Paula Rizzo | List Producer

Get Inspiration From Late-Bloomer Celebs

March 24, 2015/0 Comments/in Happiness, People, Tool for Success/by Paula Rizzo

Spring is synonymous with a fresh start. If you’ve been lagging on your New Year’s resolutions or you just want to make a change – now is the time to turn over a new leaf.

However, change is not always easy.

Especially the 10th, 20th or even 50th time around. Today I want to celebrate this list of people who found success a little later in life. Proving that it’s really is never too late to change your ways!

Julia Child – Probably the most famous late bloomer, Julia didn’t develop an interest in cooking until she was in her late thirties. She went on to publish nearly twenty cooking books, many of which where tied to her popular television shows.

Vera Wang – Vera had many missteps before she became a successful designer. In her youth she was an avid figure skater, but failed to make the US Olympic team. Later she would rise the ladder at Vogue, but was constantly overlooked for the editor-in-chief position. So at 40 she decided to go out on her own, initially by designing wedding gowns. Now she’s broken into the mainstream and even designed lines for more affordable retailers like David’s Bridal, Zales and Kohl’s.

Harrison Ford – After struggling to make it as an actor in Hollywood, Harrison quit to become a carpenter! Can you believe it? He actually met George Lucas after he was hired to build some cabinets for him. Lucas would later cast him in the role of Hans Solo. However Ford’s big career break didn’t happen until he was 35.

David Seidler – You probably haven’t heard of David, but you are probably well aware of his most well known screenplay – The King’s Speech. David’s didn’t start his career as a writer until he was in his 40s. He also spent nearly 30 years working on the script. Proving that dedication really does pay off.

Colonel Sanders – Yes that Colonel. Harland Sanders did run a relatively successful restaurant in Kentucky for most of his life. However it was until he was 65 that he created the franchise now known around the world as KFC.

Now that you’ve got a little inspiration — what have you been putting off that needs to be added to your list?

Checklist to Spring Clean Your Desktop

March 22, 2015/3 Comments/in Increase Productivity, Reduce Stress, Technology/by Paula Rizzo

It may seem simple but clearing clutter will do a world of difference for your stress levels. In fact – there was a UCLA study that found whenever a woman is around clutter, her stress hormones skyrocket. We don’t want that! So let’s start small — like by decluttering your desktop.

I can’t believe how long I let my desktop stay littered with photos, documents and even shortcuts that I never used. I would navigate around all the clutter and it would slow me down. Don’t forget — every second counts! So just having to clear away unnecessary photos and folders or wasting time looking for something you “know is here somewhere,” takes up your precious time. Well let’s take it back!

Here’s how:

1. Create categorized folders like ‘photos’ and ‘documents’.

2. Move all the picture files into the photos folder, etc.

3. Look at the remaining files, think – do I really need this? If you haven’t looked at it in over a year the answer is probably no.

4. If you still have files left over put them in an ‘Odds and Ends’ folder.

5. Revisit this practice every so often. I’d say every 3 or 4 months. Because even though now you have folders and order — sometimes it’s tough to keep to using them.

Once you get in the groove of clearing digital clutter — you can attack your Facebook page, Twitter feed and even your apps.

What are some other ways to clean out your digital life?

Biz Coach Ali Brown Had Me on Her Podcast!

March 19, 2015/0 Comments/in Benefits of List Making, Fellow List Producers, Home, Increase Productivity, Learning With a List, List Making, Technology, Tool for Success/by Paula Rizzo

Review Ali Brown I’ve mentioned before that I’m a huge fan I am of Ali Brown’s Glambition Radio podcast. I’ve actually listened to every single episode.

They’re great for keeping me company on the subway and teaching me a thing or two. So I’m very excited to reveal that I was fortunate enough to be a guest and chat with her about productivity, lists and how I got into the television business.

I first reached out to Ali when my book was still in the works because I thought it would be right up her alley. She revealed that she was a list maker in one of her podcasts or an interview I’d heard her give. So I thought she’d love it. Turns out — she did! And she was kind enough to endorse Listful Thinking.

I highly recommend you take a listen to the podcast . We talk about what got me started as a list maker and where I think the future of lists is headed. I also touch on the best way to structure your lists, and even how to pitch media if you ever find yourself in such a position.

Listen to it here!

How Productivity Pro Laura Vanderkam Does It All

March 17, 2015/0 Comments/in Fellow List Producers, Learning With a List, List Making/by Paula Rizzo

LauraNew

If you’re a productivity wisdom seeker like me — you’ve probably heard of Laura Vanderkam at some point. I’ve followed her for years and recently read her e-book What the Most Productive People Do Before Breakfast and wrote about it.

She’s written several other time-management and productivity books, including the forthcoming I Know How She Does It: How Successful Women Make The Most Of Their Time (Portfolio, June 9, 2015.)

She was kind enough to post a guest article I wrote for her audience on her own site LauraVanderkam.com about how to create the ultimate to-do list.

But I wanted to know more about her and highlight her as one of my featured List Producers!

Why do you call yourself a compulsive list producer?

I don’t know if I’m compulsive, but I do like my lists! I find lists to be a simple way to organize my thoughts and remember things that I would otherwise forget. That in turn makes life much smoother. With two working parents and four kids, there are a lot of moving parts around here.

What do you make lists about?

Priorities and goals, and then practical matters like what I’m supposed to get at the grocery store. Read more

Why You’re Not More Productive and How to Fix it

March 15, 2015/5 Comments/in Benefits of List Making, Happiness, Home, Increase Productivity, Learning With a List, List Making, People, Reduce Stress, Saving Time, Tool for Success/by Paula Rizzo

Here’s something that might surprise you — all this productivity stuff doesn’t always come so easily to me. I’ve shared this at several of the signings for my book Listful Thinking and people have really been shocked.

The truth is I’m actually a big procrastinator.

I know that working in television under really strict deadlines, with serious time constraints has helped to pull me out of my procrastinator ways. The same rules for productivity applies for many businesses too, as well as personal goals.

I use systems all the time like list making, rewarding myself and making fake deadlines to get more accomplished.

That’s how this blog got started but I want you all to know that I work at it every single day.

Yes I do have an advantage because I like to organize shirts by color and write my to-do list on beautiful stationery. But I have to work at maintaining my lists, keeping my schedule in check and being more efficient with my free time.

I think it’s important to share our productivity struggles as well as our successes. Too often when I speak with people who are struggling they feel like they are the only one.

If this rings true with you — remember you’re not alone!

In fact, the more people I talk to, the more I realize how similar our stories are.

The same phrases always seem to come up:

“I’m too busy.”

“I don’t have time.”

“It’s too difficult.”

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