apps | List Producer

Be More Productive with a 15-Minute Vacation

April 23, 2015/2 Comments/in Apps, Happiness, Increase Productivity, Reduce Stress/by Paula Rizzo

photo credit: Nicole Rouyer Guillet

BONUS FREEBIE: Want even more ways to stay organized, productive and less stressed? Click here to get access to my List-Making Starter Kit. It will boost your efficiency and get you back to doing more of the things you love.

The most productive people know the importance of taking a break. In fact studies show that brief diversions from a task can dramatically improve one’s ability to focus on that task for prolonged periods. This is a productivity tip I talk about in my book, Listful Living.

But what do you do with you break? Some go for a short walk, others make a cup of tea – but what about something a bit different? Today I’m going to show you how to take a 15-minute vacation and feel rejuvenated and re-energized.

Here’s how it’s done:

1. Go onto Google and choose the street view.
2. Type in your favorite city or a place you’ve always wanted to visit.
3. Use the Google navigation tools to take a stroll around and enjoy
4. Walk down the Champs-Élysées in Paris or relax on the beach in Bali!

Another great way to take a virtual vacation is to use the app Periscope. If you haven’t heard it’s a new video streaming app that I’m totally obsessed with. Download it and you can watch people live streaming from their phones all over the world. Just recently I watched someone walk along the Great Wall of China. It’s so much fun and a great way to reward yourself after some hard work!

What do you like to do on your break?

BONUS FREEBIE: Want even more ways to stay organized, productive and less stressed? Click here to get access to my List-Making Starter Kit. It will boost your efficiency and get you back to doing more of the things you love.

My Latest Productivity Killer: Periscope

April 14, 2015/2 Comments/in Apps, Technology/by Paula Rizzo

Smartphones are in many ways a productivity blessing. They provide you with instant access to hundreds of apps designed to help you get more out of your day. However, smartphones can also be a productivity curse. Because you also have access to hundreds of apps designed to get you addicted and take up all your time!

As much as I write about the importance of not being distracted – I too, sometimes get addicted to apps and get thrown off course.

The latest being Periscope.

The app allows you to live stream video from your phone from anywhere in the world. It’s very exciting for me, as a news producer, to think of all the possibilities. When I downloaded the app I had expected to watch a few videos of people going about their lives, but I quickly found myself becoming addicted.

Here are some of the things I’ve watched so far:

Pizza delivery guy arriving at a house in Utah
Kid playing super mario brothers for the first time
Pearl Jam tribute band
Guy hiking in Arizona
Person hanging out near the Golden Gate Bridge
Guy walking through the mall in NJ
Little girl learning to ride her bike for the first time
Guy who couldn’t sleep in the UK drawing
Newsroom tours in Waco, TX, Lexington, KY, Las Vegas, CNN
A puppy that is afraid of a cat in Alabama
Mother daughter dance at wedding
Malibu Beach sunset
Some nascar race
A firehandler on the beach in Florida
A cat yawning
A puppy eating
The MTV Movie Awards red carpet
Cherry blossoms in DC
Behind the scenes tour at The View

You can download the app here. Follow me — I’m @listproducer of course. Remember it is seriously addictive – so consider yourself warned! So use is as a reward when you get something checked off your to-do list. Then you can check out someone walking through Times Square or a Disney parade in real time. Let me know what you think if you check it out.

Track Your Time Challenge

March 10, 2015/1 Comment/in Increase Productivity, Saving Time/by Paula Rizzo

Are you wasting precious minutes of your day without even realizing it? Many complain there aren’t enough hours in a day to get things done but it turns out you could be the problem. Gasp! I know!

The issue may not be the amount of time you have but how you’re utilizing it. Staying focused is really important in order to have a productive day.

Distractions are what keep us from reaching our daily goals. Hey- we’re in a society of instant gratification. Just today I had a few spare seconds and I was instantly checking Twitter mindlessly without really even noticing.

