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9 Ways to be Productive on a Snow Day

February 7, 2013/2 Comments/in Apps, Benefits of List Making, Decision Making, Increase Productivity, Learning With a List, List Making, Relationships, Tool for Success/by Paula Rizzo

SNOW DAY in TIMES SQUARE 2011 – Manhattan, New York City – 01/26/11 (Photo credit: asterix611)

The mention of extreme weather does a funny thing to people. It throws us into a total frenzy. No one wants to sit in a freezing home in the middle of winter. All you can think of is how much milk you have in the house and whether or not your car has gas. My office has been a buzz about the Nor’easter headed for New York City for days.

A snow day is a good excuse to do all the things you’ve been “meaning” to do but just haven’t gotten to do. If you do get snowed in — here’s my list of things you can do to be productive:

Clean out just ONE desk, junk or dresser drawer. Get to more if you can but start with just one.
Catch up on your saved DVR shows. (in your PJs)
Look up and try out a new workout on YouTube.
Start compiling all the paperwork you need to do your taxes. I recommend Evernote to keep track of it all.
Do some online shopping to cross off some birthday or holiday gifts from your to-do list.
Do research for an upcoming wedding, vacation or project.
Download the Next Issue app to browse all your favorite magazines in one spot.
Try out a new recipe. One of my favorite blogs Cooking With Books should give you some inspiration.
Begin a new book. Check Goodreads.com for fabulous recommendations from friends.

Fancy Hands: Make Your Life Easier With An Assistant

January 31, 2013/4 Comments/in Benefits of List Making, Home, Increase Productivity, Reduce Stress, Saving Money, Saving Time, Tool for Success/by Paula Rizzo

image from twilio.com

Even very productive people have trouble getting everything done throughout the day. But the secret really is being able to delegate. If you can take something off your plate so you can work on something else that you’re better at — you will be much more efficient. Enter…the assistant.

I know you’re thinking “I can’t afford an assistant!” I know because I said the same thing until I found FancyHands.com. It’s basically a virtual assistant service. Read more

10 Phrases That Will Make You More Efficient

January 27, 2013/11 Comments/in Benefits of List Making, Boost Memory, Decision Making, Fellow List Producers, Guest Posts, Increase Productivity, Learning With a List, Oprah, Reduce Stress, Relationships, Saving Money, Saving Time, Tool for Success/by Paula Rizzo

Included in the list of topics I write lists about are quotes. Any time I hear an exceptional one I will email it to myself or enter it into my Evernote account to save for later. My favorite personal quote is one that I’ve borrowed from Oprah — “You Become What You Believe.” Isn’t that an amazing quote? I love it because it’s so true. If you think you can do something — you can!

Another believer in quotes is Meggin McIntosh who hosted my list-making teleseminar last January. She’s extremely productive and helps people to do the same with her vast knowledge. These aren’t quotes that famous people have said but they are extremely helpful in allowing you to do your job well.

A List of 10 Phrases & Statements to Remember

by Meggin McIntosh | The Ph.D. of Productivity™

A number of statements and phrases are worth remembering in your quest to be more productive. Consider the following 10 (and in most instances, after you make the statement – stop talking.) These aren’t questions. They are statements:

1. “No, but thanks for asking.”

2. “Not now.”

3. “Let me get back to you after I’ve checked on a few things.” Read more

Never Pick Up Your Phone Again

January 20, 2013/0 Comments/in Increase Productivity, Reduce Stress, Saving Time, Tool for Success, Video/by Paula Rizzo

Desk Phone (Photo credit: mnadi)

I’m going to share a productivity tip I learned a long time ago. In the past when I was working as a line producer of a local news station — I would always pick up my phone when it rang at my desk. I had to — it might be about that night’s show. Some people don’t have a choice.

But when I started producing longer-term stories and didn’t have a daily deadline the calls became too much. I get pitched dozens and dozens of times per day — whether it be through email or phone. If I talked to every single person who called — my productivity would suffer. So instead — I use a simple trick that has been extremely successful for me. Click on my latest YouTube video to find out how to make it work for you too.

Steps for Foolproof Filing

January 15, 2013/0 Comments/in Benefits of List Making, Guest Posts, Home, Increase Productivity, List Making, Reduce Stress, Saving Money, Saving Time, Tool for Success/by Paula Rizzo

Clutter can become consuming. I recently went through all my folders at work and threw out a mountain of unneeded paperwork. It was pretty freeing. But also — now I have really condensed files that are easy to go through and I can find things much more easily.

The same thing goes for your home paperwork. I often use Evernote to keep track of passwords and important information that doesn’t need to go in a file.

Here’s a guest post from Laurie Noel Meek of OfficeCandy.com for a look at some techniques that will have you organized in no time.

Foolproof Filing

by Laurie Noel Meek

Filing is very important and can be overwhelming at times but it doesn’t have to be. Below I have drawn out a very simple filing plan that I hope helps you get started toward a more organized “system” for your paperwork. The suggestions below in BOLD should be your hanging files and the suggestions below are the interior file folders which are where you will keep your paperwork specifically. Read more

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