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.

 

Phil's 10 Step Program

A couple of weeks ago, I received my official copy of Phil Gerbyshak's book "10 Ways to Make it Great!" I read it almost immediately, and I'm finally staking out enough time to write a review.

For any of you who've encountered Phil, you'll remember it - he is a high energy, positive, and encouraging guy. I've often wondered, "Where can I get some of what Phil's been eating?"

Well, in this book, Phil's bottled up some of that energy and relates some of the techniques he collected, developed, and perfected to move beyond a "nice day" world into a "great day" meme. This is a small, carry-it-with-you kind of book and it contains 10 short exercises (mini-workshops is a good way to describe them) to help you make 10 concrete, significant changes to your life.

Each of these changes is architected to drive a positive result in your life, relationships, and results. They also push for some healthy introspection to help you achieve better clarity of vision to focus your improvement. A lot of these techniques are similar to ones I've encountered along my journey of curiosity. Phil not only brings them all together in a very portable form, he adds his own unique perspective for a new angle on many of the themes.

For example, we've all heard about the power of envisioning your desired outcomes. In chapter 7, "Dream Big Dreams, Do Big Things," Phil describes how to create a "dream room" to help you create a space where you go to dream. This provides a handy way to condition your mind to get ready to create new ideas, because you have a way to "suit up" for dreaming big. Pretty cool.

As someone who tends to try to solve problems on my own, I've been trying to develop a new habit of asking for help sooner when I get stuck. Chapter 5, "Surround Yourself With Those Who Can Help You," gave me some new action steps that should help make my journey easier.

Pick up a copy of Phil's book and carry it with you (it's under 70 pages). Then, when you find yourself having anything less than a Great Day, pull out your essence of Phil and get to work!

Read More

Lifehack Darwinism: Legal cleanliness

One of my more popular recommendations (through the blog as well as word-of-mouth) has been to use hand sanitizer when traveling. I believe my regular use of hand sanitizer on planes is part of what's kept me from getting a major cold or illness these past two years (see my previous post for more).

Unfortunately, the new restrictions that prevent me from taking liquids or gels on planes have forced me to quarantine my Purell bottle at home.

Never fear - I've found a solution. Once again, Purell comes to the rescue - this time with sanitizing hand wipes. I used it today with pleasing results and just bought a bulk pack on Amazon.

As I mention in my previous posts, these can be used to clean your hands before you eat. They are also excellent for cleaning the tray tables in planes - I still have a gut feel that they are infested with germs.

So, pick up some sanitizing hand wipes, drop them in your laptop back, purse, or other carry-on and enjoy some clean livin'.

Read More

My pod's afire

I recently had the pleasure of chatting with Lisa Haneberg about focus, energy, and getting employees engaged. She recorded it (yes, I knew she had a tape rolling) and has it posted on Management Craft as a podcast. We talked about some effective (and ineffective) corporate "focusing" exercises I've encountered.

If you'd like to give it a listen, head on over and hear the fireside chat.

This, of course, is part of an ongoing series of podcasts she's running in conjunction with the release of her new book Focus Like A Laser Beam, which I reviewed a little while ago (see the full take here).

Keep the fire burning, Lisa.

Read More

Great new resource

While I was off enjoying the great outdoors last week, the ever-industrious Rajesh Setty (see my review of his book "Beyond Code") was busy working with his team to launch a fantastic resource for all of us.

It's a web site called Suggestica, and it has a noble purpose. In their words:

Suggestica aims to bring the best suggestions (books, audio, video etc.) from the "Trusted Authorities" in their disciplines. Our goal is to create a new kind of web with less clutter and less noise. We are starting with books but will soon expand to other categories.

As I've come to know Raj over the past few months, I've developed a tremendous appreciation for his giving spirit, and his willingness to share what he learns. This site (and its companion blog, Suggestica Notes) are prime examples of this. Go have a look.

Read More