The Incrementalist: Recent Episodes
Dyan Williams
Welcome to The Incrementalist podcast! Hosted by Dyan Williams - productivity & purpose coach and solo lawyer - this show offers simple techniques and tools to focus on your top priorities and design a well-lived life. You will who learn how to use the Incrementalist approach to turn your ideas into action, maximize focus, and make time for what truly matters.
Website: www.dyanwilliams.com
Solitude is a chosen state of being alone. It is not the same as interpersonal loneliness or existential loneliness, which may lead to an early death or death by suicide in extreme cases.
The need for alone time is as vital to human life as the need for social interaction. When you practice solitude, you will be better able to move through loneliness with skill, rather than try to end it unskillfully at all costs.
In episode 65 of The Incrementalist, you will learn:
1) The main differences between solitude and loneliness
2) The key differences between loners and introverts, who both enjoy solitude
3) The reason extroverts might need solitude more than loners and introverts
4) The four key benefits of solitude:
i) Intentionality
ii) Intellectuality
iii) Simplicity
iv) Self-sufficiency
5) Easy ways to practice solitude in daily life
The Incrementalist: A Simple Productivity System to Create Big Results in Small Steps, is available on Amazon and Leanpub:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CFHYHGFZ
(Pros: lowest price for readers and readily available on Kindle)
https://leanpub.com/incrementalist
(Pros: price flexibility for readers and 60-day money back guarantee)
To learn more about how to get a Leanpub book on your Kindle, or into the Kindle app on your phone or tablet, go to:
How do I get Leanpub books on my Kindle, or into the Kindle app on my phone or tablet? | Leanpub Help Center
Watch the video, Solitude: The Overlooked Path to Moving Through Loneliness, on our YouTube channel, The Incrementalist - A Productivity Show.
Website: http://www.dyanwilliams.com/
Subscribe to e-newsletter at:
https://bit.ly/3J9EbsD
Theme Music by:
Sebastian Brian Mehr. Album – Olemus; Song – La Nieve.
As you make gains, step by step, your actions and behaviors that used to take a lot of effort become more like a habit. You can choose to stay there and enjoy what you’ve accomplished or take the next step for a new challenge.
The Incrementalist: A Simple Productivity System to Create Big Results in Small Steps, is now available on both Amazon and Leanpub.
The book shows you how to skillfully practice the Incrementalist principles to do the right things, in the right way, at the right time – even when you feel unmotivated or uninspired.
If you buy it, read it, and enjoy it, please recommend it to others and post a 5-star customer review on Amazon! Your support goes a long way in encouraging more readers to check it out and benefit from it as well.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CFHYHGFZ
(Pros: lowest price for readers and readily available on Kindle)
https://leanpub.com/incrementalist
(Pros: price flexibility for readers and 60-day money back guarantee)
To learn more about how to get a Leanpub book on your Kindle, or into the Kindle app on your phone or tablet, go to:
How do I get Leanpub books on my Kindle, or into the Kindle app on my phone or tablet? | Leanpub Help Center
Watch the video, Turn your hard efforts into easier steps, on our YouTube channel, The Incrementalist - A Productivity Show.
Website: http://www.dyanwilliams.com/
Subscribe to e-newsletter at:
https://bit.ly/3J9EbsD
Theme Music by:
Sebastian Brian Mehr. Album – Olemus; Song – La Nieve.
What to do - when you feel like doing nothing - depends on the reasons you're unmotivated and unproductive.
In episode 59 of The Incrementalist, you will learn:
1) The Procrastination Equation, a formula by Dr. Piers Steel that helps explains why you feel unmotivated and why you procrastinate.
2) 10 tips to get out of a mental slump and motivation rut.
Watch the video, What to Do When You're Motivated to Do Nothing, on our YouTube channel, The Incrementalist - A Productivity Show. It adds another dimension to what you hear on the podcast.
Theme Music by:
Sebastian Brian Mehr. Album – Olemus; Song – La Nieve
Check out the book: The Incrementalist, A Simple Productivity System to Create Big Results in Small Steps
Email: dyan@dyanwilliams.com
Visit website: www.dyanwilliams.com
In episode 58 of The Incrementalist, you will learn:
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The truth about productivity advice and toxic productivity.
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5 universal principles or basic rules to apply in any productivity practice.
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7 common mistakes to avoid when moving from being unproductive to productive.
Harness the power of slow living and practice the slow philosophy. This is how you break the obsession with doing more faster and, instead, do the right things at the right speed.
On the road of life, there are twists and turns, hills and valleys. We can map out and plan our journey. But even then, we can’t always see what’s ahead of us in a given moment. And slowing down is the only way to move ahead.
In episode 57 of The Incrementalist, you will learn:
1. Slow living gives you an infinite source of energy that constantly renews and recharges.
2. Seven steps to slow, productive living.
Watch the video on episode 57 on our YouTube channel, The Incrementalist - A Productivity Show. You will see video clips of my recent travel to my home country, Jamaica, a tropical island in the Caribbean. Taking extended breaks (vacations) is one of the steps to slow living and doing less, but better!
Theme Music by:
Sebastian Brian Mehr. Album – Olemus; Song – La Nieve
Check out the book: The Incrementalist, A Simple Productivity System to Create Big Results in Small Steps
Email: dyan@dyanwilliams.com
Visit website: www.dyanwilliams.com
Subscribe to productivity e-newsletter
If you have trouble finishing projects and goals, you’re not alone. This is a common human experience. But there are 5 things you can do to finish strong with any project or goal.
In episode 56 of The Incrementalist, you will learn:
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The limits of willpower, better habits, and more refined systems.
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The 5 things to start doing to finish your goals -
i. Make progress incrementally and imperfectly.
ii. Set smaller, more flexible goals.
iii. Enjoy the process, not wait for the desired result.
iv. Rest and recharge fully.
v. Attend to one priority at a time. -
The Incrementalist YouTube channel is inching toward a milestone, with the last video, How to Stay Focused and Control Your Attention, giving it a boost.
Watch the video on episode 55, especially if you're a visual learner! Become one of the first 100 subscribers on our YouTube channel, The Incrementalist - A Productivity Show.
Theme Music by:
Sebastian Brian Mehr. Album – Olemus; Song – La Nieve
Check out the book: The Incrementalist, A Simple Productivity System to Create Big Results in Small Steps
Email: dyan@dyanwilliams.com
Visit website: www.dyanwilliams.com
Subscribe to productivity e-newsletter
Your ability to focus on deep work is key to being productive. Your power to connect ideas is vital to being creative. Whether you’re focusing or mind wandering, you need to direct your attention to perform at your peak.
In episode 55 of The Incrementalist, you will learn:
1) The difference between Hyperfocus and Scatterfocus and why you need both modes of focus to control your attention.
2) Mind wandering is not a problem if you have meta-awareness or metacognition, i.e., to be aware of your awareness or to pay attention to your attention.
3) The three types of attention - the Flashlight, the Floodlight, and the Juggler - that coordinate with each other to affect your state of focus.
4) 4 tips to build your focus muscle and direct your attention:
i. Define your priority and focus on one thing at a time
ii. Tame the distractions and interruptions that dilute your focus
iii. Match the challenge with your skills or ability
iv. Allow mind wandering with intention
Watch the video on episode 55, especially if you're a visual learner! Become one of the first 100 subscribers on our YouTube channel, The Incrementalist - A Productivity Show.
Theme Music by:
Sebastian Brian Mehr. Album – Olemus; Song – La Nieve
Check out the book: The Incrementalist, A Simple Productivity System to Create Big Results in Small Steps
Email: dyan@dyanwilliams.com
Visit website: www.dyanwilliams.com
Subscribe to productivity e-newsletter
Digital technology has its benefits and is not all bad. But tech-overuse and tech addiction cause problems too.
To break our tech addiction and master our tech use, we need Digital Minimalism: “A philosophy of technology use in which you focus your online time on a small number of carefully selected and optimized activities that strongly support things you value, and then happily miss out on everything else," says author Cal Newport.
In episode 54 of The Incrementalist, you will learn:
1) Online information and entertainment often create distraction (move you away from what you really want), instead of traction (move you toward what you really want).
2) Social media and online search platforms are designed to hook us. The technology that connects us also controls, manipulates, polarizes, distracts, monetizes and divides us.
3) 3 things you can do to break your tech addiction and master your tech use:
i. Complete the digital declutter process
ii. Practice solitude
iii. Reclaim true leisure
Watch the video on episode 54, especially if you're a visual learner! Become one of the first 100 subscribers on our YouTube channel, The Incrementalist - A Productivity Show.
Theme Music by:
Sebastian Brian Mehr. Album – Olemus; Song – La Nieve
Check out the book: The Incrementalist, A Simple Productivity System to Create Big Results in Small Steps
Email: dyan@dyanwilliams.com
Visit website: www.dyanwilliams.com
Subscribe to productivity e-newsletter
Memento Mori is a powerful practice to create a meaningful, productive and fulfilling life.
Roughly translated to English, it means, "Remember you must die."
Reflecting on your own death might seem like a dark and depressing way to live. But it offers three unique gifts that help you live with intention.
In episode 53 of The Incrementalist, you will learn:
1) Memento Mori is an ancient practice that spans across time and cultures.
2) Life lessons on death from Stoicism and philosophers, Marcus Aurelius, Seneca and Epicurus.
3) Key takeaways from Irvin D. Yalom's book, Staring at the Sun.
"Though the physicality of death destroys us, the idea of death saves us.”
4) 3 gifts from reflecting on death:
- the gift of gratitude
- the gift of groundedness
- the gift of grit
5) How I applied Memento Mori to grieve the loss of two loved ones who recently died within 6 months of each other.
Watch the video on episode 53, especially if you're a visual learner! Become one of the first 100 subscribers on our YouTube channel, The Incrementalist - A Productivity Show.
Music by:
Sebastian Brian Mehr. Album – Olemus; Songs – La Nieve (Intro & Outro music) and Kuura (featured music).
Check out the book: The Incrementalist, A Simple Productivity System to Create Big Results in Small Steps
Email: dyan@dyanwilliams.com
Visit website: www.dyanwilliams.com
Subscribe to productivity e-newsletter
When we hear the term work-life balance, we tend to think of it as a good thing. It’s doing great work, without overworking. It’s getting enough rest, without staying idle.
But if we want to have a meaningful and productive life, striving for perfect work-life balance is not often the right path. What we really want to aim for is Intentional Imbalance.
In episode 52 of The Incrementalist, you will learn:
1) 3 reasons work-life balance isn't really practical or beneficial
2) 3 elements of Intentional Imbalance
- Alignment
- Introspection
- Momentum
3) There’s nothing wrong with having a comfortable and balanced life. But if you want to do something great or extraordinary, you will need to focus on one thing at the expense of the other. And if you’re going to have imbalance, you might as well be intentional about it.
Watch the video on episode 52, especially if you're a visual learner! Become one of the first 100 subscribers on our YouTube channel, The Incrementalist - A Productivity Show.
Intro & Outro Theme Music by:
- Sebastian Brian Mehr: Album – Olemus; Song – La Nieve (hearnow.com)
Check out the book: The Incrementalist, A Simple Productivity System to Create Big Results in Small Steps
Email: dyan@dyanwilliams.com
Visit website: www.dyanwilliams.com
Subscribe to productivity e-newsletter
Do you struggle to stick with challenging projects?
Can you stay curious when you do tedious tasks?
How do you deal with boring, hard things you have to do?
Habits help you automate positive behavior and actions on a daily basis. But they are not enough to perform at your peak. There will be times when you will have to do boring or hard things that take uphill effort. If you can make boring, hard work easier to do, that’s more than half the battle in making the impossible possible.
In episode 51 of The Incrementalist, you will learn:
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The power of grit and the habit of ferocity
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Three ways to make boring or hard work easier to do:
a) Pick the right task to do in a given moment
- The task itself should match your level of focus and energy, which often depends on the time of day and your natural rhythm
- The 3 stages of the flow cycle
- The mind-body ultradian rhythm
- The challenge-skills balance and work-rest ratio
b) Keep the right mindset for lifelong learning
- A growth mindset is better than a fixed mindset to learn and develop any skill
- The importance of reading books to learn
- The two modes of learning theories - entity vs. incremental theories of intelligence
c) Choose the right turf
- Your workspace environment affects your ability to think and do work
- The one advantage that remote workers have over workers who have to go to a shared office space
- The difference between focused thinking and diffused thinking
- The difference between divergent thinking and convergent thinking
- Four tactics to design your environment for sparking ideas and triggering flow
Watch the video on episode 51, especially if you're a visual learner! Become one of the first 100 subscribers on our YouTube channel, The Incrementalist - A Productivity Show.
Intro & Outro Theme Music by:
- Sebastian Brian Mehr: Album – Olemus; Song – La Nieve (hearnow.com)
Check out the book: The Incrementalist, A Simple Productivity System to Create Big Results in Small Steps
Email: dyan@dyanwilliams.com
Visit website: www.dyanwilliams.com
Subscribe to productivity e-newsletter
Are you feeling overwhelmed by your to-do list?
Do you have thoughts churning around, usually about things you don’t control?
Is lack of clarity stopping you from taking action?
If you feel stuck, bored or just plain lazy, you might be waiting for inspiration to strike. But what if it doesn’t? You might think you need more discipline or willpower. But even the most disciplined people procrastinate on the things they need to do. And willpower is finite. The more you use it, the less you have on a given day.
In episode 50 of The Incrementalist, you will learn:
5 steps to reset and start fresh -
1) Acknowledge what you control and don't control.
2) Figure out what you really want.
3) Remove obstacles that take up mental bandwidth and drain your energy.
