to-do list | List Producer

5 List-Making Tricks

March 28, 2016/2 Comments/in Benefits of List Making, Books, Fellow List Producers, Increase Productivity, Learning With a List, List Making, Reduce Stress/by Paula Rizzo

Lists can be useful to people in lots of different ways. I use lists to help me be more organized and more productive, but that’s not their only purpose. Lists can be an investigation into your ideas or priorities. They can be a way to help you de-stress at the end of the day.

That’s how my friend author Brett Blumenthal uses her lists. She goes into detail about this in her book 52 Small Changes For The Mind. When you’re feeling overwhelmed by a seemingly endless number of tasks, writing a list can give you a sense of control over the situation.

Here are some of Brett’s top list-making tips from her book, which I urge you to check out:

Keep It Simple – The more complicated you make lists, the less likely you are to follow it. Overstuffing lists causes stress and confusion and may even sabotage your efforts to get things done. Of course it’s important not to go the other way and be to vague about your tasks. For larger issues it’s important to to break it down into smaller tasks. For example ‘lose weight’ isn’t a task, it’s a goal that can be broken down into tasks. As you make progress with each smaller task, you will stay motivated to keep forging ahead to complete your goal. Read more

Talking Lists with MORE Magazine

March 14, 2016/0 Comments/in Benefits of List Making, Fellow List Producers, Increase Productivity, Learning With a List, List Making, Tool for Success/by Paula Rizzo

I love meeting fellow list makers wherever I go.

Many of the journalists I’ve worked with share my affinity for the list. Tamsen Fadal — an anchor at WPIX in NYC, where I used to work is one of those list makers! I even featured her list making abilities here.

When she reached out to me about sharing some insights about ways to make better lists and be more organized I jumped at the opportunity.

The interview is for her video series on MORE magazine’s website. As a side note — I LOVE MORE magazine and I’m so sorry to hear that it won’t be published anymore. I thought it was a really quality publication and I will miss it.

In the video Tamsen and I chat about everything we love about lists, where to write them, how to make them and when to make them!

As Tamsen says, you could write a list of everything! Here is the video, if you enjoy watching it, check out my YouTube channel.

Listful Thinking is Published in Dutch

December 21, 2015/4 Comments/in Benefits of List Making, Books, Learning With a List, List Making, Tool for Success/by Paula Rizzo

In September, I was excited to discover that my book Listful Thinking had been published in Spanish and Chinese. It’s so interesting to me how a love of lists can translate into different cultures.

Well it’s happened again.

My book is now available in Dutch, under the title ‘Everything at a Glance‘. That title makes the book sound so much more philosophical!

As part of the release in the Netherlands I was interviewed by one of their largest newspapers this week called Algemeen Dagblad.

During the interview I discovered that lists where incredibility popular in the Netherlands. Clearly it’s a country I should visit!

For the Dutch, list making is seen as a way to keep your mind and your life in order. Isn’t that great?

Just had to share the exciting news with all of you. Can’t wait to see where else my love of lists will go!

Don’t Micromanage – Make This List to Work With Others

December 16, 2015/0 Comments/in Apps, Benefits of List Making, Increase Productivity, Learning With a List, List Making, People, Reduce Stress, Relationships, Saving Time, Technology, Tool for Success/by Paula Rizzo

Remember in high school when you’d have to do a group project and get paired up with a bunch of other kids?

I was always the one who was trying organize things and make sure we hit our deadlines. (Nerd Alert!)

But no matter the project — there was always that one kid who said she would be responsible for a crucial element…and then not deliver.

Nothing would make me more annoyed, but I was always happy when the project was over and we didn’t have to work together again.

In the “real world” the same thing can happen. But the downside is you can’t trade in your team members as often.

You’re forced to work with the same team and figure out a way to make it work.

This is where lists can really come to the rescue. Read more

The Six Lists You Must Make

October 21, 2015/1 Comment/in Benefits of List Making, Learning With a List, List Making/by Paula Rizzo

Are you one of those people that puts everything you need to do onto one list?

It’s a classic mistake I see people make over and over again.

You can’t mix your lists!

Just like you wouldn’t expect to find carrots in the candy aisle – ‘lose 15 pounds’ and ‘buy milk’ don’t belong on the same lists.

The key to making lists work for you is writing lots of different lists based on your specific needs. That way you will know where to access the information when you need it. Read more

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