Oscar season is upon us – I’m sure many of the nominees are working on their to-do lists for the big night. Write speech, have fabulous custom gown made – you know, the usual.
This week I wanted to share a quote with you from one of my favorite leading ladies and fellow list maker Octavia Spencer.
Octavia’s not the only one who’d be lost without her lists. That’s why I keep all of mine in Evernote so I’m never without them!
I have often credited my job as a news producer for honing my time management skills. Working in television has not only taught me the value of a minute, but also how to stick to a strict deadline. That’s because the news happens with or without you and you better be ready as a producer.
But what about other professions? Here are some example of jobs and the productivity tips we can learn from them.
Firefighters – These guys and gals are known for being ready to go at a moment’s notice. All their equipment is laid out, the tanks are filled, the whole process is geared to take as little time as possible. Because a couple of minutes can make all the difference when it comes to a fire — preparation is key. While your day to day might not be as important it’s still a good idea to do as much as you can in advance.
Read more
Fast Company recently compiled an article on the most successful people’s productivity secrets. One of the featured celebrities is Bobby Flay who admits that he uses lists to keep on top of things.
Bobby says:
Whether I’m cooking Thanksgiving dinner or starting a new menu at [his newest restaurant] Gato, I make lists. When I cross things off, it makes me feel accomplished. It’s the only way I can get things done. It wasn’t something I learned in school—I dropped out of high school, so anything I did then wasn’t successful. I learned it later.
Bobby also talked about how he keeps his lists on a yellow legal pad. Check out my pinboard to find your favorite list making celebrity:
Follow Paula Rizzo – ListProducer.com’s board Successful List Producers on Pinterest.
My good friend Terri Trespicio recently wrote a post for me full of relationship advice for the New Year. She invited me to be on her show “Solopreneur,” which is all about sharing success strategies when you work for yourself. We talked all about lists and my book Listful Thinking in this episode titled “Get Your Sh*t Together”! In the video we ride the bus, we clear clutter, we drink tea….it’s a good time. As you can see from the picture, this guy was very interested to hear more about my productivity tips! If you’re just as interested do check it out!
I’ve really enjoyed my holidays this year. It was fun to relax with family, eat good food and watch new movies. (St. Vincent is amazing!) But now it’s back to cold, dark days and work. I love my job, but even I struggled with going back this year.
So how can we keep ourselves motivated now that the ‘fun’ part of winter is over? Here’s a list on how to have a good time while getting back to the grind.
Party More – A friend of mine recently told me that her New Year’s resolution was to say yes to more cocktail party invites. Isn’t that brilliant? Sometimes we get caught up thinking we’re too busy to go to something, or nervous that we won’t know anyone there. In reality every new person you meet is a new opportunity. So get out there more for 2015! Read more