4) Take one small action.
5) Set artificial deadlines.
Check out the new YouTube channel at The Incrementalist - A Productivity Show! If you're visual learner, there is a video on episode 50! Become one of the first 100 subscribers on our YouTube channel!
Intro & Outro Music by:
- Sebastian Brian Mehr: Album – Olemus; Song – La Nieve (hearnow.com)
Check out the book: The Incrementalist, A Simple Productivity System to Create Big Results in Small Steps
Email: dyan@dyanwilliams.com
Visit website: www.dyanwilliams.com
Subscribe to productivity e-newsletter
Do you have trouble remembering to do a new habit?
Are you setting the right conditions to form the habit?
Do you lose motivation when you don’t get immediate results?
Habit stacking is a quick way to build good habits, which have a lasting, massive impact in your life. Habits are automatic behaviors that reduce decision fatigue, make time your ally, and save your energy for the hardest things.
In episode 49 of The Incrementalist, you will learn:
1) The Habit Stacking formula
2) How habit stacking fits with Professor BJ Fogg's ABC method for designing behavior and building habits
3) Habit stacking applies the four rules of habit formation, outlined in James Clear's book, Atomic Habits:
Rule 1 - make the cue obvious
Rule 2 - make the craving attractive
Rule 3 - make the response easy
Rule 4 - make the reward satisfying
4) 5 quick tips for habit stacking
Check out the new YouTube channel at The Incrementalist - A Productivity Show! If you're visual learner, there is a video on episode 49! Become one of the first 100 subscribers on our YouTube channel!
Intro & Outro Music by:
- Sebastian Brian Mehr: Album – Olemus; Song – La Nieve (hearnow.com)
Check out the book: The Incrementalist, A Simple Productivity System to Create Big Results in Small Steps
Email: dyan@dyanwilliams.com
Visit website: www.dyanwilliams.com
Subscribe to productivity e-newsletter
Goals are the results and outcomes you want to achieve. They are the direction you want to head in, at least for the time being. But systems are what create the desired results and outcomes.
Your daily habits make up your system. What you do day in and day out compounds over time to determine your level of success, mastery and contentment.
In episode 48 of The Incrementalist, you will learn:
1) Key lessons from James Clear's Atomic Habits and Professor BJ Fogg's Tiny Habits books
2) What is a habit
3) How your brain controls your behavior
4) How habits form through a neurological loop: cue, trigger, craving, response and reward
5) What drives behavior (Professor BJ Fogg's B= MAP formula)
6) Why good habits are so hard to build
- Reason 1 - the cue is not obvious
- Reason 2 - the craving is not strong
- Reason 3 - the action step is not easy
- Reason 4 - the reward is not satisfying
Check out the new YouTube channel at The Incrementalist - A Productivity Show! If you're visual learner, there is a video on episode 48! Become one of the first 100 subscribers on our YouTube channel!
Intro & Outro Music by:
- Sebastian Brian Mehr: Album – Olemus; Song – La Nieve (hearnow.com)
Check out the book: The Incrementalist, A Simple Productivity System to Create Big Results in Small Steps
Email: dyan@dyanwilliams.com
Visit website: www.dyanwilliams.com
Subscribe to productivity e-newsletter
Do you get overwhelmed by digital task management tools?
Are you seeking a good mix of structure and flexibility in your day?
Is there an easy, stress-free way to block time for important projects?
When you hear the term Time Blocking, you might picture color-coded calendars filled up with specific activities for the week. Digital apps to block time might also come to mind.
But you really don’t need an app or even a planner to time block.
In episode 47 of The Incrementalist, you will learn:
1) More busyness does not lead to higher quality or better results. To align your intentions with your actions, you need to have structure in your day. You also want to have buffers for emergencies and margin for the unexpected.
2) Time blocking is an essential tool to protect time for important projects and tasks. You assign a time block – with a start time and an end time – to focus on a specific activity or a batch of similar activities.
3) The subtle and important difference between time blocking and time boxing.
4) 3 main tips for time blocking
Tip 1: schedule time blocks in 30-minute or 1-hour increments (not in 5-minute increments like Elon Musk)
Tip 2: time block just the day (not the whole week)
Tip 3: incorporate theming and batching in your time blocks (not time blocks for whatever, whenever)
4) You do not need digital apps or even a planner to time block
5) How I time block the easy, stress-free way on a whiteboard.
Check out the new YouTube channel at The Incrementalist - A Productivity Show! If you're visual learner, there is a video on episode 47! Become one of the first 100 subscribers on our YouTube channel!
Intro & Outro Music by:
- Sebastian Brian Mehr: Album – Olemus; Song – La Nieve (hearnow.com)
Check out the book: The Incrementalist, A Simple Productivity System to Create Big Results in Small Steps
Email: dyan@dyanwilliams.com
Visit website: www.dyanwilliams.com
Subscribe to productivity e-newsletter
Are you in a cul-de-sac, on a cliff, or in the dip?
Patience and persistence are essential for success. If you give up whenever you face a challenge or an obstacle, you’re bound to fail. But you also need to know when to quit and cut your losses.
In episode 46 of The Incrementalist, you will learn:
1) The Sunk Cost Fallacy means we prefer to continue the action if we already put time, effort, and money into it, even if the current costs outweigh the benefits.
2) Commitment bias is to stand by past decisions despite new evidence showing this isn’t the best action.
3) The Endowment Effect is to ascribe a higher value to things we already own. The disutility of a loss is greater than the utility of a comparable gain. The displeasure in losing something is greater than the pleasure in gaining the same thing.
4) The story behind Instagram
- How this microbusiness with 13 employees sold to Facebook for $1 billion
- Why co-founders Kevin Systrom and Mike Krieger quit working on the check-in app, Burbn, and pivoted to the photo-sharing app, Instagram
- The significance of focusing on a unique solution for a specific problem
5) The three curves to watch out for in any major endeavor or project, according to Seth Godin:
- The Dip
- The Cul-de-sac
- The Cliff
6) The three questions to ask when deciding whether to quit or stick with it:
- Am I in a cul-de-sac, on a cliff, or in the dip?
- Am I willing to slog through the dip?
- Why am I doing this thing? (Is it to be the best or for some other reason?)
7) Why you need to practice strategic quitting and set your quitting criteria before you start.
8) The Incrementalist approach is to prioritize what matters, make time for it, and create margin.
9) Sometimes you do need to quit even good things to make space for one great thing.
Check out the new YouTube channel at The Incrementalist - A Productivity Show! If you're visual learner, there is a video on Episode 46! Become one of the first 100 subscribers on our YouTube channel!
Read the transcript.
Sources cited:
- Seth Godin, The Dip: A Little Book that Teaches You When to Quit (and When to Stick)
Music by:
- Sebastian Brian Mehr: Album – Olemus; Song – La Nieve (hearnow.com)
Check out the book: The Incrementalist, A Simple Productivity System to Create Big Results in Small Steps
Email: dyan@dyanwilliams.com
Visit website: www.dyanwilliams.com
Subscribe to productivity e-newsletter
The start of the new year is an ideal time to take stock and reflect. January 1, the 1st of every month, or the start of a new season are temporal landmarks. This is when many of us set goals or recommit to goals.
A review of the year gives you insights on how to move forward in the next. It’s better to do it in the first week of the year, but no later than before you start planning for the upcoming months.
In episode 45 of The Incrementalist, you will learn:
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How much time to invest in the Yearly Review.
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You get to decide where to review your year, such as at the dining table, at your work desk, on your couch, or outdoors if the local weather is ideal.
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The Peak End Rule is a cognitive bias that affects our memories and shapes our behavior. We remember fragments of an event or experience. The fragments are the peaks, the pits, and the beginning and ending.
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Don’t rely on just your memory when you do your review. Go through your personal records, like journals, planners, calendars, notebooks, videos and photos.
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12 questions to kickstart your year:
Question #1: What made you feel the most joy?
Question #2: What made you feel the most discontent?
Question #3: What was your biggest win? How did you celebrate it?
Question #4: What was your biggest setback? How did you recover from it?
Question #5: What do you wish to do or experience more? What would happen if this came true? How can you make it come true?
Question #6: What do you wish to do or experience less? What would happen if this came true? How can you make it come true?
Question #7: Which habit or activity renews your energy the most?
Question #8: Which habit or activity drains your energy the most?
Question #9 What did you do to make life for your [spouse, partner, child, sibling, parent, friend, colleague] more easeful?
Question #10: What did you do to make life for your [spouse, partner, child, sibling, parent, friend, colleague] more difficult?
Question #11: What did you receive from each person that made you most grateful?
Question #12: What was the biggest lesson you learned and are afraid to apply?
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If these questions do not resonate with you, be sure to come up with your own to reflect on the past and plan for the future.
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Remember the 80/20 Rule: 20% of what you do creates 80% of the results, either 80% of your joy or 80% of you discontent.
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The huge benefits of reflecting on the past before you plan for the future.
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Asking the right questions will lead to more informed answers. Sometimes we avoid questions because they are inconvenient and they hold us accountable or responsible. But if we don’t bring them to the surface, they will linger and keep us from growing and making good decisions.
Check out the new YouTube channel at The Incrementalist - A Productivity Show! If you're visual learner, there is a video on Episode 45!
Read the transcript.
Sources cited:
- Dyan Williams, The Incrementalist podcast, Ep. 8, How to Plan Your Ideal Week
- Dyan Williams, The Incrementalist podcast, Ep. 19, Create Peak Moments for a Meaningful Life
Music by:
- Sebastian Brian Mehr: Album – Olemus; Song – La Nieve (hearnow.com)
Check out the book: The Incrementalist, A Simple Productivity System to Create Big Results in Small Steps
Email: dyan@dyanwilliams.com
Visit website: www.dyanwilliams.com
Subscribe to productivity e-newsletter
At the end of the year and the start of a new one, we tend to reflect on accomplishments and think about aspirations. There’s nothing wrong with keeping the status quo if it works for you. Constantly striving for the next big thing is no better than leading a simple, satisfying life.
But like all human beings, you probably have a wish or a dream that has yet to come true. A wish or a dream is not a goal until you have a plan of action. And a plan of action is not made until you define the next steps. And the next steps are not done until you actually complete them.
In episode 44 of The Incrementalist, you will learn:
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When you have a high, hard goal that you want to reach in the next year, 5 years, or 10 years, lack of motivation is not the biggest issue. Usually, what holds you back is lack of clarity on what you need to do or lack of ability to take the necessary action.
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With the Incrementalist approach, you can achieve big things with little resistance and less friction.
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The first principle is to get clear on your priority or priorities.
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The projects that are important but are not urgent often get neglected, but they are the ones that will get you to the next level.
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Discover your own purpose and your reason for being.
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The second principle is to break down the big goal into actionable, manageable steps.
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To grow, develop and transform, you want to move out of your comfort zone. But if a project is too hard, you lose steam and give up. And if it's too easy, you get bored.
- Challenges need to be within the optimal zone of difficulty.
- The Goldilocks Rule says we have peak motivation when we tackle tasks that are just right for our current skill set.
- The right level of stress is 7 out of 10, where you succeed most of the time, but need to pay attention to what you’re doing.
- The sweet spot is where the challenge is 4% greater than your current skill level (not a whole lot, but outside your comfort zone).
- The 1 Percent Rule says that over time, the rewards in a given field will accrue to the people, teams and organization that maintain a slight edge over the competition.
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Building good habits is essential.
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The third principle is to set a time block to do the important thing.
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Protecting time for the next step goes beyond making a to-do list. You decide when exactly you will do a task, in what context and under what circumstances, and for how long.
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Time blocking and time boxing encourage you to take deliberate action and reduce distractions and interruptions.
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The fourth principle is to synch with your natural rhythm.
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Match your energy and focus level with the task at hand.
- Deep work requires high focus and vigilance.
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Creative projects require a relaxed and insightful mood.
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The fifth principle is to rest and recharge.
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Necessary rest prevents you from burning out.
- Deliberate breaks keep the fire burning.
Check out the new YouTube channel at The Incrementalist - A Productivity Show! If you're visual learner, there's a video on Episode 44!
Read the transcript.
Sources cited:
- Steven Kotler, The Art of Impossible
- BJ Fogg, Tiny Habits
- James Clear, Atomic Habits
- Dyan Williams, The Incrementalist, A Simple Productivity System to Create Big Results in Small Steps
- Dyan Williams, The Incrementalist podcast, Ep. 4, How to Prioritize What Matters
- Dyan Williams, The Incrementalist podcast, Ep. 33, Make Time Your Ally (not a thing to manage)
- Dyan Williams, The Incrementalist podcast, Ep. 29, Finding Your Ikigai (sense of purpose)
- Dyan Williams, The Incrementalist podcast, Ep. 26, Get Stressed the Right Way
- Dyan Williams, The Incrementalist podcast, Ep. 5, Finding and Sustaining Flow
- Dyan Williams, The Incrementalist podcast, Ep. 20, Consistency and the Compound Effect
- Dyan Williams, The Incrementalist podcast, Ep. 2, Building Good Habits
- Dyan Williams, The Incrementalist podcast, Ep. 7, Time Blocking and Time Boxing to Get the Right Things Done
- Dyan Williams, The Incrementalist podcast, Ep. 8, How to Plan Your Ideal Week
- Dyan Williams, The Incrementalist podcast, Ep. 9, Why Weekly Planning Works
- Dyan Williams, The Incrementalist podcast, Ep. 41, Get Bored Now
- Dyan Williams, The Incrementalist podcast, Ep. 21, Find and Keep a Hobby You Love
- Dyan Williams, The Incrementalist podcast, Ep. 10, Rest Even When You’re Busy
Music by:
- Sebastian Brian Mehr: Album – Olemus; Song – La Nieve (hearnow.com)
Check out the book: The Incrementalist, A Simple Productivity System to Create Big Results in Small Steps
Email: dyan@dyanwilliams.com
Visit website: www.dyanwilliams.com
Subscribe to productivity e-newsletter
We have all experienced anxiety on some level at various points in our lives. COVID-19 and the global response to it have brought massive changes and deep uncertainty since the start of 2020.
