Paula Rizzo's Blog, page 23

List For Writing A Book

Since writing Listful Thinking I’ve spoken at several public events and book signings about my writing process. It’s come up at pretty much every event. I suppose it’s because “write a book” is on so many people’s bucket lists. People always want to hear my checklist for writing my book.

Well, first of all, you can’t just stick “write book” on your to-do lists along with “buy milk” and “pick up laundry.” That’s a sure way to know your off to a bad start. That’s because “write book” is way to...

How to get Inbox Zero by Friday

Are your emails haunting you?

With the big, fat “UNREAD” number staring you in the face – how are you supposed to get any work done?

It’s looming in the back of your mind.

You have to write back to this person or that person.

And then you end up doing nothing and missing deadlines and opportunities.

I understand! The swamp of the email inbox is maddening.

Wouldn’t it be a miracle to actually get to INBOX ZERO by Friday?

“Yeah, right!” you say in your most sarcastic voice.

“Yeah, right!” I sa...

The Art of the 7 Minute Meeting

Terri Trespicio, Gary Vee & Me!

I talk a lot about the biggest time wasters in the workplace.

You know them well.

There’s checking Facebook or your email, trolling the internet for nearly anything, chatting with your co-worker, a “quick” game of Candy Crush… the list goes on and on.

But what’s the ultimate time waster?

Meetings!

Think about it. How many time have you sat in a meeting that was supposed to finish an hour ago, but one person keeps asking questions that aren’t really relevant?...

Four Boundaries Worth Setting Right Now

When it comes to list making and my general time management and organization I like rules.

I like things to be clear cut– black and white.

Rules save me time, because I’m not sitting there wondering whether to take the call, go to the meeting or have another glass of wine.

I have a rule in place so it’s either happening or it isn’t.

I recently did an event for my book Listful Thinking with the National Association of Professional Organizers in New York City and a common theme struck a cord....

Ready, Set, Time Yourself

From CEOs to janitors, we all have the same problem: We think we don’t have enough time.

For many of us getting the most out of our time is crucial. Everyone knows what tasks they need to do in a day, but do you know how long each of those tasks will take? Down to the second?

After working in television and digital producing video segments for nearly 15 years I’ve learned timing is everything. You need to know exactly how long each segment takes and every last second counts. If a story runs l...

Free Up Time Now For a Fabulous Summer

The days are starting to get longer, the weather’s a bit warmer – summer is on it’s way! I always love summer not just because of of the vacations, slower pace and sunshine — but I’m a summer baby. My birthday is in the summer so it’s always a fun time.

Are you ready for the summer? If you want to make sure you have the best summer possible you need to start planning now! I know it sounds ridiculous but I’m a firm believer in planning for vacations, events and fun in advance. It’s why I star...

Talk Lists With Me This Thursday

I’m excited to share this news with you today.

One of my favorite things about my book, Listful Thinking being published is it’s given me the chance to meet so many of you!

It’s helped me realize there are so many different ways to apply list making to life — it’s not only about being more productive or organized. Lists can help make you less stressed and happier too.

I’m having another book Q&A and meet and greet this week! It will be on Thursday, April 7th at 6pm at WeWork on East 42nd S...

5 List-Making Tricks

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 goesinto 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 li...

The Best Way To Prioritize

Having taken more than a month off work after my appendix burst, I’ve had a lot of time to think about my priorities.

I used to think prioritizing was the order I’d assign to my to-do list items. Or maybe what I’d be doing in the next five minutes or later that day.

But really we should all be taking time to think about our priorities in a broader sense.

Zoom out to see the big picture.

Before my medical ordeal — I was going to several networking events a week. Most evenings I would go str...

Talking Lists with MORE Magazine

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 m...