Saving Money | List Producer

4 Ways to Make Your Resolution Stick

December 28, 2011/1 Comment/in Benefits of List Making, Decision Making, Health, Holidays, Home, Increase Productivity, Learning With a List, Reduce Stress, Relationships, Saving Money, Saving Time, Tool for Success/by Paula Rizzo

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It happens every year – you make a New Year’s resolution and by February you’ve forgotten about it. It happens to the best of us – but it doesn’t have to be that way. It’s the way that you’re making your resolutions that is probably setting you up for failure. So here’s a checklist to make sure that you stick with your New Year’s resolution this year:

1. Make It Attainable: If you make your goals too unrealistic or broad you will never reach them and you’ll be disappointed. For instance – don’t say you want to run 10,000 miles this year if you don’t have the time or resources to do it. Instead vow to run two miles a day, five times a week – this is much more attainable and you’ll feel satisfied when you’re able to reach that goal. Read more

List of Great Restaurants in New York City

December 27, 2011/8 Comments/in Benefits of List Making, Decision Making, Food, Increase Productivity, Reduce Stress, Saving Money, Saving Time, Tool for Success/by Paula Rizzo

Who doesn’t love a good meal? Food — cooking and eating it — is one of my favorite topics. I’m a Food Network junkie and I love watching Guy Fieri and Giada Di Laurentiis whip up easy meals. Sometimes I even try them out myself — but a lot of times I go out to eat. How lucky that I live in New York City and the best restaurants are all around me!

I’ve compiled my own NYC Restaurant Recommendation List but now New York Magazine has come out with it’s 101 Best NYC Restaurants List. Check it out — there are some really great selections on there. If you’re not from New York City — save some for your next visit. Read more

Lists of Things You Can Control

December 21, 2011/0 Comments/in Benefits of List Making, Decision Making, Decorating, Fellow List Producers, Food, Guest Posts, Home, Increase Productivity, Learning With a List, List Making, Reduce Stress, Relationships, Saving Money, Saving Time, Tool for Success/by Paula Rizzo

I will make a list about anything! Colors I like, restaurants I want to try, changes I want to make to my apartment, things I need to do, etc. President Ronald Reagan was the same way and so are a lot of people. But if you’re scratching your head and don’t know what to list about — here’s some inspiration from Meggin McIntosh, Ph.D. She’s hosting my upcoming teleseminar “Compulsive List Making: The How’s and the Why’s.” I hope you’ll sign up!

Making Lists About Things You Can Control

by Meggin McIntosh, Ph.D.

Part of being productive is taking control over those areas where you can exert some control and making lists lets you take some control. Hooray!

Now here’s a key idea: We need to focus our attention, energy, and lists ONLY on those areas where we have some control. Here’s a list of six areas where you do:

1. What you wear. I’m assuming that if you are reading this that you are an adult. So you get to choose what you wear. Choose wisely and well. If your clothes are uncomfortable or your feet hurt or you’re fussing with your scarf all day, you’re less productive. Make lists related to what you wear. Read more

Grocery Lists Save Time and Money

December 20, 2011/14 Comments/in Benefits of List Making, Decision Making, Home, Increase Productivity, Learning With a List, List Making, Reduce Stress, Saving Money, Saving Time, Shopping, Tool for Success/by Paula Rizzo

Every Sunday my husband and I go grocery shopping. We don’t even think about going without a list so we can get in and out of the store as quickly as possible.

Every week we have these same staples on our list:

Milk
Bread
English Muffins
Strawberries
Bananas
Blueberries
Raspberries
Salad
Cranberry juice
Tomatoes

Every week without fail – these foods make the list. So why do we write them down? So we don’t have to remember to remember them. It’s a no-brainer. If you go grocery shopping without a plan – you will definitely spend more time and money. 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