to-do list | List Producer

Carrot: Bossy To-Do List App Makes Productivity a Game

April 7, 2013/4 Comments/in Apps, Benefits of List Making, Increase Productivity, List Making, Reduce Stress, Saving Time, Tool for Success/by Paula Rizzo

I don’t usually respond well to bullies but for some reason I’m really liking the Carrot app because of it’s pushy ways. I downloaded the to-do list app after a friend told me about it and I’ve been using it for several days.

The idea is that this to-do list with a personality will help you to get all your tasks ticked off. And when I say “personality” I mean “attitude.” Carrot’s mood changes depending on how productive you are. It’s pretty funny actually. But as you finish a task you earn points and unlock new features and get rewards.

Here’s my list of pros and cons:

PROS:

The fun game-type format makes you want to complete tasks to find out what Carrot has in store next.
It’s very easy to use and intuitive.
One of the gifts I was given was a cat named Captain Whiskers. How cute!

CONS:

Not very forgiving if you make a mistake at first. As you work your way through the levels you are able to edit, undo and change tasks.
There aren’t any pictures of Captain Whiskers. I think they will probably improve on this in future versions to increase the fun factor.
I could see people getting tired of Carrot’s schtick and not using it after the novelty wears off.

I think this could be a fun way to get more done for a lot of people. It’s definitely worth a try. Let me know what you think of Carrot if you’re using it. Also — I have no idea why it’s called Carrot.

A List Can Save Your Life

February 26, 2013/4 Comments/in Benefits of List Making, Boost Memory, Decision Making, Fellow List Producers, Health, Increase Productivity, Reduce Stress, Saving Time/by Paula Rizzo

Turns out making a list can do a lot more than just help you remember to pick up milk from the grocery store. When I first started this blog I got a comment on one of my posts from a family friend. She mentioned that having a list actually saved her life. Yep – you heard me right. The act of writing something down reminded her to do something crucial, which prolonged her life. Amazing right!

Checklists and Your Health

The comment was from a woman named Kate — who is a mother of three and a full-time teacher. She’s constantly running here and there between her children, husband, work and personal life. But it was a to-do list that stopped her for a moment and reminded her to make her annual doctor’s appointments.

Because of that list – doctors found a precancerous breast condition. She was able to take precautionary measures to reduce her chances of developing advanced breast cancer later in life. She told me that checking off “make doctor’s appointment” from her to-do list – saved her life. The power of a simple list is amazing — it’s no wonder that doctors use them too. Read more

Planning the Perfect Vacation With a List

November 8, 2012/1 Comment/in Benefits of List Making, Decision Making, Learning With a List, Reduce Stress, Saving Money, Saving Time, Travel/by Paula Rizzo

Picture it: You and your favorite person sipping cocktails poolside, warm sunshine, the scent of suntan lotion wafting through the air, fabulous music courtesy of a steel drum band, your to-do list consists of “relax,” “sleep late” and “eat out.”

You’re far far away from reality — you’re on vacation!

Makes you want to plan a vacation, doesn’t it? Me too! That’s where I’me headed next week so I figured I’ll leave you with my list for planning a vacation: Read more

7 Tips to Get More Done at Work

July 10, 2012/3 Comments/in Benefits of List Making, Boost Memory, Increase Productivity, Reduce Stress, Saving Money, Saving Time, Tool for Success/by Paula Rizzo

Taking notes during a shoot with Dr. Manny Alvarez

Everyone has had one of those days – where you feel like you didn’t get anything accomplished at work.I’ve been there myself. You went to work, you talked to people, you wrote emails — but you didn’t really get anything finished.

Here’s a list of ways to rethink your workday so you’ll be more productive:

1. Make a list: You saw this one coming, didn’t you? I sound like a broken record because it works. Everyday before I leave work I make a list. Even if I’m dying to get out of there or I’m running late – I make time to make my list for the next day.

I look at my calendar and run through the following day in my head. I write out everything that I need to do – emails I need to write, phone calls I need to return, appointments I need to keep, shoots I need to go on, etc. I usually make two columns – one for work and one for personal stuff. Then the next day when I come in – I don’t even have to think about what needs to get done – I just follow my list and cross out tasks as I finish them. Read more

The To-Do List of a Genius

June 5, 2012/0 Comments/in Benefits of List Making, Fellow List Producers, Learning With a List, List Making, Tool for Success/by Paula Rizzo

The Thomas Edison Papers at Rutgers University

What’s on your to-do list today? Pick up groceries? Get your car washed? Go to a few meetings? Get ready to be “one upped” by a genius. Enter…Thomas Edison’s to-do list.

On his list of “things doing and to be done,” the 41-year-old wrote:

Deaf apparatus
Electrical piano
Artificial silk
Phonographic clock
Ink for Blind

Just a few things to get done before lunch…really…

This list was created around 1888 and can be seen in The Papers of Thomas A. Edison: Losses and Loyalties — the seventh volume of Rutgers University’s digitized Edison papers.

Add Edison to the long list of famous and successful list-makers like John Lennon, Johnny Cash and Ronald Reagan. They’ve proved that keeping to-do lists will make you successful. Keep listing!

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