Before then, 90% of Americans in the room raised their hands when asked if they had experienced daily anxiety. Wendy Suzuki, a neural science and psychology professor at NYU, says that number has gone way up. But she reminds us that at its core, anxiety is really a protective mechanism. Like all emotions, it serves an evolutionary purpose and is key to survival.
In episode 43 of The Incrementalist, you will learn:
1) Anxiety is generally defined as worry over an imminent possible event or worry over uncertainty.
2) Anxiety is a psychological and physical response to stress, which moves you into fight, flight or freeze mode.
3) Currently, 28% or nearly 1/3 of Americans are diagnosed with a clinical, anxiety disorder. Examples are generalized anxiety disorder, social anxiety disorder, panic disorder, PTSD, and OCD.
4) Chronic anxiety weakens the immune system, contributes to heart disease, impairs brain health, creates indigestion, and makes us less productive. It causes negative plasticity in the brain, changes our biochemistry and raises blood pressure.
5) Good anxiety tells you what’s important, what needs attention, what you value, and what to avoid. By befriending anxiety, you can build resilience, patience, compassion and empathy, and leverage nervous energy to deal with challenges.
6) According to the Yerkes-Dodson curve, a bit of anxiety can put you in the optimal state to perform a difficult task. But just like fine wine and delicious chocolate, you can have too much of a good thing.
7) Four tools that Dr. Suzuki recommends for activating the parasympathetic, destressing part of the nervous system:
a) Deep Breathing - which includes the 4 x 4 box breathing method.
b) Movement - which includes a power walk outside or walking up and down the stairs. Cardio exercise for about 45 minutes, two to three times per week, gives the most benefits.
c) Joy conditioning - which is active recall and selection of memories of your most joyful experiences, especially ones with olfactory associations.
d) Social support - which you might need to choose carefully because certain relationships are better than others for certain purposes and in different contexts.
8) Why you need to create an enriched environment and escape impoverished environments for brain health and emotional wellbeing.
9) Approach anxiety with an exploratory mindset so you can harness it as a superpower.
10) Embracing good anxiety helps you to avoid toxic positivity and experience the expansiveness of your emotions.
Read the transcript.
Sources cited:
- Wendy Suzuki, Good Anxiety: Harnessing the Power of the Most Misunderstood Emotion
- Dyan Williams, The Incrementalist podcast, Ep. 14, Morning Routines and Rituals to Start Your Day
- Dyan WIlliams, The Incrementalist podcast, Ep. 15, Evening Routines and Rituals to End Your Day
Music by:
- Sebastian Brian Mehr: Album – Olemus; Song – La Nieve (hearnow.com)
Check out the book: The Incrementalist, A Simple Productivity System to Create Big Results in Small Steps
Email: dyan@dyanwilliams.com
Visit website: www.dyanwilliams.com
Subscribe to productivity e-newsletter
There are news stories and articles on how we have the attention span of a goldfish. You might have heard that with the Internet, we can now only focus for 8 seconds at a time. The good news is there are no studies to back this up. There is also a common belief that we use only 10% of our brain. The entire brain is being used, but some parts are more activated than others. Having a peak mind is more about knowing where your attention is than whether or not you are hyper-focused or hyper-vigilant.
In episode 42 of The Incrementalist, you will learn:
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We miss out on 50% of our lives because our attention is scattered and distracted.
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In a given experience, moment or task, it's important to ask yourself: Where is your attention now? Is it where you want it to be?
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A wandering mind is not a real problem if you have meta-awareness or metacognition, i.e. to be aware of your awareness, or to pay attention to your attention.
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The three different types of attention -
a) The Flashlight is when your attention is more singular, narrow and focused on a particular thing. It gives you privileged information, selects and filters out, and emphasizes content.
b) The Floodlight is when your attention is broad, receptive and open to whatever is happening now. It does not privilege any information, is open to inputs, and emphasizes time.
c) The Juggler is the manager and executive control system. It interprets the information from the flashlight and floodlight systems and determines whether your goals and behavior are aligned.
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Even when you get rid of all the digital distractions, you will still have attention problems. Getting bored with a task, for example, can steer us toward online entertainment if we don’t know how to use boredom to our benefit.
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Being distractable is human. It makes sense from an evolutionary perspective. We need it to avoid danger and predators. The capacity to mentally time travel is useful for thinking, reflecting, planning, visualizing, and dreaming.
But it also causes us to miss out on the moment, catastrophize about the future, ruminate on the past, or be preoccupied with things we don’t control. This can lead to high stress, anxiety, brain fog and depleted attention. So, you need to train yourself to direct your focus on where it has to be.
- Mindfulness training is key to developing your attention. Examples are:
a) Focused attention on the breadth
b) The S.T.O.P. practice
b) Open monitoring or open awareness meditation
8) Invest at least 12 minutes a day on mental training exercises to declutter your mind and develop your attention span
9) When you’re too focused, you miss the big picture and the context of the situation. If you’re too open, you can become indecisive. You need to have all three systems in play to perform at your peak. The flashlight lets you keep your eye on the ball, the floodlight helps you to scan the field, and the juggler allows you to stay in and win the game.
Read the transcript.
Sources cited:
- Amishi P. Ja, Peak Mind: Find Your Focus, Own Your Attention, Invest in 12 Minutes a Day
- Dyan Williams, The Incrementalist, A Simple Productivity System to Create Big Results in Small Steps
- Dyan Williams, The Incrementalist podcast, Ep. 41, Get Bored Now
Music by:
- Sebastian Brian Mehr: Album – Olemus; Song – La Nieve (hearnow.com)
Check out the book: The Incrementalist, A Simple Productivity System to Create Big Results in Small Steps
Email: dyan@dyanwilliams.com
Visit website: www.dyanwilliams.com
Subscribe to productivity e-newsletter
Is boredom a negative emotion? It is defined as a feeling of discontent with something that is dull, repetitive, tiresome or tedious. We prefer to stay away from anything that is boring to us. But boredom is largely a complex emotion that can have a very positive impact. It can make us more creative and productive.
In episode 41 of The Incrementalist, you will learn:
1) In 11 studies, researchers at the University of Virginia and Harvard University found that most participants did not enjoy spending 6 to 15 minutes in a room by themselves with nothing to do but think.
- Participants preferred to do mundane activities like scroll their cell phone.
- Some chose pain over boredom by pressing a button to give themselves an electric shock.
2) A March 2019 article in the Academy of Management Discoveries reported that boredom is a little-known way to boost creativity.
- Study 1: boredom helped boost individual productivity on an idea-generation task.
- Study 2: boredom manipulation increased boredom but did not trigger other negative emotions like anger and frustration, which makes boredom a unique factor in sparking creativity.
- Study 3: boredom did not always improve creativity for a product development task. The participants needed to have a high learning goal orientation, high need for cognition, high openness to experience, and high internal locus of control to get more creative when feeling bored.
3) Boredom is a cause of divergence-seeking, exploratory tendencies. Feeling bored will drive you to change and do something different, seek challenges, switch to goals or tasks that better serve you, and motivate you to engage in unusual ways of doing things that are contrary to typical or predictable responses.
4) Doing nothing or sitting with your thoughts is hard when there’s so much to do and so much to pull your attention. But if you want to be more creative and productive, it’s good to experience boredom.
5) Being bored is not the same as purposeful, relaxation activities, such as yoga and meditation.
6) To experience true boredom, you could sit with your eyes closed, or look out the window, or walk a familiar route and let your mind wander. There is no music, no podcast, and no other stimuli to engage your senses. It’s just you and your thoughts.
7) Boredom is not a bad thing if you know how to use it as an opportunity for idea generation and creative breakthroughs.
Read the transcript.
Sources cited:
- Timothy D. Wilson,, David A. Reinhard, Erin C. Westgate, Daniel T. Gilbert, Nicole Ellerbeck Cheryl Hahn, Casey L. Brown, Adi Shaked, Just think: the challenges of the disengaged mind, Science, July 2014, Volume 345, Issue 6192
- Guihyun Park, Beng-Chong Lim, Hui Si Oh, Why Being Bored Might Not Be a Bad Thing After All, Academy of Management Discoveries, March 2019, Volume 5, Number 1
- Dyan Williams, The Incrementalist podcast, Ep. 12, Divergent vs. Convergent Thinking
Music by:
- Sebastian Brian Mehr: Album – Olemus; Song – La Nieve (hearnow.com)
Check out the book: The Incrementalist, A Simple Productivity System to Create Big Results in Small Steps
Email: dyan@dyanwilliams.com
Visit website: www.dyanwilliams.com
Subscribe to productivity e-newsletter
Some of the wealthiest people are the most depressed and saddest in the world. Having too much stuff can be distracting and overwhelming. Less stuff brings more clarity, more space, and more freedom. Still, there's nothing wrong with having shiny, new things. You don’t want to depend on things to make you happy or to define you. But you also don’t want to feel guilty when you buy something you really want or will enrich your life somehow.
In episode 40 of The Incrementalist, you will learn:
1) Just because you can afford the newest version doesn’t mean you have to spend the money. You can instead save your money, invest it, or give it to a worthy cause. That said, there’s nothing wrong with having shiny, new things.
2) Material rewards can get you to do tasks and projects that are difficult or boring. While it's better to have internal motivation and know the why behind a goal, sometimes you need a little boost from an external incentive.
3) External rewards can be a way to practice patience. You replace impulse buying with delayed gratification. You will get the thing you really want only after you’ve met a certain milestone or taken a certain action step.
4) 12 essential things that improved my productivity and enhanced my life -
- Microphone with high audio quality: Shure MV-7
- Analog Alarm Clock: Orcbeg, circular vintage, lightwoodgrain no ticking clock
- Light-blocking sleep mask: MZOO sleep eye mask
- Writing pen: Uni-Ball Signo 307
- Paper planner: Moleskin 12 Month Daily Planner, Large (5 x 8.25”)
- Milk frother and steamer: Miroco
- LED Desk Lamp with USB Charging Port, Different Color Temperatures or Moods, and Brightness Levels, Auto-Off Timer, and Multiple Angle Adjustments: TaoTronics Desk Lamp model TT-DL16
- Bluetooth wireless, mechanical keyboard: Keychron K2
- Ergonomic wireless mouse: Logitech MX Master 2S
- Advanced noise canceling earbuds: Jabra Elite 85t True Wireless Bluetooth
- Paper tablet: ReMarkable 2
- Ergonomic office chair: Steelcase Gesture
Read the transcript.
Music by:
- Sebastian Brian Mehr: Album – Olemus; Song – La Nieve (hearnow.com)
Check out the book: The Incrementalist, A Simple Productivity System to Create Big Results in Small Steps
Email: dyan@dyanwilliams.com
Visit website: www.dyanwilliams.com
Subscribe to productivity e-newsletter
Small wins make you more productive, creative, committed, collegial, and focused. When you track the progress you’ve made, no matter how small, you gain confidence that builds on the momentum. With an incremental approach, you take daily actions that move you in the right direction, instead of take big leaps that are more likely to steer you off course.
In episode 39 of The Incrementalist, you will learn:
1) Progress comes from positive inner work life, which includes your perceptions, emotions and motivation levels.
2) Favorable perceptions about your work and colleagues, positive emotions like joy and excitement, and higher intrinsic motivation lead to better performance.
3) The most critical factor in shaping your inner work life is your sense of making progress in meaningful things. This is known as the progress principle.
4) Defining specific targets and clear goals is a catalyst for progress.
5) As you set high and expansive goals, you need to also have milestones and mini-goals along the way to track your progress and to course-correct.
6) Focusing on your gains and progress is more effective than measuring how you fall short in comparison to external reference points.
7) Making mistakes and encountering obstacles are part of the learning process. By breaking big projects into smaller chunks, you give yourself more opportunities to make errors with lower stakes and fewer consequences.
Read the transcript.
Resources cited:
- Teresa Amabile & Steven Kramer, The Progress Principle
- Dyan Williams, The Incrementalist: A Simple Productivity System to Create Big Results in Small Steps
- Dyan Williams, The Incrementalist podcast, Ep. 36, How to Learn and Master Any Skill (part 1)
Music by:
- Sebastian Brian Mehr: Album – Olemus; Song – La Nieve (hearnow.com)
Check out the book: The Incrementalist, A Simple Productivity System to Create Big Results in Small Steps
Email: dyan@dyanwilliams.com
Visit website: www.dyanwilliams.com
Subscribe to productivity e-newsletter
We’ve all experienced loss in some shape or form. It could be the loss of a dream job, a friend moving away, a health crisis, or a change in lifestyle that you didn’t plan for.
The death of a loved one is a very painful experience. It’s hard to even say the word "death" in this context. The end of a life is so final, so permanent, and so irreversible. We call it a loss to soften the blow, to help ourselves or the other person feel better.
The pain of such a loss – when experienced fully instead of being buried with busyness and distractions – is life-changing. It causes you to reflect on your life, the relationships you have, and the contributions you make.
In episode 38 of The Incrementalist, you will learn:
1) To find meaning in loss, you have to feel the emotions and allow them to just wash over you.
2) It’s okay to be not as productive, not as focused, and to drop some obligations and commitments - at least for the time being.
