Increase Productivity | List Producer

Must-Have Baking Tool List

February 22, 2012/9 Comments/in Benefits of List Making, Food, Guest Posts, Increase Productivity, Learning With a List, Tool for Success/by Paula Rizzo

My mother has always been the cook in the family. I’m not just saying this because she’s my mom — but she really is a fabulous cook. So for most of my life I had the “why bother” mentality when it came to cooking. My mom had it covered…so I didn’t need to.

With the help of Food Network, my husband and I have slowly become foodies! Now we love trying to make new dishes — even if they don’t always turn out right. But baking is something that my mother doesn’t do and still I haven’t jumped into that arena quite yet. Baking is a skill that even the best cooks can’t master a lot of the time, but can be a fantastic hobby to get into. But it’s on my “to-learn” list so I’ve reached out to pastry chef Marnely Rodriguez for some help on what tools I might need before I start.

Must-Have Baking Tool List

by Marnely Rodriguez

Tools of the trade are thousands, but the following list is of the top 5 baking tools every person that bakes or wants to start baking should have. They are great tools that, when used correctly, will have you baking cakes and cookies on a weekly basis!

1. Digital Scale

Nothing is more important to a baker than their scale. Baking is a science and differentiates from cooking because you can’t really throw in random, unmeasured ingredients in a pan and magically have a chocolate cake.

A scale will let you precisely weigh your ingredients and develop a sense of awareness when baking. Just be sure to never convert volume measures (cups) to metric measures (ounces/grams). Stick to the metric system and you’ll be a step ahead of the crowd. Read more

Where’d I Put That Metrocard?

February 21, 2012/2 Comments/in Benefits of List Making, Boost Memory, Decision Making, Increase Productivity, Reduce Stress, Saving Money, Saving Time, Tool for Success/by Paula Rizzo

I’m sure this has happened to you at least once — you are running for the subway and realize you can’t find your metrocard. It’s happened to all of us. Or you realize that you don’t have enough money left on the card for a ride and the train goes whizzing by you. Yep — it’s unfortunate and avoidable.

Metrocard Overload

This very thing happened when I was with my friend Danielle recently — she was searching and searching for a card with $2.25 for a one-way trip on the NYC subway. She found 7 cards total — none of them had enough on them. We missed our train. I always keep my metrocard in the exact same place so I don’t lose it. But not Danielle…sigh. Read more

The “Hit Time” Method for Getting More Done

February 20, 2012/0 Comments/in Benefits of List Making, Increase Productivity, Learning With a List, Reduce Stress, Saving Money, Saving Time, Tool for Success/by Paula Rizzo

In TV news we use the term “hit time” a lot. It means the time that your story will be “hitting the air.” We will say “what time is your hit?” or “this hits in 10 minutes,” or “are you going to make your hit?” Using strict deadlines in the news business works — the newscast will carry on with or without you. So you better be prepared and make your hit time. I’ve carried over the idea of hit times into my daily life.

Using the “Hit Time” Method

When I get dressed in the morning I have several “hit times” where I know if I’m not doing a certain thing at that time — I will be late. For instance — if I’m not out of the shower by 7:15am — I won’t be able to do my hair, makeup, eat breakfast, read the newspaper and check my email. I like doing all those things (and yoga) before I leave in the morning. I know by this “hit time” what I have time to do and what I can’t do so I can still make it to work at a reasonable time. Read more

Listen to my List-Making Webinar

February 16, 2012/0 Comments/in Benefits of List Making, Boost Memory, Decision Making, Increase Productivity, Learning With a List, List Making, Radio, Reduce Stress, Relationships, Saving Money, Saving Time, Tool for Success/by Paula Rizzo

I recently participated in a webinar on FriendsHealthconnection.com – it was a total blast! We talked about list making at home, work, for loved ones, for doctor’s appointments, techniques to turn kids into list makers and so much more! This is a link to the audio from the class — I hope you’ll visit and check it out.

It’s amazing how something as simple as a list can really help you focus, keep on task and get more done. Check out the class and please let me know what you think. If you have any questions or would like me to write about a particular topic — feel free to drop me an email: paula@listproducer.com.

5 Relationship Lists You Must Make

February 14, 2012/0 Comments/in Benefits of List Making, Decision Making, Fellow List Producers, Guest Posts, Health, Increase Productivity, Learning With a List, Reduce Stress, Relationships, 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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I’m a hopeless romantic — what can I say? I love Valentine’s Day! (I didn’t mean for that to rhyme.) I really think it’s sweet to have a day dedicated to love. However — I know many of you will say — why not be sweet all year long. Well…true. So for those people — I resisted the urge to be extra sappy with this post and instead decided to be realistic.

I enlisted the help of Susanne Alexander — she’s a relationship and marriage coach. Her guest post is all about how list making will help you have a much better relationship. Here’s her take on lists for love: Read more