Tag Archive for: list making

3 Times Procrastination Is Good For You

/in , , /by
The Passage of Time

The Passage of Time (Photo credit: ToniVC)

Believe it or not, I’m a huge procrastinator. I’m better these days than I used to be, but I believe the idea of a pending deadline looming over your head is real motivation. List making is about reducing stress by helping us remember what we need to do, but it’s like that old saying, you can lead a list-maker to a Post-it, but you can’t make her complete a task.

1. Write creatively.

Writer’s block often comes from over-thinking. When I have an entire day to write a post, I always struggle to come up with the perfect first line. But if I wait until later in the day, it forces me to just write anything and that usually gets the creative juices flowing – just make sure to leave enough time for an edit!

2. Making tough personal choices.

I’ve heard that when you can’t decide something you should toss a coin in the air – not to decide for you, but because the second the coin takes flight you’ll realize what you really wanted. When we have the time to sit with a difficult decision, we can second guess our gut. While you can still take time early on to think things through, waiting until the last minute to actually decide will allow you to be more instinctive.

3. Saying you’re sorry.

Some mistakes require immediate reconciliation, but in a situation where you may have hurt a friend’s feelings or get in an argument with a loved out, take a day before you apologize. Even if you realize you messed up right away, waiting will take the emotion out of the situation and allow you to reflect in an unbiased way. The more able you are to see from the other person’s perspective, the more genuine your apology is likely to be.

5 Things to Say to A Celebrity

/in , /by

English: Gayle King at the Vanity Fair kickoff...

___

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.

___

In my career, I’m fortunate to have a ton of opportunities to meet interesting and influential people. Every once in a while, this includes a celebrity! When I knew I would be meeting Betty White, I was so excited because I’ve always been a huge “Golden Girls” fan.  I actually got the chance to chat with her and even appear in a segment with her quickly.  It was lovely and she was fantastic.

However, I don’t always keep it so cool when I meet famous people. I’ve been a fan of Oprah my entire life but when I saw Gayle King in an elevator, I completely froze! I didn’t want to blurt out, “I love Oprah too!” so I said nothing.

It can just be so awkward! When you meet a celebrity, you know so much about their career and their personal lives but you are a complete stranger to them. No one wants to be asked about their divorce or have someone they don’t give them career advice, and I imagine celebrities feel the same way.

So what do you say? I made a list of specific questions to ask Oprah in the past, but now I realize I needed a more general list in case I ever run into Stedman or Gayle!  To avoid being rude, embarrassing myself, or saying nothing, I came up with this list of things to say when meeting a celebrity: Read more

Your Favorite Characters Are Probably List Makers

/in , , , , , /by
Bert (right) and Ernie (left) with his rubber ...

Bert (right) and Ernie (left) with his rubber duckie . (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

I spend my days trying to come up with interesting content for this blog and find list makers in unsuspecting places.

While watching TV one day it occurred to me that some of our favorite characters must be list-makers too!  I’ve talked about celebs like Madonna and John Lennon making lists but what about some of the people we invite into our homes every day? 

 

I wonder what’s on the to-do lists of my top 5 “probable” list makers:

1. Ned Flanders (The Simpsons)ned

  • Ask Homer if he is done with my lawn mower
  • Come up with a more efficient way to iron
  • Sign up for church bake-sale

2. Claire Dunphy (Modern Family)claire

  • Call a professional to fix “the step”
  • Figure out the perfect anniversary present for Phil
  • Bail Hailey out of jail

3. Bert (Sesame Street)bert

  • Count the bottle caps in my collection
  • Feed Bernice (his pet pigeon)
  • Meet Ernie at Hoopers Store

4. Monica Geller (Friends)monica

  • Clean the vacuum with the dust buster
  • Learn the rules of football so you can beat Ross in the “Geller Cup”
  • Go out to the stores and get mayonnaise (NOT light mayo)

5. Sheldon Cooper (The Big Bang Theory)sheldon

  • Buy more hand sanitizer
  • Engineer perfect Spock costume for Halloween 2014
  • Prove to Penny and Leonard that I have perfect pitch

What characters do you think are natural-born list makers?

Related articles
Enhanced by Zemanta

5 Ways To Stay Productive While Sick

/in , , , , , , /by

Woman with tissue and hot drinkWith winter cold season just beginning, it’s important to be proactive and boost your immune system with extra vitamins and get your flu shot. I got my flu shot last month but there’s always a chance that you’ll catch a bug at some point this season. Most of the time, it’s nothing a few wellness products and some concealer can’t take care of, but there have definitely been times when a cold takes me completely out of commission.

Here are a few ideas to boost your efficiency even when you’re feeling under the weather:

1. Sleep! Even when you’re not sick, it’s important to get enough sleep at night, but when you’re sick and your body needs to recover, sleep is even more important. Think it’s overrated? I was recently at an event with Arianna Huffington and she revealed that she’s crazy about maintaining her sleep schedule. She attributes a ton of her success to getting enough sleep so that she can be more focused and productive.

2. Outsource. With services like TaskRabbit and Wun-Wun, someone else can stock your medicine cabinet and pick up chicken soup for you. Simply send them your wellness list and wait, health is on its way.

3. Maintain your To-Do list. It’s always a good idea to keep a notebook next to your bed for late-night bursts of inspiration. When you’re sick, keep your to-do list bedside so you can easily add tasks you’ll need to accomplish when you’re better. This will allow you to easily prioritize these tasks and head back to work as if you had never been gone!

4. Delegate. Whether it’s your co-workers or family members, most of us have a team we “work” with every day. Delegating tasks to others allows us to stay super-productive while personally only focused on a few tasks. People understand if you lean a little more on them when you’re sick, especially if you’re someone who always makes sure to do a good job.

5. Use the buddy system. I once asked a co-worker to keep an eye on my email as well as hers when I was out sick and to call me if anything needed to be urgently addressed. I could sleep soundly knowing that not every ping of my cell phone meant I had to get up and attend to some task. Later, I was able to return the favor when she took a personal day!

Remember: the most productive thing you can do when you’re sick is focus on getting better. Take care of yourself and try a few of these tips and the rest will follow. Stay well!

7 Things To Never Travel Without

/in , , , , /by

image (1)Greetings from the Windy City! When you live a super busy and productive life, it can be hard to fit a vacation into your schedule. I’ve become a huge fan of Staycations and weekend getaways to get all of the benefits of a vacation without investing as much time and money.

Over the years, I’ve learned a thing or two about efficient packing. Whether you’re spending a weekend in Chicago or two weeks in Europe, here are my essentials for carry-on packing:

Read more