3) Some of the things I'm doing (or not doing) during my own grieving process.
4) Scaling back to prioritize the essentials doesn’t mean you stop brainstorming ideas, making progress, producing things or sharing your creative output.
5) Sharing is a way to connect with others and to build human connections.
6) In the midst of deep despair, you can also have true joy. You oscillate between the two. A memory can trigger mixed emotions – it can bring a smile to your face, or cause tears to fall.
“Tears fall for a reason and they are your strength not weakness.“
7) Your friends are there for you even when you’re not at your best or living the best version of yourself.
8) Through mindful accommodation, you can use the pain of loss to live more fully.
Read the transcript.
Resource cited:
- Charlie Mackesy, The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse
Music by:
- Sebastian Brian Mehr: Album – Olemus; Song – La Nieve (hearnow.com)
Check out the book: The Incrementalist, A Simple Productivity System to Create Big Results in Small Steps
Email: dyan@dyanwilliams.com
Visit website: www.dyanwilliams.com
Subscribe to productivity e-newsletter
When you’re acquiring and developing a new skill, you need to learn how to learn. Learning is a meta-skill for life and for sustaining peak performance. This continuation of a two-parts episode builds on the foundation principles covered in Episode 36.
In episode 37 of The Incrementalist, you will learn:
7 more takeaways to learn and master any skill
- Keep a beginner's mind - be like the child learning to crawl who is not concerned about how she looks or about whether she’s succeeding or failing.
- Invest in loss - give yourself to the learning process and be willing to lose and fail so you can win and succeed.
- Make smaller circles - emphasize depth over breadth; focus on the micro to understand the macro.
- Use adversity - take advantage of setbacks to hone new skills and move out of creative ruts.
- Slow down time - connect the unconscious and the conscious mind through chunking (create neural pathways, chunks, and navigation systems between the chunks).
- Be fully present - pay attention to the learning process to increase clarity in high-stakes moments.
- Get in the zone - use the stress-recovery effect to achieve focus and flow states.
Read the transcript.
Resources cited:
- Josh Waitzkin, The Art of Learning: An Inner Journey to Optimal Performance
- Dyan Williams, The Incrementalist: A Simple Productivity System to Create Big Results in Small Steps
- Dyan Williams, The Incrementalist podcast, Ep. 5, Finding and Sustaining Flow
- Dyan Williams, The Incrementalist podcast, Ep. 17,Smart Note-Taking for Productive Work
Music by:
- Sebastian Brian Mehr: Album – Olemus; Song – La Nieve (hearnow.com)
Dyan Williams
Check out the book: The Incrementalist, A Simple Productivity System to Create Big Results in Small Steps
Visit website: www.dyanwilliams.com
Subscribe to productivity e-newsletter
When you’re learning and developing any skill, it’s better to have a growth mindset, than a fixed mindset. Talent and natural ability do matter. But your attitude towards failure and setbacks are more critical. There are two modes of learning theories: entity versus incremental theories of intelligence. Entity theorists think, "I am smart at this." Success or failure is based on an ingrained ability. Intelligence or skill is a fixed entity. Incremental theorists think, "I got it because I worked hard.” Success or failure depends on effort. Intelligence or skill can be developed.
In episode 36 of The Incrementalist, you will learn:
1) The two modes of learning theories
- Entity theorists have a fixed mindset
- Incremental theorists have a growth mindset
2) 4 key takeaways to learn and master any skill
- Decide whether you want to be decent, good, great or among the best - it's okay to aim for decent, but if you want to be among the best, the stakes and standards will be higher.
- Stay true to yourself and to your style - in the pursuit of high performance, you keep in tune with your unique disposition.
- Maintain soft zones to increase concentration and overcome distraction - be at peace with an imperfect environment, and use it to your advantage.
- Avoid the downward spiral - don't repeat the same mistakes, whether technical or psychological.
Read the transcript.
Resources cited:
- Josh Waitzkin, The Art of Learning: An Inner Journey to Optimal Performance
- Dyan Williams, The Incrementalist: A Simple Productivity System to Create Big Results in Small Steps
Music by:
- Sebastian Brian Mehr: Album – Olemus; Song – La Nieve (hearnow.com)
Dyan Williams
Check out the book: The Incrementalist, A Simple Productivity System to Create Big Results in Small Steps
Visit website: www.dyanwilliams.com
Subscribe to productivity e-newsletter
Making space between activities can be done solo, without allies. But industry norms and workplace culture might pull you back into chronic busyness. Norms are standards or principles of action that apply to a group. A culture is made up of norms. Effective leadership from the top reduces the burden on individuals who seek to have more margin in their day.
In episode 35 of The Incrementalist, you will learn:
1) Creating space solo, without allies, is doable. But it’s easier to sustain when you have support. Interactions with others and not just your own actions lead to positive change.
2) To shift mindset, you start with yourself. Cut down on unnecessary meetings, stop interrupting others, and keep your emails clear and brief. Avoid being redundant without being harsh and cold.
3) How to check and process emails
4) How to avoid overuse of digital devices, which lead to absent presence
5) The skill of saying no by sandwiching it between two yeses or using the hourglass method
6) When assigning tasks or delegating projects, spotlight what's most important. (The to-do list can be confusing and overwhelming.)
7) The 50/50 Rule: "Anything that bothers you at work is 50% your responsibility until you’ve asked for what you want.”
8) A four-step approach to express your truth with less stress: vent, empathize, prepare, share
9) The importance of selecting the right medium for the message you want to share
a) The two types of communication
- 2D communication involves simple issues, yes/no answers.
- 3D communication is more nuanced and complex. They benefit from verbal cues, tone of voice and eye contact.
b) The two types of mediums
- A 2D medium is static, like email, Slack, and instant messages.
- A 3D medium is live, like telephone, video and face to face meetings.
c) A 2D message is efficient in a 2D medium and wastes time in a 3D medium. A 3D message is effective in a 3D medium, and compromises richness in a 2D medium.
10) In meetings, the three key questions to ask yourself before you say something are: Is it kind? Is it honest? Is it necessary?
11) How to find out if you're in an SBH (Shouldn't Be Here) situation and negotiate your way out of it
12) Fix the road, not the car. Isolated Interventions are quick, short-sighted fixes to complicated issues.
13) As a change catalyst and leader, you speak the language of the person you seek to engage.
- Making judgments and using force and commands don’t sit well and is bound to spark underground sabotage and outright resistance.
- Knowing how to talk with Finance Folks, People People, and Idea Lovers is key
14) Making space is not just for the workplace, but also sparks high joy and deep joy at home.
- High joy is an experience that makes you gasp; it comes from surprise, risk and exertion.
- Deep joy is an experience that reaches down into your body and warms you; it comes from friendship, gratitude, giving, and peace.
Read the transcript.
Resources cited:
- Juliet Funt, A Minute to Think: Reclaim Creativity, Conquer Busyness, and Do Your Best Work
- Dyan Williams, The Incrementalist: A Simple Productivity System to Create Big Results in Small Steps
- Dyan Williams, The Incrementalist podcast, Ep. 34, Create Space to Think (part 1)
- Dyan Williams, The Incrementalist podcast, Ep. 16, Hack Back Email
Music by:
- Sebastian Brian Mehr: Album – Olemus; Song – La Nieve (hearnow.com)
Dyan Williams
Check out the book: The Incrementalist, A Simple Productivity System to Create Big Results in Small Steps
Visit website: www.dyanwilliams.com
Subscribe to productivity e-newsletter
To do creative, high-leverage work, you need to step back and look at the big picture. But when there are fires to put out, demands to meet, and crises to solve, it’s hard to stop and think about what’s really important.
When we zoom out though, we find that urgency doesn’t equal a true emergency. Many of the things we did should have waited until another day, or maybe another week. Some required more thought before action. And maybe the problem would have resolved itself.
We often confuse active busyness with true productivity, and favor the number of tasks over the value of tasks completed.
Take strategic pauses to avoid burning yourself out. A pause doesn’t have to be that long.
In episode 34 of The Incrementalist, you will learn:
1) There are four types of pauses
- Recuperative
- Reflective
- Constructive
- Reductive
2) White space is time without an assignment. It’s the free and open time on your calendar. Although it’s negative space, it still has a purpose and holds value.
3) A wedge is bits of time between activities: between one meeting and the next, a request and a response, feedback and reply, an impulse and action, an idea and a plan, work and life, and want and get. With a wedge in the middle, you’re not jumping immediately from one thing to the next.
4) Ten seconds is more than enough for a strategic pause
5) White space or a strategic pause is not the same as meditation, mind wandering or mindfulness
- Meditation is like keeping your dog on the leash, and when it tries to pull away, you gently say, heal.
- Mind wandering is like your dog slipping out of the leash when you’re distracted. By the time you look up, your dog has run all the way across the other side of the park.
- Mindfulness is like your dog feeling the grass under his feet, listening to the birds chirping, and smelling the hot pretzel cart. It’s the closest to white space, but it’s different.
6) Thieves of Time are overgrown assets that become risks
- Drive becomes overdrive
- Excellence becomes perfectionism
- Informed becomes information overload
- Activity becomes frenzy
7) Simplification questions to ask to disarm the thief
- Overdrive: is there anything I can let go of?
- Perfectionism: where is "good enough," good enough?
- Information overload: what do I truly need to know?
- Frenzy: What deserves my attention?
8) A task can be one of the following three:
- Not time sensitive - doesn’t deserve attention now
- Tactically and strategically time sensitive - speedy or immediate action is important for good results
- Emotionally time sensitive - desire or fear drives you do something or want to have something done even though there is no real urgency
9) Hallucinated Urgency is the Pavlovian pull to meet the expectation now. This builds the tendency to interrupt others to get our burning needs met while stealing time away from them. What goes around comes around. You get information overload and more interruptions when these become the norm.
10) How a strategic pause helps you to make a decision on what to do next
Resources cited:
- Juliet Funt, A Minute to Think: Reclaim Creativity, Conquer Busyness, and Do Your Best Work
- Dyan Williams, The Incrementalist: A Simple Productivity System to Create Big Results in Small Steps
- Dyan Williams, The Incrementalist podcast, Ep. 10, Rest Even When You're Busy
Music by:
- Sebastian Brian Mehr: Album – Olemus; Song – La Nieve (hearnow.com)
Dyan Williams
Check out the book: The Incrementalist, A Simple Productivity System to Create Big Results in Small Steps
Visit website: www.dyanwilliams.com
Subscribe to productivity e-newsletter
Industrialization created a clock time mentality. Time is now standardized, visible in the ticking minutes, and outside our existence. Time is a resource to make money, and a thing to be traded, maximized and optimized. So, you end up with busyness, overwhelm, and pressure. And you feel guilty when there’s margin.
This is where time management falls short. It doesn’t really answer the existential question of what really matters.
In episode 33 of The Incrementalist, you will learn:
1) How idleness aversion and the desire to be productive can interfere with the present moment and the practice of being
2) You do not really control or manage time. The more you try to do this, the more time controls or manages you. Time just is.
3) The best you can do is make time your ally. When time is on your side, you can fully attend to, actively engage in and fully experience the task at hand. Befriend time so it becomes your ally.
4) Why it helps to embrace your human limitations and close off other options and possible alternatives
5) Principle 1 of the Incrementalist approach is to choose your top priorities and watch out for middling priorities
6) Principle 2 of the Incrementalist approach is to break down projects into manageable tasks or chunks
7) You become calmer, less stressed and more satisfied when you work within your limits and ground your expectations and goals in reality
8) How the efficiency trap or busyness trap makes you work harder and drive yourself harder, but never gives you enough time
Read the transcript.
Resources cited:
- Oliver Burkeman, Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals
- Dyan Williams, The Incrementalist: A Simple Productivity System to Create Big Results in Small Steps
- Dyan Williams, Befriending Time: Breaking Free from Busyness or Stuckness, February 2011
Music by:
- Sebastian Brian Mehr: Album – Olemus; Song – La Nieve (hearnow.com)
Dyan Williams
Check out the book: The Incrementalist, A Simple Productivity System to Create Big Results in Small Steps
Visit website: www.dyanwilliams.com
Subscribe to productivity e-newsletter
We often get stressed and anxious when the thing we want done is not done. We want what we want now. We don’t like waiting. Patience is sometimes seen as an anti-skill that wastes time, or a sign of indecisiveness or lack of power and autonomy. But in today’s fast paced world where overwhelm is common and immediate gratification is expected, patience is a superpower.
In episode 32 of The Incrementalist, you will learn:
1) The more you exercise patience as a skill, the better you can focus, step up to challenges that require long-term commitment, and most important, slow down as needed.
2) Patience is an essential virtue for navigating uncertainty and embracing the unfinished. With the superpower of patience, we know when to keep going, when to pause, and when to quit.
3) There's no point in managing time enough to get everything done.
- You will not clear the decks no matter how diligent and deliberate you are.
- You have real limits that are not easily overcome with automation, delegation, prioritization and optimization.
Music by:
- Sebastian Brian Mehr: Album – Olemus; Song – La Nieve (hearnow.com)
Dyan Williams
Check out the book: The Incrementalist, A Simple Productivity System to Create Big Results in Small Steps
Visit website: www.dyanwilliams.com
Subscribe to productivity e-newsletter
If you want to get to the next level, you need willpower to make creative breakthroughs and steady progress. Don’t you? After all, willpower helps you to beat distractions and delay gratification to make wise choices. But willpower is limited. It gets depleted the more you use it and as the day goes on.
While you could do certain things to boost and improve willpower, you could also shape your environment so you don’t need it. Your situation and circumstances either encourage or discourage positive change.
