Tuesday, June 29, 2021

Influence - and GRP: Guided Reading Program

 


 
(Book Cover Images - Source: Amazon)

For a book-of-the-month, generally, we select books around 250 pages. 

But this time, we have a slightly longer book. 

After much deliberation, we finalized this book. "Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion".  

It may take little more than a month, assuming we read for a limited time every day. 

And a book-of-the-month for August is also on the same topic. 50 tips for persuasion

That will help us to dive deep into the topic of Persuasion.  

This month's book reading will be supported by GRP: "Guided Reading Program". (GRP is a brain child of Aniket Rai.)

This post has two sections and it comments on the book as well as GRP. 

First on why you should read this book. Second on why you should join GRP. 

1] Why you should read "Influence" by Robert Cialdini

  • Book n Author both have Wikipedia page. Doesn't it speak volume about the book ? 
  • Robert Cialdini - isn't an everyday self-help writer. He is a Marketing and Psychology professor and taught at prestigious schools like Stanford.  
  • Book has 6 point model on persuasion and is supported by scientific evidence. 
  • Book is immensely popular among Marketing professionals and Entrepreneurs.
  • The book is a New York Times best-seller, listed as one of the 50 classics in psychology, and fortune rated it as a one of the 75 smartest business books ever written. 
  • It has sold 3 million copies and translated into more than 30 languages. 
Don't you want to read such fantastic and valuable book? 


2] Why you should join GRP (Guided Reading Program) ...  

Aniket trains people to build a daily reading habit as part of his 3-Level reading program. You can find  more details here:  Reading Habits

  • GRP: It's proven, tested, and creates joy in the process of reading. 
  • As of now,  the program has no cost to the group members.
  • It will help you build a reading habit within 45 days, provided you stick to agenda.
  • You will meet a lot of new reader friends. 
  • How Program runs... 
    • The reader acquires a book, a new & expanded revised edition of Influence. Paperback is advisable. 
    • Daily reading portions - that will take approx. 15 to 25 min of reading. 
    • Reflective questions or small activity to think about the reading portion. 
    • The occasional group meets, time for note-taking, and allied support in developing reading habit. 
    • Portions, reflective question, and group meets are thoughtfully designed. It engages the reader with the book and helps him retain the book content over a long time. 
So don't you want to take benefit of such a diverse, multidimensional program?

Do let's know ASAP for the administrative and logistical reasons. 


Monday, June 28, 2021

How to keep yourself energize the whole day!

 


(Make Time: Brief Summary)

This image is the brief graphical summary of "Make Time".

It's prepared by a friend and book lover, "Norm". 

It's a very pragmatic and helpful book, particularly in the cacophony of "Time management". 

Book has a simple message. 

  1. Find your highlight (Priority project). 
  2. Block time for it in your daily schedule. 
  3. Then focus like a laser with your full attention on this block. 
  4. Ensure you are energized during this block period. 
That's it. 

The book outlines 82 different tactics for laser-like focus (attention) and energizing yourself. 

All of them are useful. Some may be more relevant to your context. 

Two tips that I loved and thought of following on energizing are this...

1. #Tip 61, 62. Exercise every day, but don't be a hero and Pound the pavement. 
2. # Tip 71 Caffeinate before you crash. 

1. Often, I used to feel guilty, when I couldn't exercise regularly or couldn't go for a walk. And I always used to be mesmerized with sculpted figures. And used to feel inferior too :-).  My relation with exercise is always love-n-hate. And being an introvert, plus book-lover, and on top of having desk based job made it doubly hard to imbibe any rigorous exercise routine. 

Then like a breeze came this tip. Exercise - but no need to be a hero

Around the same time, I have gone through the course "Sit Less, Get Active" on Coursera. It has a similar suggestion. Move for about 150 minutes over a week. No need to be stressed at one point. So I simply spread out my exercise or movement throughout the day. Morning little yoga, then a little 15-minute walk after breakfast, one after lunch, and then one long walk in the evening. It's spread throughout the day. Currently at about 7000 steps, and moving towards 10,000 steps in a day. 


I no more feel stressed or guilty. And I do feel more active throughout the day! 


2. the Second tip is about Coffee.

I love Coffee! 


For me, Coffee used to be an anytime drink. 

But after reading the book, I got the strategic time for having a cup.


Now I take it after my lunch. And then no coffee after it. 

This keeps me active and energetic in post-lunch sessions (approx. from 0200 to 0600), and it no more interferes with my sleep routine.  


I embraced these two tips. 


But you can scroll through 82 tips and choose the ones that are more useful to you. 


Keep yourself energized throughout the day and laser-sharp focus on your Highlighted task! 

Monday, June 14, 2021

Ten Things that I learned from “Surely, You’re Joking Mr. Feynman”

 




(Image Source: Amazon)


I read this book. It is a "book-of-the-month" in my book club. 


