rizzo

image from twilio.com

Even very productive people have trouble getting everything done throughout the day. But the secret really is being able to delegate. If you can take something off your plate so you can work on something else that you’re better at — you will be much more efficient. Enter…the assistant.

I know you’re thinking “I can’t afford an assistant!” I know because I said the same thing until I found FancyHands.com. It’s basically a virtual assistant service. Read more