In episode 31 of The Incrementalist show, you will learn:
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The stages of change
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precontemplation (you deny you have a problem)
- contemplation (you acknowledge there’s a problem and weigh the pros and cons of change)
- preparation (you commit to the change)
- action (you behave and act in new ways to effect change, which is shaped by internal factors like willpower and external factors like rewards and consequences)
- maintenance (you keep the good habits and drop the bad habits)
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relapse (you slip back into old behavior)
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Why willpower is not enough to overcome obstacles
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The problem with decision fatigue and how to reduce it
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Make a full, 100% commitment to make the change
- Get clear and specific on what you really want
- Define positive goals to approach instead of negative goals to avoid
- Have implementations intentions and an if-then strategy
- Choose the big three things you will do to support your priorities
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Perform a weekly review and planning session
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The benefits of imagining the future and future you when making decisions
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Your future self is how you want to be and show up 90 days, 1 year, and 3 years from now
- Practice strategic ignorance by blocking things that are not serving your highest goals or desired life
- Practice strategic remembering by adding reminders of your future self in your current environment
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Keep visual cues of your wins and progress
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The importance of making your commitments public and having support networks and accountability partners
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The Pygmalion Effect, which means you rise or fall to the demands of expectations and situations
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Your personal history and past affect you, but does not define you, your present, or your future
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Your emotions are a key source of information in designing your environment
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How Forcing Functions put you on the hook for things that matter and help you create desired outcomes
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Parkinson's law, i.e. work expands to fill the time allotted for it
-
The 80% approach, i.e. going for 80% gets results while striving for 100% is still thinking about it
-
Peak experiences allow you to stretch and grow beyond your limits
-
The integration of pure work and pure play is necessary for creative insights
-
Mental breakthroughs occur when you engage in deliberate rest, daydreaming and mind wandering, and quiet reflection
-
You usually need willpower to change your environment. But it’s really the environment that allows you to sustain the change.
Read the transcript.
Resources cited:
- Benjamin Hardy, Willpower Doesn't Work: Discover the Hidden Secrets of Success
- Dyan Williams, The Incrementalist: A Simple Productivity System to Create Big Results in Small Steps
- The Incrementalist, Ep. 8, How to Plan Your Ideal Week
- The Incrementalist, Ep. 10, Rest Even When You're Busy
- The Incrementalist, Ep. 20, Consistency and the Compound Effect
Music by:
- Sebastian Brian Mehr: Album – Olemus; Song – La Nieve (hearnow.com)
Dyan Williams
Check out the book: The Incrementalist, A Simple Productivity System to Create Big Results in Small Steps
Visit website: www.dyanwilliams.com
Subscribe to productivity e-newsletter
2020 was an especially challenging year. And this year continues to require some extra effort to start and finish things that matter. Even if you’ve built a business for yourself (like I did), you can still have creative exhaustion and feel trapped by your work.
Maintaining discipline is more critical than having motivation. Preserve your energy and leave some fuel in the tank. Steady, daily progress through discipline allows you to cultivate long-term motivation. When you have autonomy, discretion, rewards that you value, social support, fair policies, and meaningful work, you feel more engaged and less burnt out.
In episode 30 of The Incrementalist podcast, you will learn:
-
Small, key things to do when you're in a motivation rut and feeling depleted
-
Why maintaining discipline is more important than having motivation
-
The three key dimensions of the burnout-engagement continuum, as defined by Dr. Christina Maslach and Dr. Michael Lieter:
-
exhaustion-energy
- cynicism-involvement
-
inefficacy-efficacy
-
The six workplace factors that trigger burnout:
-
workplace overload
- lack of control over your work
- insufficient reward
- lack of community
- absence of fairness
-
conflicting values
-
External factors and rewards don't always match with internal drivers and intrinsic motivation
-
How a unique framework -- the Motivation Code (MCODE) -- helps you to understand what motivates you and why
-
The Motivation Code includes 27 motivational themes that are grouped into six motivational families:
Visionary
- Achieve Potential
- Make an Impact
- Experience the Ideal
Achiever
- Meet the Challenge
- Overcome
- Bring to Completion
- Advance
Team Player
- Collaborate
- Make the Grade
- Serve
- Influence Behavior
Learner
- Comprehend and Express
- Master
- Demonstrate New Learning
- Explore
Optimizer
- Organize
- Make it Right
- Improve
- Make it Work
- Develop
- Establish
Key Contributor
- Evoke Recognition
- Bring Control
- Be Unique
- Be Central
- Gain Ownership
-
Excel
-
What motivates you does not always include work that you love, but involves work that allows you to accomplish what really matters to you.
-
Use clean fuel to motivate your work and create possibilities, meaning and significance to feel alive and engaged, instead of depleted and drained.
Read the Transcript.
Resources cited:
- Christina Maslach & Michael P. Leiter, The Truth About Burnout: How Organizations Cause Personal Stress and What to Do About It
- Todd Henry with Rodd Penner, Todd W. Hall and Joshua Miller, The Motivation Code: Discover the Hidden Forces that Drive Your Best Work
- Dyan Williams, Attorney Burnout: The High Cost of Overwork
Music by:
- Sebastian Brian Mehr: Album – Olemus; Song – La Nieve (hearnow.com)
Dyan Williams
Check out the book: The Incrementalist, A Simple Productivity System to Create Big Results in Small Steps
Visit website: www.dyanwilliams.com
Subscribe to productivity e-newsletter
True productivity is not just about getting more stuff done effectively and efficiently. It also involves creating a meaningful and satisfying life. This doesn’t mean you always get what you want or that everything comes easy to you. Hardships can build appreciation for life itself.
Words like purpose and calling are nebulous. They are associated with living authentically, with integrity and in alignment with your core values and commitments.
Ikigai is a Japanese philosophy for discovering your purpose and building self-awareness. Your ikigai is something that gives you a sense of purpose. It sustains you and matches with your heartfelt desires and personal definition of success. It’s not always about goals or accomplishments.
There is no perfect English translation for ikigai. Roughly speaking, Iki is "life" and Gai is "value or worth." It is your reason for being, your reason for living. You can find your ikigai through natural evolution or active contemplation. It is can include divergent interests and doesn’t have to be one thing.
In episode 29 of The Incrementalist podcast, you will learn:
1) What ikigai means from a traditional perspective compared to the Westernized version
2) The limits and benefits of the Ikigai Venn Diagram, which includes four elements:
- What you love, e.g. your activities or interests that trigger flow
- What you're good, e.g. your skills, talents, expertise, knowledge
- What the world needs, e.g. what you can contribute to your community, your group, and your market in terms of skills, talent, expertise, knowledge
- What you can be paid for, e.g. earning real money to meet your needs and be financially sustainable
3) The Venn Diagram shows your ikigai as being at the center, where the four elements intersect:
- Passion is what you love and are good at
- Mission is what you love and what the world needs
- Profession is what you’re good at and what you can get paid for
- Vocation is what the world needs and what you can get paid for
4) Your ikigai may come from small, daily joys in life as well as from a role or activity that combines all four elements. A quick example:
- My long-time friend and piano teacher, Sebastian Brian Mehr, just released his debut album, Olemus.
- His ikigai is in composing and making original music. It’s what he loves, what he’s good at, and what his audience needs.
- If he can make a sustainable income through this path, all four elements will intersect.
- It’s ideal to have them all, but you can usually find purpose with one or all of the first three.
5) Your ikigai may come from different sources, such as pure enjoyment of an activity, regardless of whether you’re good at it, you get paid for it, or the world needs it.
6) Your ikigai doesn’t have to be what you love. It’s a reason to live, which can come from hard things, like being a parent to a child or a caregiver of a disabled, aging parent. These roles and responsibilities bring meaning, but are not always fun.
7) The source of your ikigai may come from difficulties, obstacles, struggles and tragedies. It might even arise from daily chores or mindful rituals.
8) 10 ways to keep finding and experiencing your ikigai:
- Start small
- Let go and release what you don't want
- Aim for harmony and sustainability
- Be present with what is
- Take time to interact with nature
- Keep a healthy diet
- Stay active
- Give thanks for the small victories and gifts you have
- Sleep well for rest, recovery and rejuvenation
- Cultivate a sense of wonder and curiosity
9) Your ikigai can evolve and change over time, depending on the context, circumstances, and season of life.
Read the Transcript.
Resources cited:
- Héctor García & Francesc Miralles, Ikigai: The Japanese Secret to a Long and Happy Life
- Yukari Mitsuhashi, Ikigai: The Japanese Art of a Meaningful Life
- The Incrementalist podcast, Ep. 15, Evening Routines and Rituals to End Your Day
- The Incrementalist, Ep. 26, Get Stressed the Right Way
Music by:
- Sebastian Brian Mehr: Album – Olemus; Song – La Nieve (hearnow.com)
Dyan Williams
Check out the book: The Incrementalist, A Simple Productivity System to Create Big Results in Small Steps
Visit website: www.dyanwilliams.com
Subscribe to productivity e-newsletter
To gain traction and execute better on your goals, start with a 12-week action plan instead of a longer term, annual plan. Rather than wait an entire year to track progress and measure results, you do a formal review every 12 weeks. And in the 13th week, you make a plan for the next 12 weeks.
As part of your routine, you score the week, plan the week, and participate in weekly accountability meetings (WAM). Stay accountable by owning your thinking, choices and actions. Keep your commitments by uncovering hidden intentions, internal contradictions and big assumptions that undermine your desired behavior.
In episode 28 of The Incrementalist podcast, you will learn:
-
The benefits of making a 12-week action plan for the 12-week year
-
The weekly routine involves scoring the week, planning the week and having accountability meetings
-
The difference between measuring lead versus lag indicators
- Why you will benefit from a daily review and weekly review to track your actions and progress
-
How a support group can help you when you're struggling with accountability
-
Accountability is not about negative, external consequences or punishment for bad performance or rewards for good performance. It’s about ownership.
-
Commitment means you keep your promises to yourself and to others. It is part of being accountable.
-
Commitment involves:
-
Having a clear, compelling vision of what you want to create in life, which gives rise to intentional imbalance
- Defining specific key actions to reach big goals
-
Counting the costs, including what you will need to give up and the obstacles you will face
-
The Immunity to Change model and how it affects your capacity to change
-
Competing commitments are for self-protection and self-preservation, but they often get in the way of your accomplishing improvement goals and making necessary change
- The importance of hitting resistance straight on
-
Why you need to uncover hidden intentions, internal contradictions and big assumptions to execute key actions
-
Lack of execution - not lack of knowledge, insight, ideas or network - is what most prevents you from aligning with your vision and implementing your desired actions
Resources cited:
- Brian Moran & Michael Lennington, The 12 Week Year: Get More Done in 12 Weeks than Others Do in 12 Months
- Robert Kegan & Lisa Laskow Lahey, Immunity to Change: How to Overcome It and Unlock the Potential in Yourself and Your Organization
- Dyan Williams, The Incrementalist: A Simple Productivity System to Create Big Results in Small Steps
- The Incrementalist podcast, Ep. 27, How to Accomplish More in 12 Weeks Than in 12 Months
Music by:
- Sebastian Brian Mehr
Dyan Williams
Check out the book: The Incrementalist, A Simple Productivity System to Create Big Results in Small Steps
Visit website: www.dyanwilliams.com
Subscribe to productivity e-newsletter
If you’re resisting what you need to accomplish, you might have given yourself too much time to execute your plans. New Year’s Resolutions and annual goals rarely get you to where you need to be and create the life you want.
Move out of annual thinking and adopt the 12 Week Year. With this planning technique, a year is no longer 12 months; it's 12 weeks. 1 year = 12 weeks, 1 month = 1 week, and 1 week = 1 day. You are no longer focusing on distant annual goals broken into 4 periods or quarters.
In episode 27 of The Incrementalist podcast, you will learn:
1) The advantages of a 12-week planning system to set and implement big goals
2) How your thinking affects the results
3) The key ingredients of a weekly plan and ways to make it work for you
4) The steps to creating and recreating a 12-week action plan
5) How shorter time frames prompt you to take action and avoid procrastination
6) The importance of having a clear vision and defining specific tactics to get you where you want to be
7) Time blocking helps you control your day and carve out time to execute your plan
Resources cited:
- Brian Moran & Michael Lennington, The 12 Week Year: Get More Done in 12 Weeks than Others Do in 12 Months
- Dyan Williams, The Incrementalist: A Simple Productivity System to Create Big Results in Small Steps
- The Incrementalist podcast, Ep. 6, Stop Procrastinating and Just Start
- The Incrementalist podcast, Ep. 8, How to Plan Your Ideal Week
Music by:
- Sebastian Brian Mehr
Dyan Williams
Check out the book: The Incrementalist, A Simple Productivity System to Create Big Results in Small Steps
Visit website: www.dyanwilliams.com
Subscribe to productivity e-newsletter
Stress is not always bad. It comes with having big goals and pushing beyond your comfort zone. Going off to college, starting a new job, traveling to a foreign country, or launching a business trigger stress. And they also bring feelings of excitement, confidence and achievement.
Stress is positive when it stimulates growth, adaptation and expansion. It’s the chronic, persistent, negative stress that you need to watch out for.
Stress can be good and productive or it can be toxic and destructive. That’s why it’s important to get stressed the right way.
Stress is a stimulus that challenges your body and mind to adapt, moves you out of homeostasis, and shift you away from your baseline.
Too much stress and not enough rest lead to injury, illness and burnout. Too little stress and too much rest result in complacency, stagnation and dissatisfaction.
