Tag Archive for: productivity

I’m Grateful for You…

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to my wonderful readers!It’s been just about four years since I started writing this blog. My goal has been to help you become more productive and learn to use lists to get more out of your lives. It may sound a bit simple, but when you write to tell me how much this blog or my book, Listful Thinking, helps you personally — I value it so much.

I’ve written about keeping a gratitude journal in the past. It’s something I really believe in.  The act of writing a list of all that I’m thankful for can boost my mood and make me happier.   So I’m taking this opportunity to let you all know that you’ve been on my gratitude list for quite some time. Thank you to the regular readers of this blog for all the help and support you’ve given me over the years.

Below are a few of the delightful messages I’ve received recently:
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Track Your Time Challenge

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waiting-410328_640Are you wasting precious minutes of your day without even realizing it? Many complain there aren’t enough hours in a day to get things done but it turns out you could be the problem. Gasp! I know!

The issue may not be the amount of time you have but how you’re utilizing it. Staying focused is really important in order to have a productive day.

Distractions are what keep us from reaching our daily goals. Hey- we’re in a society of instant gratification. Just today I had a few spare seconds and I was instantly checking Twitter mindlessly without really even noticing.

I want to challenge you this week to track down where all your spare minutes go.  Here’s a few ideas of how to track that “busy” time:

  • Moment is an app that will track how much you use your iPhone or iPad throughout the day. You can set daily limits and receive notifications once you go over the allotted time.
  • iDoneThis is another great tool to keep track of your day. The app will email you at the end of the day to ask “What did you get done today?”  Stop, reflect, and write about your day just by hitting “reply.” This also works well if you are managing a group.  The next morning, you’ll receive an overview that shows everyone’s accomplishments from yesterday to kick off your day.
  • Rescue Time A web-based service that tracks how much time you spend on tasks. You can also set limits on how long you check emails or update Facebook.
  • Daily Journal –  Write down every single thing you do for an entire day.  This is similar to a food journal where you write out every meal, snack and drink you consume. With a time tracking journal you write out where all your minutes go.  You could also do this in an Excel sheet or in Evernote. Be honest!  This is not a judging contest – it’s a way to get to know your habits better so you can improve your focus.
  • Toggl I just learned about this one at a conference where I was a guest speaker.  It’s a digital way to track all your time.  It makes it easy to capture everything on the go so you don’t forget.

Now that you know what to do – go track those minutes.  I want to hear where you are wasting most of your time – it may surprise you!  Please leave a comment below, a Facebook message or tweet me @Listproducer.  Good luck!

The Power of Saying No

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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.

Do you have a hard time saying no when someone asks you for a favor or sends you an invitation to get together? You’re not alone. I do too.

I totally understand — sometimes you just suck it up and give your precious time away.

Why we say “Yes”

  1. Wanting to help — If you’re a people pleaser, saying no is not in your vocabulary.
  2. Not wanting to come off as rude — Many of us correlate “no” with an insult.
  3. To avoid conflict — It’s common to say yes just to please a friend or coworker.

Sometimes I say yes to things I don’t want to do or have time for even if it makes me unhappy.

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5 Ways to be Productive While Being Lazy

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Screen Shot 2015-02-23 at 9.26.42 PMYou can be productive and be lazy at the same time.

This sounds crazy, right? But it’s not impossible to get stuff done AND be a couch potato!  It’s true! There are a lot of ways you can be efficient without leaving the couch.

So I’ve put together a list:

1.  Watch a Ted Talk. All you need is access to the Internet. Ted Talks are powerful videos that cover a wide variety of topics. Their goal is to spread ideas and give insight to those who are looking for a deeper understanding of the world. Gain knowledge and spark ideas all from the comfort of your home

2.  Outsource: I’m a huge fan of giving your to-do list to someone else. Take advantage of some of these instant gratification apps so you can relax while your chores get.

  • Wun Wun will deliver you food from a restaurant, supermarket or shop in under and hour, for about 8 bucks.
  • Postmates is similar to Wun Wun, except they charge $5 for delivery. You can get just about anything delivered to you while you watch the latest episode of Girls.
  • Zipments is a bike messenger style currier app that allows you to text or talk to your courier directly.  You can use this to send paperwork, pick up dry cleaning or drop off lunch to your kid’s school. They also do restaurant and store pickups too. It’s also worth comparing these against other couriers such as Shiply, especially if you regularly use couriers for things like motorbike deliveries.
  • Minibar will deliver wine, spirits, beer and mixers to your door. Delivery is free and under an hour in NYC and 2 hours or less in the Hamptons.  A great solution to prep for a party without leaving the house.

3.  Listen to Umano. Sit back, relax, and have your favorite articles read to you. Umano offers a wide selection of content. The more you listen, the more recommendations you will receive. You can also build playlists! Subscribe to the List Producer Umano playlist for free, and use my code to get unlimited listening:  NN8MEZ

4. Use Evernote While You Lounge. This is basically a digital filing cabinet. Strategically organize everything from your grocery lists to your bucket list. You can do this on any device while lounging around the house. If you’ve tried it before and just can’t get into it – trust me…give it a second chance.

5. Exercise! Yup, there’s a lazy way to exercise. I put together a Pinterest board for you to check out.

Follow Paula Rizzo – ListProducer.com’s board Exercise the lazy way! on Pinterest.

Get a Sneak Peek of My Productivity Course

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Screen Shot 2015-02-22 at 4.45.36 PMEver wish there were more hours in the day?  The problem might be you’re not using the hours you have in the most efficient way.  I’ve got a fix for this and I put it all together in a productivity course I’ve done with PopExpert.com.

It’s based on my book, “Listful Thinking: Using Lists to be More Productive, Highly Successful and Less Stressed” and is designed to help you live a more fulfilling and connected life. Read more