Increase Productivity | List Producer

Have a Mental List for Emergencies

December 12, 2011/2 Comments/in Benefits of List Making, Boost Memory, Decision Making, Increase Productivity, Learning With a List, Reduce Stress, Saving Time, Tool for Success/by Paula Rizzo

This past Saturday afternoon my husband Jay and I were getting ready to run some errands when we heard lots of fire trucks zooming by our apartment building. Living in New York City – this isn’t a big deal – it happens all the time and you learn to ignore it. But the sirens were constant and extremely loud this time. I looked out the window and there were firefighters rushing into our building! I started to smell smoke and yelled out to Jay that I thought something was on fire. I opened our apartment door and the hallway was filling with smoke. Read more

Some To-Do List Secrets

December 9, 2011/19 Comments/in Benefits of List Making, Boost Memory, Increase Productivity, List Making, Reduce Stress, Saving Money, Saving Time, Tool for Success/by Paula Rizzo

I’ve been making to-do lists for as long as I can remember. Work stuff, personal stuff, blog stuff…you name it…I’ve made a to-do list about it. But I understand that not everyone does this and it may not come as easily to others. So I’m going to give you some of my list-making secrets.

It’s easy to be overwhelmed by your list and ignore it. But the benefits of a to-do list are vast. If you make a well-constructed list it will work to your advantage. Here’s how to make the ultimate to-do list and stick to it.

1. Just Write it Down: It’s easy to forget things that you don’t have right in front of you. So write down any task you need to do as soon as you think about it. It doesn’t matter if the list is in any particular order right now – just write it down. Read more

Check Off Your List With Gifts That Give Back

December 8, 2011/0 Comments/in Art, Beauty, Benefits of List Making, Decision Making, Decorating, Fashion, Fitness, Food, Guest Posts, Health, Holidays, Home, Increase Productivity, Learning With a List, Reduce Stress, Relationships, Saving Money, Saving Time, Shopping, Tool for Success/by Paula Rizzo

OrganicBouquet.com

One of the great pleasures of my job is working with Chris Kilham, Medicine Hunter. Chris is an alternative medicine expert who travels all over the world and has changed the way I think about medicine. In the three years that we’ve been working together on video segments I’ve also become friends with his fabulously savvy wife Zoe Helene. Like Chris she loves the outdoors and has a real respect for our environment. I thought she’d be the perfect person to help us find gifts that will give back this year.

Gifts That Give Back

by Zoe Helene

When Paula suggested I come up with a list of Gifts That Give Back, I knew the challenge would be to keep that list short. After collecting pages and pages of great stuff, I decided to keep this one focused on high quality traditional Christmas gifts that are also earth-friendly.

In the natural products industry we call that category ‘premium sustainable’. You might have heard it called ‘Luxury Eco,’ which is basically the thing. In a nutshell, these are high-end products that have produced in ways that are healthy for all parties along the chain of trade; and not just people, but planet, plants and critters too. Now that’s what I call true Christmas spirit. Read more

You Need A Wish List!

December 7, 2011/4 Comments/in Benefits of List Making, Boost Memory, Decision Making, Holidays, Increase Productivity, Learning With a List, Reduce Stress, Saving Money, Saving Time, Tool for Success/by Paula Rizzo

When people get married or have a baby they register for items they want or need. You don’t want mis-matched plates or decorations that don’t really go with your theme – so you tell people exactly what you need. It’s also smart because this way people won’t buy items that you already own. I think the same attention should be paid to holiday gift giving.

Why not make a wish list of all the things you’d like to receive so your friends and family have a guide? It will save time and money. Some etiquette experts might disagree but I think everyone could use a little help with their holiday shopping. Read more

Checklist to Break A Boring Routine

December 2, 2011/1 Comment/in Benefits of List Making, Decision Making, Home, Increase Productivity, Learning With a List, Reduce Stress, Relationships, Saving Time, Tool for Success/by Paula Rizzo

Ever feel like your days are becoming carbon copies of each other? You get up, go to work, come home, eat dinner, get to bed and then do it all over again. So boring! I know — it happens to me too sometimes. But I’ve made a checklist to make sure I don’t fall into the land of monotony:

1. Break your Routine: Try something different, anything! Take an alternate way to work, eat something new for lunch, read a newspaper you would never ordinarily pickup or visit a unique website. We are creatures of habit — but if you change just one thing in your day you will feel refreshed. Read more