In episode 26 of The Incrementalist podcast, you will learn:
1) A simple growth equation: Stress + Rest = Growth
- how to alternate between stress and rest
- how to get the right dose of stress
2) Why you need to set a just manageable challenge for your current abilities and skills
- Ideal challenge-skills ratio is -
- 7 out of 10, where you succeed most of the time, but need to pay attention to the challenge
- 4%, where the challenge level is 4% greater than your present skill level
3) What happens to your state of flow when the challenge is too high or too low
4) The difference between the anabolic state and the exhaustion state and how stress affects each
5) Why you need to know your limits and be realistic when setting a challenge
6) The significance of the ultradian rhythm (work-rest cycle in a 24-hour day)
- How to use it to your benefit when switching between cycles of work and cycles of rest
- 90 minutes of deep work followed by 20 minutes of deep rest generally synchs with the ultradian rhythm
- Why some breaks (e.g. taking a nap or a walk) are better than others (e.g. scrolling social media)
7) The optimal work-rest split depends on your own focus muscle, energy level, the type of task, the time of day, your work schedule and other factors
8) Vacations and extended breaks are critical, and must be accompanied by regular breaks between work sessions each day
9) Whether you view stress as a challenge or as a threat affects your response
- challenge response triggers DHEA, which boosts testosterone levels and lowers anxiety, worry and neuro degeneration
- threat response increases cortisol and inflammatory proteins, which cause inflammation, contribute to depression and impair the immune system.
10) Two ways to prime yourself for peak performance
- Customize routines and rituals, which condition your mind and body for focused work
- Block distractions and interruptions, which stop adaptation to stress
11) The 5 Principles in the Incrementalist approach to make big changes without going too far outside your comfort zone
Resources cited:
- Brad Stulberg & Steve Magness, Peak Performance: Elevate Your Game, Avoid Burnout, and Thrive with the New Science of Success
- Dyan Williams, The Incrementalist: A Simple Productivity System to Create Big Results in Small Steps
- The Incrementalist podcast, Ep. 5,Finding and Sustaining Flow
Music by:
- Sebastian Brian Mehr
Dyan Williams
Check out the book: The Incrementalist, A Simple Productivity System to Create Big Results in Small Steps
Visit website: www.dyanwilliams.com
Subscribe to productivity e-newsletter
When you’re making a decision on tough problems, you are always missing key information. Every decision is biased because it’s based on limited beliefs, assumptions and data points. You can never be sure of the outcome.
A bet is a decision about an uncertain future. And decisions are bets in uncertain environments.
As you seek to learn more, you start to peel back the layers. You become more skilled at finding different pathways and generating creative solutions to complex problems. When a problem cannot be solved with a simple technique or known procedure, being certain will block out conflicting and vital information. The more certain you are, the more-close minded you become.
Being uncertain can be a key to success because it opens you up to new ideas, insights and information to create the best possible future. Thinking in bets improves your decision-making. You can embrace the power of saying “I am not sure” or “I don’t know.”
In episode 25 of The Incrementalist podcast, you will learn:
- Life is like poker and decisions are bets in uncertain environments
- Why uncertainty has benefits and how to embrace it
- Some questions to ask when thinking in bets
- The reasons you need to separate the outcome quality from the decision quality. (Hint: A good outcome can follow a bad decision and a bad outcome can result from a good decision.)
- The role of cognitive dissonance and motivated reasoning in decision-making
- The advantages of getting out of your echo chambers and considering alternative viewpoints
- Dr. Robert K. Merton’s ethos of science, or CUDOS approach, for group decision-making and dissenting to win
- The 10-10-10 approach for your present self to make decisions for your future self
- Why you need to break big stuff into small action steps to minimize high-pressure, high-stakes decision-making
Resources cited:
- Annie Duke, Thinking in Bets: Making Smarter Decisions When You Don't Have All the Facts
- Dyan Williams, The Incrementalist: A Simple Productivity System to Create Big Results in Small Steps
- Dyan Williams, How to Think Clearly and Make Better Decisions: Get Out of Echo Chambers
Music by:
- Sebastian Brian Mehr
Dyan Williams
Check out the book: The Incrementalist, A Simple Productivity System to Create Big Results in Small Steps
Visit website: www.dyanwilliams.com
Subscribe to productivity e-newsletter
If you want to have a happier, more satisfying life, it’s better to value time over money. It doesn’t matter whether you’re financially secure or financially struggling. Even when you control for income level, the more time affluence you have, the happier you are.
Time affluence is feeling that you have enough time to pursue meaningful activities and enjoy leisure. You can exercise, move, relax, travel, volunteer, or engage in social relationships more.
Time poverty is feeling rushed, overwhelmed, stressed and overworked. It’s having too many things to do and not enough time to do them. You can be time poor even if you have loads of money.
In episode 24 of The Incrementalist podcast, you will learn:
1) How to create time affluence by avoiding time traps and staying out of time poverty
2) Why it helps to prioritize time over money
- The benefits of having a time-focused mindset
- The difference between a Taylor (who values time more than money) and a Morgan (who values money more than time)
3) How to find time by -
- Time Auditing and Time Tracking
- Doing pro time intervention
- Setting an Implementation Intention
- Having a must-win activity
- Reversing idleness aversion
- Saying no more often
4) How to fund time by -
- Outsourcing disliked chores and tasks
- Investing in time-saving products and tools
5) How to reframe time by -
- Tying tedious tasks to broader goals
- Pairing hard tasks with fun activities
6) The importance of having a long view, planning your leisure time and taking deliberate rest
Resources cited:
- Ashley Whillans, Time Smart: How to Reclaim Your Time and Live a Happier Life
- Dyan Williams, The Incrementalist: A Simple Productivity System to Create Big Results in Small Steps
- The Incrementalist podcast, Ep. 10, Rest Even When You're Busy
Music by:
- Sebastian Brian Mehr
Dyan Williams
Check out the book: The Incrementalist, A Simple Productivity System to Create Big Results in Small Steps
Visit website: www.dyanwilliams.com
Subscribe to productivity e-newsletter
We often believe we need credentials to do useful or valuable work. Whether it’s having a college degree, a training certificate, or a professional license, credentials help us seem less like an imposter. But we’re all imposters on some level when we work on hard problems with no easy answers.
You might ask yourself: Why did I get picked? Why am I being charged to solve this issue? Why am I stepping up and choosing to lead or choosing to follow?
Don’t wait for reassurance or validation. Instead, hone the ability to trust yourself. You will never get enough assurance of a favorable outcome. You will never get enough approval for what you did. If you’re creating useful work, there’s no way to please everyone. Worrying about what others think is a quest for guarantees, but there are no guarantees when it comes to creative work.
Do, ship and repeat if you want to make things better with creative work. You don’t always need credentials to start.
In episode 23 of The Incrementalist podcast, you will learn:
1) What creative work is
2) You have a choice to be creative or to become a hack, a hustler, or a cog
3) The power of showing up, even when you don't feel like it or when you have Imposter Syndrome
4) Creativity is not a talent or a gift, but is a deliberate practice that allows you build the skills to be creative
5) Why focusing on the process is more important than striving for a favorable outcome
6) Why you need to set a schedule and time block when you will take your action steps
7) Why you must set constraints and upper limits to generate better ideas and execute more quickly
8) How perfectionism holds you back and why you need to ship your work when it's good enough for the intended audience
The Incrementalist ebook is on sale for $4.99, until June 20. After that, the regular minimum price of $9.99 will apply. You can find it at leanpub.com/incrementalist.
Resources cited:
- Seth Godin, The Practice: Shipping Creative Work
- Dyan Williams, The Incrementalist: A Simple Productivity System to Create Big Results in Small Steps
- The Incrementalist podcast, Ep. 21, Find and Keep a Hobby You Love
- The Incrementalist podcast, Ep. 7, Time Blocking and Time Boxing to Get the Right Things Done
Music by:
- Sebastian Brian Mehr
Dyan Williams
Check out the book: The Incrementalist, A Simple Productivity System to Create Big Results in Small Steps
Visit website: www.dyanwilliams.com
Subscribe to productivity e-newsletter
We tend to think that important and valuable work has to be hard. This could be writing a book, leading a team, designing a new product, running a business, or preparing a presentation. But too much effort is counterproductive when it leads to chronic stress, health problems, sleep issues, and burnout.
You first need to decide where to focus your energy. Once you determine the essentials, how do you make them as easy as possible to do?
Work can be effortless if you break it down into small, easy to manage chunks. It can also feel effortless if you pair it with a fun activity.
In episode 22 of The Incrementalist podcast, you will learn three big ideas for Effortless Productivity:
1) How to move into an Effortless State (i.e., think the most essential things can be the easiest to do).
- Invert
- Enjoy
- Release
- Rest
- Notice
2) How to take Effortless Action (i.e., do find the easier path)
- Define
- Start
- Simplify
- Progress
- Pace
3) How to get Effortless Results (i.e., get the right results without burning out)
- Learn
- Lift
- Automate
- Trust
- Prevent
4) What happens next matters most. Whatever happened in the past pales in comparison to the power you have to choose what to do now. Instead of working harder and harder, and exhausting and burning yourself out, you can choose a more effortless path.
5) The Incrementalist ebook is on sale for $4.99, until June 20. After that, the regular minimum price of $9.99 will apply. You can find it at leanpub.com/incrementalist.
Resources cited:
- Greg McKeown, Effortless: Make It Easier to Do What Matters Most
- Dyan Williams, The Incrementalist: A Simple Productivity System to Create Big Results in Small Steps
- The Incrementalist podcast, Ep. 21, Find and Keep a Hobby You Love
Music by:
- Sebastian Brian Mehr
Dyan Williams
Check out the book: The Incrementalist, A Simple Productivity System to Create Big Results in Small Steps
Visit website: www.dyanwilliams.com
Subscribe to productivity e-newsletter
A hobby is an activity you enjoy doing with little or no focus on the long game or the end results. You do it for fun or leisure in your free time.
Your work or your business can be your passion. But even if you enjoy them, they are not your hobby. They come with risks and consequences that can affect your income, your reputation, and your status.
A hobby and a passion can be related, but there are subtle differences between the two. A passion is a strong feeling for something you would love to do repeatedly and regularly. It could be your vocation or calling that transcends your profession or career. It is sometimes connected to your work, life goals or big dreams.
With a hobby, it’s easier to take it or leave it, depending on what’s going on in your life. When you already have a full schedule with many obligations and demands to meet, why would you add a hobby to it? If a hobby is something you can live without, why even bother having one?
In episode 21 of The Incrementalist podcast, you will learn:
1) A hobby and a passion might be connected, but are not the same
- The difference between pursuing your passion like a profession or like a hobby
- The difference between a secondary, casual hobby and a primary, serious hobby
2) Why maintaining a hobby that delights you is a double-win practice for life and work
3) Hobbies fall into different categories, including -
- exercise or movement
- outdoor recreation and activity
- entertainment and information consumption
- collecting things
- creative endeavors
4) The multiple reasons to find and keep a hobby you love -
- develops the meta skill of learning
- enhances your creativity
- boosts your confidence in all areas of life
- increases patience and perseverance
- builds resilience and willpower
- breaks monotony and gets you out of a rut
- recharges your energy and refreshes you physically, mentally and emotionally
- centers and grounds you
- builds connections and social bonds
- makes you and your life more interesting
- lets you have more fun in your life
5) How to rediscover or discover a hobby you love
6) Unnecessary creating is part of making big changes in small steps. In celebration of the 20th episode of The Incrementalist podcast, the accompanying ebook is now on sale for $4.99 (up to June 20). Check it out at leanpub.com/incrementalist.
Resources cited:
- Michael Hyatt & Megan Hyatt Miller, Win at Work and Succeed at Life: 5 Principles to Free Yourself from the Cult of Overwork
- Dyan Williams, The Incrementalist: A Simple Productivity System to Create Big Results in Small Steps
- The Incrementalist podcast, Ep. 19, Create Peak Moments for a Meaningful Life
Music by:
- Sebastian Brian Mehr
Dyan Williams
Check out the book: The Incrementalist, A Simple Productivity System to Create Big Results in Small Steps
Visit website: www.dyanwilliams.com
Subscribe to productivity e-newsletter
When I launched The Incrementalist podcast, I committed to making at least 10 episodes before I would allow myself to quit. No matter how I felt – excited or not, I would record and publish a minimum of 10 episodes. I have since doubled that metric.
Intensity of effort matters, especially in the beginning of a project. But it comes in short bursts. It is fueled by excitement and passion. You ride the waves, but you don’t control them.
You use intensity as allowed. You go faster, pick up the pace, when you can afford to, when you have high energy and strong willpower. But you can start to get overwhelmed, stressed and deflated as you power though.
While intensity ebbs and flows, consistency is steadier and more sustainable. Even when you feel unmotivated, you can keep taking daily actions to get to where you need to be. You stack up good habits and routines and take small steps to start the project or finish it.
Daily decisions, choices and actions shape the trajectory of your life. They either lead you down a path of desire or a path of disaster. The Compound Effect formula is: small smart choices + consistency + time = radical difference
With compounding, you reap huge rewards from a series of small, smart choices. Sometimes there are no obvious wins, and just subtle shifts. Over time they add up to massive results.
In episode 20 of The Incrementalist podcast, you will learn:
1) How the compound effect works -
- The Magic Pennies
- 3 friends in a boat
2) Daily discipline is necessary to trigger the compound effect
3) Tracking your actions is critical to making choices and building habits
- Track your behaviors to observe how you got where you are
- Visualize or picture where you want to be
- Track your lead metrics (inputs, actions, and things you control or influence)
- Track your choices (cues and times of day that trigger certain behaviors
- Stay consistent in your actions
4) Behaviors get compounded and shape your life through this formula:
- YOU and YOUR CHOICE + BEHAVIOR + HABIT + COMPOUNDED = GOALS
5) The power of momentum (the Big Mo)
- Old habits are like inertia, the pull of gravity. Once you start and gain momentum, you make faster progress
- In a rocket launch, most of the fuel is consumed in the first few minutes of acceleration. The rocket needs tons of energy to move out of the gravitational pull and into orbit. After that, it takes less fuel to keep going.