I want to challenge you this week to track down where all your spare minutes go. Here’s a few ideas of how to track that “busy” time:

Moment is an app that will track how much you use your iPhone or iPad throughout the day. You can set daily limits and receive notifications once you go over the allotted time.
iDoneThis is another great tool to keep track of your day. The app will email you at the end of the day to ask “What did you get done today?” Stop, reflect, and write about your day just by hitting “reply.” This also works well if you are managing a group. The next morning, you’ll receive an overview that shows everyone’s accomplishments from yesterday to kick off your day.
Rescue Time A web-based service that tracks how much time you spend on tasks. You can also set limits on how long you check emails or update Facebook.
Daily Journal – Write down every single thing you do for an entire day. This is similar to a food journal where you write out every meal, snack and drink you consume. With a time tracking journal you write out where all your minutes go. You could also do this in an Excel sheet or in Evernote. Be honest! This is not a judging contest – it’s a way to get to know your habits better so you can improve your focus.
Toggl I just learned about this one at a conference where I was a guest speaker. It’s a digital way to track all your time. It makes it easy to capture everything on the go so you don’t forget.

Now that you know what to do – go track those minutes. I want to hear where you are wasting most of your time – it may surprise you! Please leave a comment below, a Facebook message or tweet me @Listproducer. Good luck!

See How I Detox a To-Do List on TV

March 8, 2015/0 Comments/in Apps, Increase Productivity, Learning With a List, List Making, Tool for Success, TV/by Paula Rizzo

Last week I shared with you the exciting news that I was going to be on The Better Show. If you didn’t have to chance to catch it when it was on TV, here are the clips from the show:

Detox Your To Do List

There’s a right way and a wrong way to make a list. Watch this clip to make sure your doing it the right way to set yourself up for success.

Make A List That Works!

In this clip I show you how to make our lists work for you, not against you. Plus there’s a round-up of gadgets that can help you. Do your best ideas come to you in the shower? Watch this!

Appy Listing

In this clip I give a rundown for the best apps to keep you organized while you shop and travel.

5 Ways to be Productive While Being Lazy

February 25, 2015/0 Comments/in Increase Productivity/by Paula Rizzo

You can be productive and be lazy at the same time.

This sounds crazy, right? But it’s not impossible to get stuff done AND be a couch potato! It’s true! There are a lot of ways you can be efficient without leaving the couch.

So I’ve put together a list:

1. Watch a Ted Talk. All you need is access to the Internet. Ted Talks are powerful videos that cover a wide variety of topics. Their goal is to spread ideas and give insight to those who are looking for a deeper understanding of the world. Gain knowledge and spark ideas all from the comfort of your home

2. Outsource: I’m a huge fan of giving your to-do list to someone else. Take advantage of some of these instant gratification apps so you can relax while your chores get.

Wun Wun will deliver you food from a restaurant, supermarket or shop in under and hour, for about 8 bucks.
Postmates is similar to Wun Wun, except they charge $5 for delivery. You can get just about anything delivered to you while you watch the latest episode of Girls.
Zipments is a bike messenger style currier app that allows you to text or talk to your courier directly. You can use this to send paperwork, pick up dry cleaning or drop off lunch to your kid’s school. They also do restaurant and store pickups too. It’s also worth comparing these against other couriers such as Shiply, especially if you regularly use couriers for things like motorbike deliveries.
Minibar will deliver wine, spirits, beer and mixers to your door. Delivery is free and under an hour in NYC and 2 hours or less in the Hamptons. A great solution to prep for a party without leaving the house.

3. Listen to Umano. Sit back, relax, and have your favorite articles read to you. Umano offers a wide selection of content. The more you listen, the more recommendations you will receive. You can also build playlists! Subscribe to the List Producer Umano playlist for free, and use my code to get unlimited listening: NN8MEZ

4. Use Evernote While You Lounge. This is basically a digital filing cabinet. Strategically organize everything from your grocery lists to your bucket list. You can do this on any device while lounging around the house. If you’ve tried it before and just can’t get into it – trust me…give it a second chance.

5. Exercise! Yup, there’s a lazy way to exercise. I put together a Pinterest board for you to check out.

Follow Paula Rizzo – ListProducer.com’s board Exercise the lazy way! on Pinterest.

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