Increase Productivity | List Producer

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

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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

Give Your To-Do List to Someone Else

December 1, 2011/4 Comments/in Benefits of List Making, Boost Memory, Decision Making, Fellow List Producers, Home, Increase Productivity, Learning With a List, Reduce Stress, Relationships, Saving Money, Saving Time, Shopping, Technology, Tool for Success/by Paula Rizzo

Each month I feature a fellow list producer who has used lists to succeed. This month Leah Busque, CEO of TaskRabbit.com is my featured list producer. The first time I heard about her company — I fell in love! It’s an amazing tool for getting your to-do list done!

Basically you sign in and name a task that you need accomplished — then a “task rabbit” will help you out for a fee! It’s like a personal assistant, guru and friend all in one! A while back we exchanged guest blogs and Leah wrote about why it’s important to outsource your to-do list so you can get more done. She’s absolutely right — giving up a few tasks to someone who can do them better will make your life so much easier!

1. Why do you call yourself a compulsive list maker?

Is there really any other way of being? I need to stay uber organized and prioritize the millions of things I have going on each day as founder and CEO of TaskRabbit (a mobile and web marketplace for getting things done). Read more

For Sale: John Lennon’s To-Do List

November 30, 2011/1 Comment/in Art, Benefits of List Making, Books, Boost Memory, Decision Making, Fellow List Producers, Increase Productivity, Learning With a List, Reduce Stress, Relationships, Saving Money, Saving Time, Tool for Success/by Paula Rizzo

Gotta Have It Rock and Roll

***UPDATE: After 19 bidders battled it out — someone went home with this piece of history for $16,696!***

Have an extra $3,000 sitting around? That’s the starting bid for a very special piece of paper. John Lennon’s to-do list is being auctioned off by Gotta Have Rock and Roll and it’s expected to sell for upwards of $5,000.

I’ve always loved The Beatles, their music and their history so I was especially excited when I saw this list. Here’s a fun fact: I was actually named after Paul McCartney! Funny, right? Yep — my mom totally had Beatlemania and my dad indulged her lifelong crush when it came to naming me.

Lennon’s list was said to be made for his personal valet, Fred Seaman. So it makes sense that some of the items read like directions: Read more