6) Book ending your day with evening rituals and morning rituals develops daily discipline
7) Taking 100% responsibility for your choices and actions empowers you to co-create with any given situation
8) The Next Five Years question to help you determine what to stop doing and start doing
9) In celebration of the 20th episode of The Incrementalist podcast, the accompanying ebook is now on sale for $4.99 (up to June 20). Check it out at leanpub.com/incrementalist.
Resources cited:
- Darren Hardy, The Compound Effect: Jumpstart Your Income, Your Life, Your Success
- Dyan Williams, The Incrementalist: A Simple Productivity System to Create Big Results in Small Steps
- The Incrementalist podcast, Ep. 14, Morning Routines and Rituals to Start Your Day
- The Incrementalist podcast, Ep. 15, Evening Routines and Rituals to End Your Day
- The Incrementalist podcast, Ep. 2, Building Good Habits
- The Incrementalist podcast, Ep. 3, Breaking Bad Habits
Music by:
- Sebastian Brian Mehr
Dyan Williams
Check out the book: The Incrementalist, A Simple Productivity System to Create Big Results in Small Steps
Visit website: www.dyanwilliams.com
Subscribe to productivity e-newsletter
A defining moment is a short experience that is both memorable and meaningful. It could be a month or a few seconds. These moments often relate to a new job, a new relationship, a relocation, or a vacation.
In episode 19 of The Incrementalist podcast, you will learn:
1) The four elements of peak moments
- Elevation - moments of elevation rise above the everyday, above the routine
- Insight - moments of insight bring realization and transformation
- Pride - moments of pride capture us at our best
- Connection - moments of connection are shared with others
2) The acronym EPIC will help you remember the elements, but peak moments don't have to be epic. They can be small but deeply personal, or painful, yet transformational.
3) The benefits of peak moments
- Make your life more memorable and meaningful
- Enhance your leadership, teaching and communication skills
- Create a better experience for customers, clients, patients, students, employees and others
- Improve your relationships and deepen connections
4) The effects of Duration Neglect and the Peak-End Rule - why we forget the duration of an event or experience and remember fragments of it (peaks, pits, beginnings and endings or transitions)
5) The four types of defining moments
- Transitions, which are to be marked. Example - reverse wedding (ritual of transition to remove wedding ring following death of spouse)
- Peaks, which are to be remembered
- Pits, which are to be filled
- Milestones, which are to be commemorated. Example - GE's Adventure Series at children's hospitals (industrial designer and his team shift their focus from the MRI machine to the experience of children getting an MRI done)
6) How to create peak moments
- Moments of Elevation - boost the sensory appeal; raise the stakes; break the script
- Moments of Insight - trip over the truth; stretch for insight
- Moments of Pride - give specific, sincere recognition; multiply milestones; preload your response in advance
- Moments of Connection - shared laughter; shared purpose and mission; shared struggles and challenges
Resources cited:
- Chip Heath & Dan Heath, The Power of Moments: Why Certain Experiences Have Extraordinary Impact
Music by:
- Sebastian Brian Mehr
Dyan Williams
Check out the book: The Incrementalist, A Simple Productivity System to Create Big Results in Small Steps
Visit website: www.dyanwilliams.com
Subscribe to productivity e-newsletter
Making time for what matters is hard when you're on the Busyness Wagon and stuck in the Infinity Pool.
The Busyness Bandwagon is the culture of constant busyness. In the high tech, modern world, busyness is a status symbol – the busier you are, the more in demand you are, and the more successful you become. That’s the common belief.
Infinity Pools are apps, services and products that have infinite content and are always on. There’s social media like Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter; video streaming like YouTube, Netflix and Amazon Prime, and web browsers like Safari, Google Chrome, and Bing, which give you 24/7 access to information around the world. You can dip back into Infinity Pools at any time to find fresh content. There’s always more water in the pool.
In episode 18 of The Incrementalist podcast, you will learn:
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Why it's important to get off the Busyness Bandwagon and avoid Infinity Pools
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Four steps to repeat daily to make time for what matters -
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Highlight - choose your highlight of the day (i.e. identify the one big thing to do today, which ideally will take 60 to 90 minutes)
- Laser - beat distractions like social media, email and news feeds (i.e. find laser mode to focus on the big thing)
- Energize - build energy in your body and brain (i.e. have the energy to do the big thing)
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Reflect - decide which tactics you want to keep, drop or tweak (i.e. determine what worked and what didn't work in making time for the big thing)
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Three strategies to choose your highlight -
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Urgency - what’s the most pressing thing I have to do today?
- Satisfaction - which highlight will bring me the most satisfaction?
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Joy - when I reflect on today, what will bring me the most joy?
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Tactics to build laser focus, recharge your body and brain, and reflect on your day to decide on what to do tomorrow
Resources cited:
- Jake Knapp & John Zeratsky, Make Time: How to Focus on What Matters Every Day
- The Incrementalist podcast, Ep. 16,Hack Back Email
Download Transcript
Music by:
- Sebastian Brian Mehr
Dyan Williams
Check out the book: The Incrementalist, A Simple Productivity System to Create Big Results in Small Steps
Visit website: www.dyanwilliams.com
Subscribe to productivity e-newsletter
The main goal of smart note-taking is not to stay informed. It’s to increase understanding and build your knowledge base, which you can apply to your creative projects and productive work.
You learn best when you connect ideas and evaluate the information. Does this confirm, contradict, or add to your existing knowledge? Have you mastered the subject enough to explain it or teach it to others through a presentation, an article, or a paper? How will your knowledge hold up in a test or in a real-world situation?
In episode 17 of The Incrementalist podcast, you will learn:
1) The difference between being familiar with a subject and actually knowing it
2) Why writing is a core part of the thinking process, i.e. the medium in which you think and not the outcome of your thinking
3) The Zettelkasten slip box method for smart note-taking, which was invented by Niklas Lumaan -- a German sociologist who published at least 58 books and nearly 400 scholarly articles on various topics
4) The three types of notes to make -
- Fleeting notes, e.g. highlighting and underlining text; jotting down quick notes
- Literature notes, e.g. writing notes in your own words for future projects
- Permanent notes, e.g. storing notes in the Zettlekasten for long-term knowledge
5) The "reference slip box" is for source citations and brief notes while the "main slip box" is for permanent notes
6) The profound benefits of having an external system for note-taking and managing knowledge
- you have a standardized, process-oriented method for organizing ideas and retrieving them
- you create bottom-up work so you're not starting from scratch or with a blank slate
- you avoid the linear path to writing and instead pull from existing notes and ideas
- you learn more and apply more from your reading
- you become a more critical and original thinker
Resources cited:
- Sönke Ahrens, How to Take Smart Notes: One Simple Technique to Boost Writing Learning and Thinking - for Students, Academics and Nonfiction Book Writers
Music by:
- Sebastian Brian Mehr
Dyan Williams
Check out the book: The Incrementalist, A Simple Productivity System to Create Big Results in Small Steps
Visit website: www.dyanwilliams.com
Subscribe to productivity e-newsletter
When you’re being responsive and responsible, you can easily slip into reactive mode. You end up neglecting important work that is less urgent but brings more long-term value.
With the rise in social media, texting, and messaging platforms like Slack, some might say email is dead. But email continues to be alive and well.
In episode 16 of The Incrementalist podcast, you will learn:
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Internal triggers (e.g. boredom, anxiety, frustration) and external triggers (e.g. pings and dings) lead to distraction
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The critical question to ask in deciding whether an external trigger is helpful or not
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The opposite of distraction is traction
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Time spent on email = the number of messages received multiplied by the average time spent per message. T = n x t
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Seven tips to hack back email -
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Stop the influx at its source.
- Process your email, instead of just check, scan or read your email.
- Block time for batch processing your email.
- Close out or shut down email when you’re doing focused work. And switch off auto-alerts.
- Take email off your phone or handheld device.
- Use proper email etiquette.
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Improve your workflow to reduce back and forth communication.
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A dysfunctional workplace – where you are always connected - is the real culprit. Tech overuse creates a vicious cycle of responsiveness, where you have less control over your time, think you need to be always available to get ahead, and set expectations to be always on. At indistractable organizations, leaders set examples for doing focused work and acknowledge the problems of 24/7 access.
Resources cited:
- Nir Eyal, Indistractable: How to Control Your Attention and Choose Your Life
- The Incrementalist podcast, Ep. 2, Building Good Habits
- The Incrementalist podcast, Ep. 3, Breaking Bad Habits
Music by:
- Sebastian Brian Mehr
Dyan Williams
Check out the book: The Incrementalist, A Simple Productivity System to Create Big Results in Small Steps
Visit website: www.dyanwilliams.com
Subscribe to productivity e-newsletter
Your shut-down sequence - before bedtime - creates the environment for you to rest, relax and sleep. Without a full rejuvenation overnight, it’s harder to take charge of your day.
In episode 15 of The Incrementalist podcast, you will learn:
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The importance of both productive tasks and restorative tasks in your evening routine. You need to review your day and plan for the next as well as relax and rest completely. If you wind down enough before your bedtime, you will have space for an effective evening routine.
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The value of sleep and how the sleep cycle works -
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Stage 1 - alpha state
- Stage 2 - theta state
- Stages 3 and 4 - delta state
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REM sleep
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Ways to create a sleep sanctuary to improve sleep quality and duration
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Key things to avoid in your evening routine -
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Screens (e.g. TV, computer, laptop, tablet, phone) in the 30 to 90-minute period before bedtime
- Dinner in the 2 to 3-hour period before bedtime
- Vigorous exercise and full workout in the 4 to 6-hour period before bedtime
- Caffeine intake after 2 to 3 p.m. or in the 5 to 8-hour period before bedtime
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Alcohol consumption in the 3-hour period before bedtime
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Key things to include in your evening routine -
Productive tasks -
- Review your day and preview the next day
- Do prep work, e.g. pick out clothes and clean up your work space and living space
- Learn new information or practice a hobby
Restorative tasks -
- Journal
- Read fiction or other nonwork-related book
- Enjoy a teatime ritual with noncaffeinated herbal tea (e.g. camomile or Valerian root) about an hour before you go to bed
- Do gentle movement or exercise
- Practice relaxing breathwork
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Pray or meditate or listen to mellow music
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The advantage of a maintaining a consistent bedtime, synching with your circadian rhythm, and building good sleep habits
Resources cited:
- Shawn Stevenson, Sleep Smarter
- The Incrementalist podcast, Ep. 8, How to Plan Your Ideal Week
- The Incrementalist podcast, Ep. 14, Morning Routines and Rituals to Start Your Day
Music by:
- Sebastian Brian Mehr
Dyan Williams
Check out the book: The Incrementalist, A Simple Productivity System to Create Big Results in Small Steps
Visit website: www.dyanwilliams.com
Subscribe to productivity e-newsletter
Your start-up sequence - after you wake up - affects your mood and sets the tone for your day. While you can make shifts and practice good habits later in the day, it's better to get quick wins with your morning routine.
In episode 14 of The Incrementalist podcast, you will learn:
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A routine doesn’t have to be rigid. You could have different themes depending on your energy level, the focus of your day, the season of your life, or the season of the year.
-
A routine may include fixed tasks or variable tasks. A fixed task is what you do every morning; maybe it's drinking water or tea, or taking a walk. A variable task is what you can move or drop depending on the situation; maybe it's eating breakfast or going to the gym. You decide what’s negotiable and what’s not.
-
The difference between a routine and a ritual. A routine is a sequence of behaviors and habits that you do in a certain order. They are things you do automatically and repeatedly without conscious thought. A ritual requires focus and attention to the present moment. Rituals are meaningful activities you do deliberately.
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Key things to include in your morning routine -
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Movement
- Sunlight
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Quick wins, e.g. make your bed, drink water
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Key things to avoid in your morning routine -
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Online activity, e.g. social media, news, emails
- The snooze button or multiple alarms
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Sugary foods
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Hal Elrod's 6 steps to create a morning routine and save you from a life of unfulfilled potential. They are Life S.A.V.E.R.S
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Silence
- Affirmation
- Visualization
- Exercise
- Reading
- Scribing
Resources cited:
- Hal Elrod, The Miracle Morning
- The Incrementalist podcast, Ep. 2, Building Good Habits
- The Incrementalist podcast, Ep. 3, Breaking Bad Habits
Music by:
- Sebastian Brian Mehr
Dyan Williams
Check out the book: The Incrementalist, A Simple Productivity System to Create Big Results in Small Steps
Visit website: www.dyanwilliams.com
Subscribe to productivity e-newsletter
If you find yourself rushing through tasks, worrying about things you’re not doing, or having items linger for weeks or months, you might think that to-do lists don’t work. Your to-do list didn’t appear by itself. You made it. So maybe the answer is not to stop making to-do lists. Instead, you need to be more intentional and organize it around your real priority or priorities.
In episode 13 of The Incrementalist podcast, you will learn 5 reasons why to-do lists might not work and what you can do to make them work better.
Reason #1: You’re using too many mediums or the wrong medium.
Solution: Choose one medium that’s right for you or use the lowest number of organizational task management systems that help you do the things you need to get done.
Reason #2: You have too many things on your to-do list.
Solution: Keep it short and simple. Less is more. Use your weekly planning session to set your daily to-dos.
Reason #3: Your to-do list doesn’t prioritize what really matters.
