7 Ways to Increase Engagement - Jason Womack

This is written by Jason Womack and is from his blog, In The Life. He works on "effective productivity practices" and this list is too good to pass up.


7 ways to increase engagement

I was in a workshop last week and during one of the activities, I started a list. The prompt:

What can I do when I'm unenthused, uninspired and (gasp!) bored to re-engage and get going?
I came with some of the things I have used in the past and realized getting going is really only as far away as a thought followed by an action.
Here are seven things to do (and any one will get me started) to kick into gear:

1) Walk around the block (or around the building) three times.
2) Call a mentor and ask an off-the-wall question.
3) Open a search engine and type two of your old hobbies separated by: and. ( _______ and _______)
4) Subscribe to a magazine on the fringe of your interests.
5) Read the second to the last chapter of a business book best-steller.
6) Make a list of 7 people you would like to meet.
7) Shop for two postcards of your town/city, and send them to an out-of-state friend.


My thanks to Douglas E. Welch, who also has an excellent blog called
My Word, for alerting me to this one.

Everything Bad Is Good For You

When I first heard about this book by Steven Johnson, I felt much better about playing video games and watching television. Certain games allow us to fantasize and daydream ... others require holding on to a variety of details, in the same way as a game of chess. Of course, I appreciate the title of the book, which suggests that previous generations have deemed these activities as a waste of time, i.e., 'bad' for us.

By everything bad Johnson means video games and today's TV, which supposedly stupefy and corrupt their users with repetition and violence. But set aside characters, settings, and other representational content, Johnson says, and consider procedural-systemic content. The games require discovering and employing their rules in increasingly complex situations; new TV, including reality TV, requires construing and remembering relationships among many characters and interpreting developments inferentially from what is learned.

Such games and shows teach users how to find "order and meaning in the world" and make "decisions that help create that order." Later Johnson points out that, despite contemporary Cassandras screaming that pop culture and its consumers just get dumber and dumber, average IQ has risen at the same time that games and TV have become increasingly complex. The violent crime rate, the demographic for which overlaps heavily with that for video-game playing, has plummeted, too. Exemplifying from such hits as Sims, Grand Theft Auto, Seinfeld, Survivor, and 24; never disparaging high culture, especially literature; and writing with maximum clarity, Johnson broadcasts good news, indeed.
Ray Olson
Copyright © American Library Association

The Creative Class - Richard Florida

By now, many of you have either heard Richard Florida discuss his compelling books (or you've seen them in the store/library). I heard him again on the radio recently, and was reminded how impressed I was with the work he's done:


The Rise of the Creative Class and How It's Transforming Work, Leisure, Community and Everyday Life
Florida, an academic whose field is regional economic development, explains the rise of a new social class that he labels the creative class. Members include scientists, engineers, architects, educators, writers, artists, and entertainers. He defines this class as those whose economic function is to create new ideas, new technology, and new creative content. In general this group shares common characteristics, such as creativity, individuality, diversity, and merit. The author estimates that this group has 38 million members, constitutes more than 30 percent of the U.S. workforce, and profoundly influences work and lifestyle issues. The purpose of this book is to examine how and why we value creativity more highly than ever and cultivate it more intensely. He concludes that it is time for the creative class to grow up--boomers and Xers, liberals and conservatives, urbanites and suburbanites--and evolve from an amorphous group of self-directed while high-achieving individuals into a responsible, more cohesive group interested in the common good. Mary Whaley, Copyright © American Library Association.


And now he's got a new book:
The Flight of the Creative Class - The New Global Competition for Talent


Following up on The Rise of the Creative Class (2002), Florida argues that if America continues to make it harder for some of the world's most talented students and workers to come here, they'll go to other countries eager to tap into their creative capabilities...


Hopefully, the CEOs of America's corporations are paying attention :-)

7 Things That Could Be Sapping Your Creativity Right Now!

This article is by Linda Dessau, the Self-Care Coach.

