Every so often, admittedly, my engagement slows w a y down. Sometimes I know there’s tons to do and none of it is unappealing. (OK, almost all of it is appealing.) Still, my own engagement needs a jump start.

Maybe today’s such a day and that’s why I’m thinking of selecting one (or as many as it takes!) from the following 5-Minute Tips to up my engagement.

1. 5 minutes of How might I do this differently? Whether or not I accept any of the wild and scary ideas that come to mind about how to do a major or minor task differently, just brainshaking the ideas is engaging. And more often than not, it spurs a different approach to my work at hand.

2. 5 minutes of Flip that problem around. I often need to remember to practice what I profess. A point I often offer my clients and audiences regarding problem solving is to look at the problem from the other side. For example, I recently spent several days seeking people who wanted to partner in acquiring a high-priced resource.  No luck…or not soon enough. This morning I thought, “The flip side is to see who’s already got the resource and will let me buy in.”

3. 5 minutes of Creative Challenge. Creativity can be defined as looking at what is familiar in a totally different way. Take a look at the (hum-drum?) action or assignment at hand. Ask and have fun answering: “If I were to paint this project, what would it look like?” “What kind of music is best accompaniment for this activity?” “Suppose I dance while working on this: what would that dancing be?”

Of course, I’m hoping you don’t have a down-engagement day. But if you do, trying all three of the above tips will only cost you 15 minutes.

Believe me, if I could, I’d be doing the salsa!

BTW, why not stop by my Culture to Engage web page and check out my new programs.