Tag Archive for: list making

Listful Thinking Wisdom on the Inspired Conversations Podcast

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54602Recently I chatted with Amy on Inspired Conversations with Amy Schuber. Amy’s show is dedicated to interviewing today’s most influential thought leaders, and people she believes are making a difference through their impactful work.

So I was very glad to be invited onto her show. We talked about my book, Listful Thinking, and I gave her some advice on how to make lists work for any situation. She told me a little bit about her own lists, and how she likes to categorize them.

I also share some of my top tips like always writing a list the night before and the importance of finding your own productivity style. It’s a half -hour podcast so it’s perfect to listen to on your commute!

 

Tricks To Remember Something Before You Forget It

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remember-1-1210334-mYou are only as good as your list. So if your list is missing a few items, you’re in trouble!

Lists are there to jog your memory, so how can you remember something if you didn’t write it down? Sometimes we can be talking to friends and then we have an “Aha” moment, and we remember a task we’ve forgotten. Often it’s completely unrelated to the topic being discussed.

Below are some tips to help you have more “aha” moments!

Put Up Post-It Notes – Is there a task you’re supposed to do regularly, but still manage to forget? Stick a Post-It note in places you often see but won’t ignore.  Make it a place that is kind of in your way so you don’t just overlook it.  Sure the bathroom mirror is a fine place but you might just use the other side of the mirror.  Instead put it on a door handle or  in the cutlery draw so you have to physically move it to use that item. Plus the bonus is the more you remind yourself the harder it is to avoid that task. Read more

News Anchor Tamsen Fadal Lives by Lists

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Tamsen-1002Like me Tamsen Fadal works in the news business, so she knows the importance of a good list. She currently co-anchors the PIX11 News at 5, 6 and 10 in New York City. I used to work at PIX11 too, as a copyeditor/producer for the News at 10.

It’s always good to catch up with people there.  So I was excited to hear that Tamsen just released a new book called, “The New Single.”  And guess what she talks about in it?

Her love of list making!  So I asked her a few more questions about how she does it all.

Why do you call yourself a compulsive list producer?

There is no question about it. In fact, this interview was part of my Monday To Do List to make sure that I got it done. I love having a plan in place. It keeps me organized, efficient and it allows me to focus on the task at hand versus trying to do 10 different things and not accomplish any of them.

What do you make lists about?

I make lists about anything and everything.

  • Tasks I need to do.
  • Websites and apps I want to check out.
  • Foods I want to incorporate in my diet.
  • My workouts.
  • Long term goals and short term goals.
  • Pros and cons of a topic.

Read more

Bad Productivity Habits You Picked Up In College

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As graduates around the country end their academic careers I’m reminded that college is great for many different reasons. It’s a chance to expand your mind, meet lots of new people, get involved in new activities – the list goes on and on.

The one thing college is not so great for is your productivity.

The college lifestyle is structured completely differently to your typical working week. This isn’t a bad thing, it just means you might have a bit of a shock the first week of a new full time job.

Here are some bad habits you might have picked up in college that might still be sticking with you today:

Working Until the Early Morning – Everyone has a story of that one paper they left until the last second. Drinking coffee to stay up until 5am, desperately trying to write the whole thing in one night — you remember the scenario. This is fine when you have nowhere to be the next day, but highly impractical if you work.

If you get used to the idea that you can leave things until the last minute without consequence, it can be quite difficult to shake. Try to give yourself a fake deadline, a week in advance. This way even if you leave everything to the last minute you will still have some extra time to polish and refine. Read more

Meeting “Listful Thinkers” at Book Expo America

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BEA1Sometimes it’s important to look back in order to move ahead.  That happened to me last week when I attended my fourth Book Expo America conference.  I go every year for my day job as a senior health producer at Fox News.  I meet with publishers to talk about their new health, wellness and medical books that are coming out in the next year.

But this year I also attended as an author.  What a thrill!  I met with some list makers during two signings that my publisher set up.  One woman took out her huge binder to show me all her lists.  I couldn’t believe that she lugged it around with her everywhere, but she said she wouldn’t think of writing lists anywhere else.   Read more