Genuine Curiosity

Author Dwayne Melancon is always on the lookout for new things to learn. An ecclectic collection of postings on personal productivity, travel, good books, gadgets, leadership & management, and many other things.

 

What should you do with your life?

This week, I saw a documentary on "The Happiness Manifesto" which is being tested in Slough in the UK. This is an interesting "technique" to help you become happier by engaging in activities that will help increase the joy and satisfaction in your life. It's kind of like daily affirmations, but they are actions - not just self-talk. I loved the concept, so I thought I'd share the 10-item list with you.

  1. Get physical. Engage in half an hour of exercise three times a week
  2. Count your blessings. At the end of each day, reflect on at least five things you are grateful for.
  3. Talk time. Have an hour-long - uninterrupted - conversation with your partner or closest friend each week.
  4. Plant something. Even if it's a window box or pot. And, you must keep it alive!
  5. Cut your TV viewing by half.
  6. Smile at and/or say hello to someone you don't know. At least once each day.
  7. Phone a friend. Make contact with a friend or relation you have not talked to for a while and arrange to meet up.
  8. Have a good laugh at least once a day.
  9. Every day make sure you give yourself a treat. Take time to really enjoy this.
  10. Daily kindness. Do an extra good turn for someone each day.

Phenomenal list, even more phenomenal if we all put it into practice. Enjoy - really!

Related posts: Pretend you create everything that happens to you

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Lifehack Reloaded: An ounce of prevention

As we move into the "cold and flu" season, I am re-running a "lifehack" post that I believe has done wonders in keeping me healthy. If you haven't done something like this already, please consider it - I see these sanitizer gadgets all the time at stores like Target for about $2 US for the holder and two bottles of sanitizer.

From June 2005:

As a very frequent flyer, I wanted to share a best practice I picked up from a friend of mine, John Palazza. After noticing that John always had a bottle of hand sanitizer with him, I realized this small idea would be handy to get rid of traveler germs as I made my way through airports and other places where the unwashed masses may gather.

I have seen the following things on planes and in airports:

  • very grungy airline tray tables that haven't been wiped in who-knows-how-long

  • people leaving public restrooms without washing their hands (not me, I assure you)

  • people of all ages coughing and sneezing all over the place

  • other things I'd rather not mention

I then see people eat off those airline tray tables.

I believe this is why I have always had at least one good bout of flu or something more exotic every year. For example, I caught German measles (aka Rubella) after a flight full of coughers about 3 years ago - apparently my childhood vaccine didn't work the way it should've.

But that didn't happen this year! I've been using John's little trick since last summer, and I've now officially made it through a season of heavy winter travel without getting the flu, or even a cold. I attribute it to the wondrous anti-germ powers of my travel-size Purell hand sanitizer, complete with its own handy little rubber harness that allows me to attach it to my briefcase.

I then sanitize my hands before and after meal and beverage service on the flight, and when I get off the plane.

If you travel a lot, why not give it a try? John puts the "Pal" in Palazza.

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Burned out minds yield burned out results

In one of my periodic sweeps to catch up on my Bloglines subscriptions, I stopped by Phil Gerbyshak’s “Make it Great!” blog today, and found a very insightful article on recharging your batteries.  As I’ve written in the past, I’m one of those who really needs my “recharge time.”

Phil breaks this down into a formul of the “4 R’s.”  They are:  Rest, Reflect, Read, and Relax.  These certainly resonate with me, and I realized that I’ve not taken enough time to Rest and Relax lately.  I’ve been doing plenty of Reflecting and Reading, but just haven’t been making as many “a-ha” connections I usually do.

In other words, I’ve been working hard this week, but haven’t been getting the full benefit of that work because my batteries were a bit run down.  This evening I feel more energized and creative.

Skates_1After reading Phil’s post, I realize I'm reaping the benefits of spending all afternoon ice skating with two of my kids (the third went to Build-A-Bear with my wife).

So, check out what Phil has to say.  And don’t forget to use all 4 of the R’s.

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Somewhere, somebody's praying

Well, I'm back from my family reunion and reflecting on the connections and reconnections of the past week.  We not only had a reunion (around 50 people were able to come), we celebrated my grandmother's 90th birthday about 4 months early since it's easier when the kids are out of school.

