Saving Time | List Producer

The Story I Was Never Going to Tell

January 20, 2015/8 Comments/in Home, Reduce Stress, Saving Money, Saving Time/by Paula Rizzo

I didn’t want to write this post. I’ve been putting it off for months. Part of me still doesn’t want to admit this actually happened to me. And I really never wanted to admit it to anyone. But the truth is — the recent purchase of our first apartment, renovation of said apartment and the act of moving into it, shattered me.

January 21st marks exactly one year that my husband and I closed on our co-op in Manhattan. And so I thought it finally fitting to talk about my experience.

I’m known for having my act together, being organized, thinking on my feet, problem solving in my sleep and being productive and efficient. I mean — I’ve dedicated this blog to these things and even wrote an entire book on the subject!

But I was none of these things during this time period. I was literally frozen, paralyzed and I felt pretty helpless.

I’m not typically dramatic and as a journalist – I’m very good at just stating the facts. But I’m also an optimist and that got in my way for sure. Read more

3 Ways Short Deadlines Help You Do More

January 11, 2015/1 Comment/in Apps, Increase Productivity, Reduce Stress, Saving Time, Tool for Success/by Paula Rizzo

(Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The problem with time management is that humans are, in genera, fairly bad at judging time and how long things take. For example, five minutes seems like a short amount of time, but try holding a heavy box for five minutes and it’ll seem like an eternity.

So when we say we’re going to work on a project for an hour, we’re often setting ourselves up to fail. That’s why I believe splitting up your task into manageable chunks is actually the fastest way to get it done.

As a TV producer I’ve had years of practice so I know what 45 seconds vs. two minutes and 45 seconds feels like. It takes a while to get the feel just right. But when you do — it can be an amazing productivity tool.

Here’s some easy ways to break tasks into bite-sized pieces: Read more

What Santa Can Teach Us About Productivity

December 23, 2014/0 Comments/in Benefits of List Making, Holidays, Increase Productivity, Learning With a List, List Making, People, Saving Time/by Paula Rizzo

Every year Santa delivers presents to all the boys and girls around the world. It’s fair to say he’s a pretty busy guy. In order to keep Christmas magical Santa has to keep his time management skills in check. And if you’ve ever been delighted with the gift of your choice on Christmas morning…you know he’s good, real good at this!

Here are some ways you can be more like Santa and get more done: Read more

Subtract stuff from your life this New Year

December 21, 2014/0 Comments/in Decision Making, Fab Find, Fellow List Producers, Happiness, Home, Increase Productivity, Reduce Stress, Saving Time, Tool for Success/by Paula Rizzo

Around this time of year we find ourselves adding more and more to our to do lists. I know I feel like 2015 hasn’t even begun and my list is already stacking up. Especially as my book is being published in January! If you are also feeling a bit overwhelmed maybe it’s time to start subtracting from your list instead of adding.

My friend Cass McCrory runs The Subtraction Project to help you do just that. What the Subtraction Project does is provide 30 days of actionable prompts to subtract the extra in your home, your inbox, your brain and your life. It’s free so there’s no subtraction from your wallet.

The project starts on January 1st — so sign up soon to get a kick start on your new year. Even if you know you have a busy January ahead, don’t worry as each prompt will be short and sweet. They take between 5-15 minutes to complete. Cass is also going to feature my book on day 11, as that day focuses on to-do lists. So make sure to check it out.

What are you going to subtract from your life in 2015?

Don’t have time to read my blog? I’ll read it to you!

December 18, 2014/3 Comments/in Apps, Increase Productivity, Radio, Saving Money, Saving Time, Tool for Success/by Paula Rizzo

I’m all about shortcuts. I stand in the right spot when the subway shows up so I can get to work faster, I pre-register for flights, buy gifts in advance and I’ve started listening instead of reading. It’s just quicker to have something read to me while I commute rather than read half a page of a book and then forget where I left off because I get distracted or arrive at my destination.

So in the past few months I’ve been listening to more podcasts and using a really smart app called Umano. I’ve written about Umano before but briefly it was created for people like us who are on the go. It contains lots of articles that you can add to a playlist and they will be read to you while you commute, workout or hang out on the couch! I loved it so much I partnered with them.

So now you can hear me read many of the blog posts I write here on ListProducer.com on my Umano channel. I’ll also read some of the guest posts that I write for other sites as well.

I hope you’ll subscribe and give a listen — it’s free! Oh and my good friend Terri Trespicio is on there too — she’s got a great voice and lots of fabulous content too!