Reduce Stress | List Producer

Easy Ways to Clear Mental Clutter

July 21, 2013/2 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

It must happen to you too — you wake up and already a million ideas and things you need to do are whizzing through your head. Then you get on with your day and all these pesky tasks just won’t go away. Having mental clutter can make you frustrated, tired and annoyed. So I say clear it out!

Here are a few ways that work for me:

Write a To-Do List

This may seem a bit obvious, but it works! If you’re mind is crowded with all the things you have to get down, write them down in a To-Do List. This way, you can easily see what needs to get done and you can prioritize better. Read more

My List for Beating the Heat

July 18, 2013/0 Comments/in Benefits of List Making, Health, Learning With a List, Movies, Reduce Stress, Tool for Success/by Paula Rizzo

Times Square, NYC (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Walking through NYC is basically like walking through pea soup these days. We’ve had several days of over 90 degree weather and I’ve had quiet enough.

Every TV station, including my own, is cover the heat. They have reporters in Central Park, at cooling centers, pools and local stores getting the pulse of the city.

One of the very first stories I covered as a summer intern at WLNY-TV was a heat wave. I was sent out with a videographer and had to ask people how they were “beating the heat.” So I hold a special place in my heart for heat stories. So what are you doing to stay cool?

Take advantage of the heat wave — Keep an eye out for special promotions. A lot of cities offer free public transportation during heat waves. Companies can have a few special offerings, too. NYSC is opening its doors to all visitors in the extreme heat. And JetBlue is offering some promo codes for up to 90% off when the temperature goes above 90 degrees. Read more

To-Do List App Astrid Shutting Down

July 16, 2013/2 Comments/in Apps, Benefits of List Making, Increase Productivity, Learning With a List, Reduce Stress, Saving Time, Technology, Tool for Success/by Paula Rizzo

When the to-do list app Astrid first launched — I was instantly in love. I raved about it’s adorable octopus mascot, Astrid, and I really enjoyed the little nudges she gave to help you get things done. I even interviewed the CEO of the company, Jon Paris, on my YouTube channel. A few months back word got out that Yahoo had bought the productivity app. Fabulous, I thought! Finally one of the good ones made the big time! However…now I’ve heard that on August 5th Astrid will be no more! I don’t know why but they are shutting down the service.

Don’t Panic!

If any of you, as I do, happen to keep a lot of important data in your productivity app of choice, no need to panic! In response to closing their service, Astrid has created a way for its users to keep all of their information after closing up shop. All you need to do is go to this link: astrid.com/home/export and you will be able to download all of your data.

Also, if you want to keep using your lists and other information, Astrid recommends that you upload your data to one of these apps.

They are set up to allow you to pick up where you left off:

1. Wrike

2. Wunderlist

3. Sandglaz

4. TickTick

5. 24me

6. Any.do

I recommend these to-do list apps as alternatives to Astrid:

1. Carrot

2. Don’t Forget

3. Clear

4. Paperless

I’m sad to see Astrid go and I hope you find another productivity app that you love just as much! If you do — please let me know about it!

6 Fun Ways to Take a Break and Avoid ‘Summeritis’

July 9, 2013/0 Comments/in Benefits of List Making, Increase Productivity, Reduce Stress, Tool for Success/by Paula Rizzo

Summer Shoes (Photo credit: Klearchos Kapoutsis)

I’ve been trying to fight it but I have “summeritis.” The official definition (that I’ve made up) is when “you’re more focused on your vacation, the weather, summer cocktails you want to make or just about anything summer related rather than your work.”

While it’s healthy to daydream – there’s work to be done people! I try to take a few breaks during the day to recharge. Taking a walk to get a cup of tea or talk to a coworker is all you need sometimes. Pressing the pause button for a few minutes can give your mind time to rest and prevent burn out or frustration. Then, when you do get back to work, you’ll be more focused and productive.

List of Ways to Make Working At Home Easier

July 7, 2013/2 Comments/in Benefits of List Making, Increase Productivity, List Making, Reduce Stress, Saving Money, Saving Time, Tool for Success/by Paula Rizzo

Summer is the perfect excuse to work from home. But working from home can be both a blessing and curse. There are distractions around every corner — kids, food, your bed, etc. I don’t work from home that often but when I do it can sometimes be daunting to keep my head in the game. No wonder why people look to use a hotspot booster though, as this will allow them to work anywhere in the world with good quality internet connection. What more could you ask for? I was recommend to look into email hosting, which would enable me to look at my work emails wherever I am. This is beneficial to people who have their own businesses and their own domain. It’s an easy way to get more reliable and efficient service. Who doesn’t like to make work easier for themselves? There’s so much I have planned this summer in terms of my business. I have always wanted to update and improve my website and I feel like this is the perfect time to do it. The last website that I had, I used an outsource company to help create all my pages. But this time round, I want to try and do this myself. I know it will be difficult initially, but I’ll get used to it. Once I look into what ia definition is and all the other terminology, I should be fine! Plus, if I do get stuck, I know a few people who can give me a helping hand.

I often try to keep the same time table I would if I were working in an office. Taking breaks for lunch and walks to keep myself going. I can’t even imagine how difficult it must be if you also throw kids into the work from home mix.

Care.com, which helps parents find babysitters, nannies and child care, recently asked me to give some tips on ways to be more productive and stay focused. Here’s my list of ways to prioritize and get more done at home.

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