We were all particularly grateful to spend the time with my grandmother - you see, she had congestive heart failure about a month ago and the doctors told us she probably wouldn't make it out of the ICU.  I'm happy to say, she was well out of the ICU and able to hang out and have some of her own birthday cake with us last Saturday.  She's a strong woman, that's for sure.

After the reunion we went to my aunt's house, chewed the fat, and set off fireworks for the rest of the evening.  Later on, I received a copy of a prayer that my great grandmother wrote in her family Bible 30+ years ago. 

I like to believe, in some mysterious way, her prayer helped my grandmother muster the strength she needed to make it to the reunion.  Here is the prayer:

Dear God, this is the hour in my day the lull begins and I find myself alone.

Oh God, all my children are beyond my sight and voice.  They live and move, but not beyond thy care.  Guide these precious ones of mine and yours. 

Keep them from all things that make them weak and lesser souls.  God be with my dear ones all this day...

Amen

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Updated: What my diet can teach me about personal productivity

In a previous post, I shared my success with The Zone Diet.  I am now one year into it, and as I reflect, I realize that I can learn a lot about personal productivity.  When you boil it down to its essence, The Zone Diet is all about managing your hunger through portion control, planning, and maintaining a balanced diet.  Furthermore, it tells you what to do if you eat a really unhealthy meal, and makes it easy to get back on track if you have a weekend of decadent food.

How does that relate to personal productivity? Let’s take them one at a time:

Portion Control: Don’t overeat, and don’t over-commit.

You start with The Zone Diet by calculating what you should be eating based on your height and body size, and you start eating that way from day one.  This is followed by monitoring and controlling what you eat at every meal. 

With personal productivity, you can start with an accurate assessment of what you can handle, by figuring out what your hard commits are versus your discretionary time and activities.  This is followed by monitoring and controlling what you do (and don’t do) each day.

Planning: Success favors the prepared

With The Zone, I can resist the temptation of junk food because I always carry healthy snacks.  I also spend more time planning what I buy at the grocery store, and choose restaurants that will provide me with options compatible with my diet. 

With Personal Productivity, I follow David Allen’s advice and spend time doing (mostly) weekly reviews, I resist the urge to waste time by bringing my Read & Review folder and other optional work with me in case I get stuck in some kind of delay, I listen to audio books in the car, and use other techniques to make the most of my ad hoc time.  I’ve also become more mercenary about accepting meeting requests – so I can choose meetings that are more compatible with my time management goals.

Maintaining a Balanced Diet:  Stability comes from balance

With The Zone, you strive for 40/30/30: 40% of your calories from carbohydrates, 30% from protein, and 30% from fat.  This keeps your metabolism and blood sugar in balance, making it easier for you to eat a healthy diet and not send signals to your body that might encourage it store fat or cause fluctuations in your energy levels. 

With Personal Productivity, we all need to maintain balance of health, work, and family to increase our success and happiness.  This is similar to the Covey philosophy of “First Things First” and its “Sharpen the Saw” mantra.

Knowing what to do when you fall off the wagon:

With The Zone, you forget about it and try to get back on track at the very next meal.  Persistence and the law of averages will pay off. If you stick to it most of the time, and don’t let yourself get out of control when you stray from the diet, you’ll do OK. 

With Personal Productivity, I find it helps to get back to the basics.  As a follower of David Allen’s Getting Things Done methodology, when things get crazy a good mindsweep and a comprehensive weekly review do wonders for me.

Whether I’m dealing with diet or productivity, the more disciplined I am, the more dramatic your results.  The same will be true for you.  It’s important to find a system or philosophy that fits your lifestyle and philosophy.

This reflection has also helped me spotlight an area where I need improvement in my Personal Productivity world: Balance.  I'm way too skewed toward Work with the way I balance things now, and need to adjust my "diet" to include more time devoted to my family and personal fitness.

Update, July 7, 2005:

I have spent some time this week with folks who haven't seen me in a while, and we've been talking diet.  This has made me realize another common trait of diet and personal productivity:  Knowing what to do is quite different from doing it.  And, you don't get the results without being willing to change what you're doing. 

Simple as that.

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