Learning With a List | List Producer

12 Ways To Improve Your Life Now

August 21, 2012/0 Comments/in Benefits of List Making, Guest Posts, Health, Increase Productivity, Learning With a List, Reduce Stress, Relationships, Saving Time/by Paula Rizzo

Happiness (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Positivity is my middle name. I’m always looking on the bright side of things, if I can. I can’t help it — it’s how my mom is and it’s rubbed off on me. I admit — sometimes it’s a stretch but normally if you just stop for one minute you can see the silver lining in any situation.

I’m always interested in new tactics for “living my best life” — as my favorite person Oprah would say. I chatted with self-help expert Alexis Sclamberg and was lucky enough to snag some of her tips so we can all be happier. Read more

Here’s What You Missed While You Were Multitasking

August 15, 2012/0 Comments/in Decision Making, Health, Increase Productivity, Learning With a List, Reduce Stress, Tool for Success/by Paula Rizzo

Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.”

Fast Life #2 (NYC 2006) (Photo credit: Zohar Manor-Abel)

That’s one of my favorite movie quotes of all time! Recognize it? If not — it’s from Ferris Bueller’s Day Off. Of course, Ferris (Matthew Broderick) was talking about skipping school and canoodling with his girlfriend. But the high school delinquent does have a point.

Just yesterday I decided that my 10-minute walk to the subway would be better spent looking around — instead of fixated on my iPhone. And just like that — there were no emails read, texts sent, songs listened to or lists made. It was just me, my sneakers and New York City. Read more

How To: A Pro and Con List

August 8, 2012/8 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

Have you ever had to make a really big decision? You know — the type of thing that will change your life forever! It can be totally nerve wracking, for sure.

Things like buying a house, changing jobs, having a child, planning your honeymoon, figuring out what outfit to wear are all big considerations and should be given some critical thought. Enter: the pro and con list.

Silly or serious – it serves a purpose. Let’s say for instance you’re buying a house, you should really know everything about that property. From how much it costs to if there’s been any construction work done to it since it has been built. You’d need to know what the area is like and if it’s a good investment or not.

1. Paper or Digital? I’m a paper and pencil kind of girl but some of us are better at making digital lists. I find that if I like the paper I’m writing on then I’m more likely to sit down and make a pro and con list even if it’s a really difficult decision. Read more

List for Surviving a Conference

August 6, 2012/2 Comments/in Benefits of List Making, Decision Making, Increase Productivity, Learning With a List, List Making, Reduce Stress, Saving Time, Tool for Success/by Paula Rizzo

Wow — I’m tired! BlogHer12 was a great conference but I’m pooped and I didn’t even have to travel very far. I went from my apartment in the East Village to Midtown — basically the commute I do everyday to get to work.

But participating in a conference is exhausting — both mentally and physically.

Of course, I have a list to make it a bit easier the next time you are attending a conference too:

1. Prepare, Prepare, Prepare: I started really planning out my itinerary for BlogHer12 about two months beforehand. The agenda had been posted and I read through it a few times to see what sessions I would benefit from most. I chatted with other bloggers who had been to other BlogHer conferences for their take on sessions, parties and networking so I could optimize my time. I wrote out a list of all the things I wanted to accomplish while there.

2. Bring a Sharpie: I got this advice from Tanya Toledano who writes MontrealMom.com. It is brilliant. Bring a super-fine point Sharpie with you so you can make notes on business cards as you get them. Write notes on the card as soon as you get it like: “blond hair, glasses, lives in Arizona, possible guest blogger.” This is a huge help.

3. Use Evernote: What an incredible tool. I used this the entire weekend for taking notes. You can include audio, photos and PDFs along with your notes and access them from any device. It makes note taking and life so much easier. I also kept my entire itinerary saved here so I could get to it anywhere.

4. Make a Follow-Up List: While I was at the conference I had my iPad with me and as I met people or got an idea from a session — I added to my follow-up list. So now, this week I know exactly who I have to get back in touch with and what we need to talk about. The more time you let this linger — the less likely you are to make effective relationships and partnerships. Having a call to action list makes it much more possible.

5. Don’t Over Schedule: I totally bit off more than I could chew with this conference. I RSVP’ed for a lot of extra gatherings and parties that I just never made it to. Frankly I was too exhausted! Make sure that you schedule in time to recoup and relax — trust me, you’ll need it!

6. Bring Snacks: I brought almonds, fruit bars and clementines. It’s always a good idea because you just never know when you’ll get hungry and be stuck in a meeting or session with your stomach growling!

Tech Goddess Makes Lists Work For Her

July 31, 2012/4 Comments/in Apps, Benefits of List Making, Fellow List Producers, Increase Productivity, Learning With a List, List Making, Technology, Tool for Success/by Paula Rizzo

As far as self-professed nerds go — Carley Knobloch is the coolest. I would call her a tech goddess in fact. I’ve talked about her site former Digitwirl.com because I really think it’s great. It’s a site dedicated to technology, apps, websites and products to make your life easier. Carley is also a featured speaker at BlogHer12.

She produces high-quality video and tips that are informative, quirky and cute. I’ve shared a few here for you to check out and will continue to do that. Digitwirl is how I learned about Smore.com, which I used to make my “Lists & Libations” Meetup flyer.

Carley isn’t only a tech nerd…er goddess..she’s also a list maker! So she’s this month’s featured list producer: Read more