First I wonder, why haven't I read this book before! I was aware of the book and have even seen it multiple times when someone was reading it. As of this writing, the book is rated 4.25, with 171,849 ratings with 6302 reviews on Goodreads. A clear sign that it is a top-rated book. 


I not only enjoyed the book but learned a lot about how scholars and researchers approach life! 

And why was Feynman labeled as "most brilliant, iconoclastic and influential" by the New York Times. 


Book is worth your time, and it should be on your reading list, mainly if you are science bluff or interested in academic life. Book rekindled my interest in biographies and memoirs! 


Ten things that I learned by reading this humorous book. 




  1. Allow kids, teenagers to explore. 

Being a father of a teenage daughter, sometimes her doubts and queries make me restless. But I shouldn't. In this memoir,  Feynman kept on exploring science and his interest in radio repairing, designing an auto-cutting tool for cutting beans. At one point, he almost burned his home; at another cut his finger. But that's the way kids learn. Let's encourage them. That's real learning. 


  1. Even serious, sincere folks have fun and crazy times. You should too


Feynman stole the door of a hostel-mate in MIT! He kept banging his drum. This banging he did at midnight on the La Almos campus. La Almos was the site for the atomic bomb research.  He tried all weird tricks on girls to win them. He experimented with Hypnosis, mind-reading, and smelling like a dog. He even slept on the Sofa/Coach in Institute, where he joined the next day and enjoyed life.   


  1. In a quest to specialize, don’t overlook interesting subjects


Feynman was a theoretical physicist. He excelled in it beyond doubt. But he also took biology as one of the particular subjects. Fellow students mocked him for his lack of basic knowledge and pronunciations of biology terms in that class. But he worked hard, found that it is easy to find research questions!  He studied to the extent of working with Watson (Of famous DNA inventor Watson & Crick). In his curriculum, he studied philosophy and worked on how to sleep and one's thoughts on sleep. He wrote a term paper on sleep and thoughts.  He developed and retained the knowledge until he got involved in the sense-deprivation tank and offered himself an experiment subject. 


  1. Side hobbies will lead to expertise.

 


We often have some side hobby, side projects. But if you take it seriously, you can develop deep expertise in it. Feynman's second wife took him to Mexico to see Mayan ruins. For her, he read a bit and studied about Mayan culture. In later years, Experts called him to give a session on the Mayan culture and Babylon mathematics! He also learned safe cracking to the extent of befriending a professional safe-cracker.  


  1. It isn't easy to work with the Government.

 


Though Feynman worked on the Manhattan project in later years, he found it challenging. In the selection stage - the Army rejected him on the grounds of mental health! Once, Army called him as an advisor. But acknowledging his lack of knowledge about the fuel consumption of tanks, he retracted. Once, he got involved with the selection of books for schools. He found that many people on the committee rated books even without reading them. (One of the books was completely blank with just a cover, it wasn't ready for print). Just a little bit of suggestion saved 2 million dollars for students. But consciously, he stayed away from Government projects.  


  1. Trade skills make your living, but art makes your life. 


Feynman learned drumming. He even professionally played it in an Orchestra for ballet. He played in Brazil's Samba Festival too. He used to debate with an artist friend on art vs. science. To understand his point of view, he learned drawing and painting. The client commissioned Feynman to make a painting. And he even sold some of his images at elevated rates. And his life was fun.


  1. Language learning is not only fun, but will enrich your experience. 


He learned multiple languages throughout the period. He babbled in Italian as a teenager - though it was wrong.  He met a girl at Party and learned sign language from her. He knew Portuguese before visiting Brazil. He played with the Japanese before visiting Japan. His experiences in these countries were completely different compared to his colleagues. He could interact with locals, had fun with girls, and went out of the way to enjoy the local culture.   


  1. “Publicity is a whore!” 


Abraham Pais - his colleague and friend, said this. That time, Time magazine called Pais for an interview. Feynman agreed with this opinion. When Feynman received the Nobel prize, he asked a journalist - how he can refuse or decline the award as he realized that he would be in the limelight after that. On many occasions, Feynman has gone to extreme lengths to hide that he is visiting a place or talking to students in physics. He thought it ruined his peace. And those who are not interested in Physics are bothering him. 


  1. If you want a satisfying job of your choice, stay clear of money. 


While working at Caltech, Feynman was offered a job in Chicago. But he didn't allow them to tell him the offer. And finally, he declined it. The offer was almost three times his existing salary. Even after conveying a paycheck, he refused it. He said that a higher salary would distract him from his work, which he enjoys more!  


  1. Even scholars and experts struggled in their career!


Feynman wanted to work in Bell Labs. Bell Labs were using a lot of physics and inventing new things.  Feynman visited Bell labs frequently. He networked with his seniors and canvased for a job.  But he didn't get a job. Finally, he landed in a friend's startup unit as a chemist! That's where he started his career. So one of the great physicists of our time started his career as Chemist! 


(Cross Posted on GoodReads