This was a very easy article to write. I was late in getting started this month, and as my publication deadline got closer and I could no longer wait until I "felt" like writing an article, I was forced to sit down and do it. In doing it, I thought about the last month (when I meant to be getting started on this as well as other creative projects), and I identified seven things that have gotten in the way of my creativity. Maybe you'll see yourself in some of these.

1. Not getting enough sleep — I noticed this one the most when I DID finally get a good, long sleep (the night before writing this, actually). All of a sudden my muse was speaking to me again (see below for more on that), the day looked positive and full of promise and I was open to the ideas that are always flowing around me. And I just plain felt good! Sleep is something I write and speak a lot about, and it's still a practice I need to consciously keep up so I don't slip back into bad habits.

2. Trying to do it alone — Bouncing ideas off someone else is invaluable to me. When I stop before I start (see below), and I don't consult or collaborate with others, I miss out on the collective voices that are available to me. Just hearing my own telling of an idea — reading it aloud or describing it — can be enough. Any feedback or new ideas is a bonus. If the idea is really fresh and precious, I may ask the listener not to give feedback, and let them know I just need a sounding board at this point.

3. Stopping before I start — Not carrying out my creative projects because of self-doubt, real or imagined obstacles, perfectionism or generalized fear. When it came to writing today's article, I had to "Just Start".

4. Poverty mentality — It's very constricting to be worried about money all the time. I'm doing a lot of reading and learning about this topic right now — I'm sure I'll be able to share more in future issues.

5. A cluttered work/living space — It's been over two years since I finished my first major de-cluttering and it's time for another one! Exciting! While my living space has stayed tidy, some clutter (things I don't need, use or love) has crept back in and is starting to gnaw at me.

6. Disconnection from my inner wisdom — When I'm rested and feeling well, I can much more easily tap into the ideas that are flowing around me. Whether it's being open to something useful in an article I'm reading, or just listening for the solution of that problem I've been struggling with for a few days (and really, it just "came to me"), the answers are there.

7. Disconnection from my body — If I'd been paying closer attention to my body's needs, I think I would have arranged sooner for some nights of extra sleep. I need to listen to the messages my body is sending me — do I feel nourished by the food I'm eating (or am I getting hungry too often), am I hydrated (or do I feel thirsty or light-headed, or is my skin extra-dry)? Am I showing physical signs of stress — muscle tightness, shallow breathing or headaches? My body will reward me if I listen to it, use common sense and give it what it wants.

If you saw yourself in some of these examples, take heart. Awareness is the most important step for change to take place. To look in more detail at your self-care habits, take the free quiz on the "Resources" page of my website.

© Copyright 2005, Genuine Coaching Services.

About the Author ...
Linda Dessau, the Self-Care Coach, helps artists enhance their creativity by addressing their unique self-care issues. To receive her free monthly newsletter, Everyday Artist, subscribe at GenuineCoaching.com.

The Benefits of Restlessness and Jagged Edges

When you were a kid, did you ever have your mom or dad or a teacher turn to you, just as you were REALLY ENJOYING something, and tell you, "Settle down, you're getting TOO excited!" Well, I did, and I believed for years, that expressing my PASSION about something (usually music) was wrong, or harmful in some way. Granted, we all need to learn "correct" social behavior, but I'm talking about something deeper ...

So, this morning, when I heard a professor of psychiatry at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Kay Redfield Jamison, on National Public Radio, begin with these words, she really caught my ear:

"I believe that curiosity, wonder and passion are defining qualities of imaginative minds and great teachers ..."

I was reminded of the old myth: artists have to be crazy to be creative.

Gratefully, I haven't suffered from manic-depression (or bi-polar disorder) as Jamison confesses she has, but I do know what it is to have mood swings and to work with creative people who experience them pretty regularly. It's a relief to find this resource. Click on this link to read more...

NPR : The Benefits of Restlessness and Jagged Edges