Tag Archive for: Paula Rizzo

5 Reasons to Say No and Get More Done

NO!

NO! (Photo credit: guercio)

Everyone wishes they had more time — more hours in a day and more days in a year. Who would have thought that making more time for yourself could be as simple as saying “no?”  Yep — that one word will give you your life back.

It’s easy to agree to a coffee break or to see that movie your friend has been obsessed with for weeks. But its important not just to say “yes” as a default answer. Do you really want to drop whatever you’re doing to get coffee? Or just not say “no” to a friend? We all end up saying “yes” to things we don’t actually want to do.  Then you don’t get to do the things you really want to do.  Of course, there are some things that you just can’t get out of.   Read more

4 Ways to Get Inbox Zero

photo (1)I finally did it! I got to Inbox Zero. It’s really an amazing feat if you ask me. Getting your inbox to have absolutely nothing in it. Crazy, right? Well I was able to do it this weekend. I don’t know how long it will stay that way but I feel great.

Having Inbox Zero gives you a great sense of accomplishment and relief. Not being overwhelmed by a full inbox can do wonders for your psyche. It’s a wonderful way to start the week.

Here’s a few tips to get an Inbox Zero of your own!

  1. Make time: You have to set aside time to go through emails and do nothing else. You can write back, delete, save for later and delegate during this time. But make sure this is the only project you are working on. Read more

Cross “Meet Giada de Laurentiis” Off My Bucket List

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Me & Giada at BEA in NYC

I have to share a really fun “bucket list” item with you.  I met Giada de Laurentiis!  Every year I attend Book Expo America (BEA) at the Jacob Javits Convention Center in NYC for work.  It’s a huge gathering of book publishers, publicists, authors, potential authors, librarians and book lovers.  I set up several meetings with publishers and get the skinny on the new books coming out in the next few months so I can set up interviews.  It’s always a fun and enlightening event.  But this year was the best yet!   Read more

Creating A Realistic Bucket List

Whenever someone tells me that they are new to listmaking — I always suggest making a life list or bucket list first.  You know yourself better than anyone and you know what you like and don’t like.  A bucket list is a collection of your greatest hopes, dreams and goals.  It can include something as extreme as “travel around the world,” or as practical as “learn Spanish.”  But it is important to make your list attainable if you really are serious about crossing off all the items.  For ways to keep your list manageable and realistic — Christine Harding from Wish.co.uk offers this guest post: Read more

Congrats to Astrid: An Amazing To-Do List App

Would you like a personal assistant to help you remember appointments and check things off your to-do list? I know of one who will work for cheap and keep you organized and make sure you hit all your deadlines. Her name is Astrid. And I’d like to offer my congratulations since the company was just sold to Yahoo.  

Who is Astrid?

Astrid is an adorable little octopus and one of my favorite to-do list apps for iPhone or Android.  If you don’t have one of those devices you can also access this productivity tool by going to Astrid.com.

Astrid will keep all of your tasks organized and remind you of what you need to do with motivational and encouraging nudges like “How about it? Ready tiger?”  You can also rename all of your lists and maintain them however you like — set reminders or not, give your tasks due dates or not. It’s up to you. Read more