Solution: Be more selective and intentional when you make your to-do list.If you’re not eager to do a task, ask yourself whether it’s vital for you to personally complete. If it is, stop procrastinating and take action. If it’s not, dump it from your list, delegate the task, or move it to your someday/maybe list.
Reason #4: You define your items too broadly.
Solution: Break down goals and projects into manageable action steps. Divide big tasks into smaller sub-tasks that are actionable.
Reason #5: You have too many micro steps.
Solution: Switch to macro steps. Tasks like clean the office, write blog post, and prepare notes for podcast episode are macro. You don’t always need to break up projects into small steps. Even though it works to make big changes in small steps, you start with tiny only when it’s necessary to gain traction.
When created without much thought, your to-do list can make it hard to execute on important tasks or steer you toward low leverage tasks. But when made with intention, your to-do list can help you stay on track, get organized around your priorities, channel your attention, and make steady progress on what matters.
Resources cited:
- David Allen, Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity
- The Incrementalist podcast, Ep. 8, How to Plan Your Ideal Week
- The Inrementalist podcast, Ep. 9, Why Weekly Planning Works
Music by:
Sebastian Brian Mehr
Dyan Williams
Check out the book: The Incrementalist, A Simple Productivity System to Create Big Results in Small Steps
Visit website: www.dyanwilliams.com
Subscribe to productivity e-newsletter
Linear thinking is the common, default mode when we work on projects and tackle problems. This includes making specific plans and listing action steps. It keeps us organized and on track. But linear thinking is not effective in addressing adaptive challenges with uncertain outcomes.
To get unstuck and solve complex problems, you could blend Divergent Thinking and Convergent Thinking. This leads to creative problem solving, where you generate new, original ideas that are meaningful, valuable and practical.
In 1956, American psychologist J.P. Guilford coined the terms Divergent Thinking and Convergent Thinking to describe two cognitive approaches to tackle problems and find innovative solutions. The interplay between these two contrasting styles of mental processing leads to optimal performance.
Divergent thinking asks, “Why not?” Convergent thinking asks, “Why?”
Divergent thinking generates different ideas and multiple solutions. You begin with a prompt and generate many solutions. Although the process is structured, you stay open-minded and open-ended as you brainstorm ideas and explore possibilities. There’s no analysis, no judgment, and no arguments being made.
Convergent thinking narrows down multiple ideas into a single solution. You begin with information and converge around a solution that works best. You organize your ideas, evaluate and analyze them, weigh the pros and cons, and make decisions.
In episode 12 of The Incrementalist podcast, you will discover:
1) The four steps in JP Guilford's model of creative thinking
- Define the problem you wish to solve
- Apply Divergent Thinking to spark ideas and create choices
- Use Convergent Thinking to evaluate ideas and make choices
- Finalize the solution and prepare to implement it
2) Why you need to keep the two modes of thinking separate from each other
3) How to use Nominal Group Technique (NGT) for brainstorming sessions
4) Creativity tactics to generate ideas and innovation
- Work under a lofty ceiling
- Make noise
- Dim the lights
- Get a good night's sleep
- Take a nap
- Do yoga. Or meditate
5) Two examples of Divergent Thinking and Convergent Thinking working together to create a successful service or product: Twitter (social medial platform) and 3M's Post-it® Note (sticky note).
Resources cited:
- Anne Manning, Divergent vs. Convergent Thinking: How to Strike a Balance (May 10, 2016, Harvard Extension School, Professional Development Blog)
- Donald M. Rattner, My Creative Space: How to Design Your Home to Stimulate Ideas and Spark Innovation
- Dyan Williams, Mind Mapping: A Mental Tool for Generating Ideas and Solving Problems, ABA Law Practice Today
Music by:
- Sebastian Brian Mehr
Stay creative & logical,
Dyan Williams
Check out the book: The Incrementalist, A Simple Productivity System to Create Big Results in Small Steps
Visit website: www.dyanwilliams.com
Subscribe to productivity e-newsletter
To solve problems, you must access and activate the neural networks in your brain. There’s the task-positive network and the task-negative network. Task-positive is focused mode. And task-negative is diffused mode. You cannot use both at the same time. Instead, you move from one to the next to fully understand a problem and generate the best ideas to solve it.
In episode 11 of The Incrementalist podcast, you will discover:
- The difference between the focused mode and the diffused mode of thinking
- The reasons you need both modes to learn new things and solve problems
- The limitations of the focused mode, e.g. Einstellung effect
- The limitations of the diffused mode, e.g. lack of deliberate practice
- Salvador Dali and Thomas Edison's use of micronaps (hypnagogia) to get unstuck and generate ideas
- How to activate each thinking mode and move from one mode to the other
- Why mind mapping is better than linear note taking for connecting ideas and seeing the big picture
Resources cited:
- Barbara Oakley, Mindshift: Break Through Obstacles to Learning and Discover Your Hidden Potential
- Daniel Levitin, Organized Mind: Thinking Straight in the Age of Information Overload
- Dyan Williams, Mind Mapping: A Mental Tool for Generating Ideas and Solving Problems, ABA Law Practice Today
Music by:
- Sebastian Brian Mehr
Stay focused & diffused,
Dyan Williams
Check out the book: The Incrementalist, A Simple Productivity System to Create Big Results in Small Steps
Visit website: www.dyanwilliams.com
Subscribe to productivity e-newsletter
Work and rest are not competitors; they are equal partners. Active rest is a skill that you integrate into your day. It’s not just the absence of work.
In this episode, you will learn 6 tips to rest deliberately even when you're busy:
- Tip 1: Try napping for 20 minutes, preferably after lunch when you're in the afternoon slump. If you're in an office setting where naps are not convenient, sit comfortably in a quiet space, close your eyes, and rest.
- Tip 2: Participate in deep play that is physically engaging, but not too mentally taxing. Physical activity and creative hobbies are highly restorative.
- Tip 3: Savor a real break instead of mix it with work. After every 90 to 120 minutes of focused work, it's ideal to detach and rest for 20 to 30 minutes. Unplug and leave the digital devices behind.
- Tip 4: Take a vacation or sabbatical. You reach maximum restoration with 7 to 8 days of vacation. The benefits of a vacation can last for 2 months or so. Aim to take one every 2 to 3 months for peak performance. At the very least, have weekends when you switch completely off from work.
- Tip 5: Set clear boundaries between work and rest. If you do remote work, you could create a fake commute to transition from home to office mode. Keep a start-up routine to transition into work and a shut-down routine to move out of it.
- Tip 6: Consider workplace cultures, structural changes and societal dimensions of work. Law firms and consulting services, for example, might need to shift from time-based to project-based billing to encourage optimal work-to-rest ratios. Personal productivity can only go so far if your work environment or organizational culture doesn't support deep work and deep play.
Resources cited:
- Alex Soojung-Kim Pang, Rest: Why You Get More Done When You Work Less
- Alex Soojung-Kim Pang, Shorter: Work Better, Smarter, and Less - Here's How
Music by:
- Sebastian Brian Mehr
Cheers,
Dyan Williams
Check out the book: The Incrementalist, A Simple Productivity System to Create Big Results in Small Steps
Visit website: www.dyanwilliams.com
Subscribe to productivity e-newsletter
A Weekly Planning session gives you a broader perspective of what you need to get done. It also gives you more flexibility to get the right things done. It's often more essential than a daily to-do list or a daily action plan.
In this episode, you'll learn about why weekly planning works, and how it creates more clarity, control, focus and flow:
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Clarity: Weekly planning reduces overwhelm and makes space for your best work with greater ease. It gives you more direction in how you will move forward on your high-level projects, while taking care of routine tasks and obligations to others.
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The Five Projects Rule
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The four blocks to plan your days in each week: focus blocks, social blocks, admin blocks and recovery blocks
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Control: Weekly planning reduces stress and feelings of defeat because it puts you in control of the next 7 days. It not only gives you more flexibility, but also allows you to be more spontaneous. You have a whole week, not just a day to accomplish key tasks.
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The Eisenhower Matrix or Priority Matrix: important and urgent; important and not urgent; urgent and not important; not important and not urgent
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Do, defer (schedule), delegate, drop
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Focus: Weekly planning gives you more freedom to focus. It makes daily planning easier because you can add, delete, and check tasks off as you move through the week. It puts you in proactive mode instead of just react to what comes up in the day or what’s coming up the next day.
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Triage your calendar and task list
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Use weekly to-do list instead of a daily one
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Flow: Weekly planning produces more flow, which is the optimal experience in which you’re so involved in an activity that nothing else seems to matter. It's a key ingredient of a meaningful and happy life.
-
Synch with your natural rhythm
- Align with context and circumstances
- Consider the concept of state-dependent recall
Resources cited:
- Kate Northrup, Do Less: A Revolutionary Approach to Time and Energy Management for Ambitious Women
- Charlie Gilkey, Start Finishing: How to Go From Idea to Done
Music by:
- Sebastian Brian Mehr
Cheers,
Dyan Williams
Check out the book: The Incrementalist, A Simple Productivity System to Create Big Results in Small Steps
Visit website: www.dyanwilliams.com
Subscribe to productivity e-newsletter
What do you want to have done in the week? What are the big things you can do to call the week a success and make it great?
Unexpected things will come up. Tasks will take longer than you expected. Distractions and interruptions will pull you away. But you’re more likely to accomplish what you must when you plan for it and begin with the end in mind.
In this episode, I discuss achieving more by doing less in a week. You will learn:
-
How to consolidate by planning your Ideal Week
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The concepts of batching and theming
- The categories of front stage, back stage, and off stage activities
-
The use of color codes in your weekly plan or calendar to reflect focus areas
-
How to designate by prioritizing your tasks with the Weekly Review and Preview
-
The best times to do a weekly review and preview
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The six steps in a weekly planning session: list your biggest wins; review the prior week; review your lists and notes; check goals, projects, events, meetings and deadlines; designate your Weekly Big 3 things to accomplish; and plan for self-care
-
How to streamline your to-do list
-
The four areas to help you design your week and your weekly to-dos: body; mind; heart; and the cosmos.
- The importance of margin or buffer time
Resources cited:
- Michael Hyatt, Free to Focus: A Total Productivity System to Achieve More by Doing Less
- Kate Northrup, Do Less: A Revolutionary Approach to Time and Energy Management for Ambitious Women
Music by:
- Sebastian Brian Mehr
Cheers,
Dyan Williams
Check out the book: The Incrementalist, A Simple Productivity System to Create Big Results in Small Steps
Visit website: www.dyanwilliams.com
Subscribe to productivity e-newsletter
Time Blocking helps you to get unstuck, stop procrastinating, and move forward on a project. It makes time and space for tasks that need attention. It’s a way to chunk projects into smaller parts so it’s easier to start and make steady progress.
You set time blocks with a start time and end time to work on a specific activity. You could single focus on one difficult, high-leverage project like a strategic marketing plan, or batch process similar, low-level tasks like responding to emails and returning telephone calls. You can move around time blocks if true emergencies and unexpected delays come up. You can schedule new time blocks if you need more to finish the task.
Scheduling a time block goes beyond making a to-do list. It tells you when exactly you will do a task, in what context and under what circumstances, and for how long. It encourages you to take deliberate action steps and to block out distractions and interruptions.
Time Boxing helps you to stay within scope, avoid perfectionism, and finish and deliver a project on time. It puts time constraints on projects that tend to take too long to complete. It takes advantage of Parkinson's law, which states that work expands to fill the time allotted for its completion. Having a cut-off time to stop working on a task makes you more mindful of the value you bring, rather than the hours you put in.
A timebox can be as short as 15 minutes to several months, depending on the activity or project. One project might take one or two steps, while another requires hundreds of steps. A timebox has project milestones, deadlines and deliverables.
In this episode, I cover:
- The Pomodoro Technique, a popular method for time blocking
- How time blocks help you do deep work, improve your ability to focus, and make progress on the right things at the right pace for the relevant deadlines
- The core problem with the billable hour model
- How time boxes help you to be more efficient, intentional and results-oriented
Resources cited:
- Francesco Cirillo, The Pomodoro Technique: The Acclaimed Time-Management System That Has Transformed How We Work
- Cal Newport, Deep Work (Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World)
Music by:
- Sebastian Brian Mehr
Cheers,
Dyan Williams
Check out the book: The Incrementalist, A Simple Productivity System to Create Big Results in Small Steps
Visit website: www.dyanwilliams.com
Subscribe to productivity e-newsletter
It's a common belief that perfectionism is one of the main causes of procrastination. Does having high standards make it harder to start? Many of my colleagues in the legal profession, for example, have perfectionist tendencies. Procrastination can get lawyers into trouble. It creates high stress and anxiety, and often leads to subpar work and serious errors.
But as it turns out, there’s no strong link between perfectionism and procrastination, says Dr. Piers Steel. He’s a professor and leading researcher on the science of motivation and procrastination. He’s the author of the book, The Procrastination Equation.
Dr. Steel has a mathematical formula that accounts for motivation and procrastination. It is [Expectancy (E) x Value (V)] divided by [Impulsiveness (I) x Delay (D)] = Motivation
The formula is based on 30 years of research and hundreds of studies. To have more motivation, and less procrastination, you want the numerators (E and V) to be high and the denominators (I & D) to be low.
In this episode, I describe 4 ways to stop procrastinating and just start: (1) create success spirals; (2) practice mental contrasting; (3) get super-focused; and (4) set clear goals. Success spirals increase expectancy, mental contrasting raises value, super-focus reduces impulsiveness, and clear goals minimize delay.
I review Dr. Gabriele Oettingen's WOOP method for incorporating If-Then statements into your plan for overcoming obstacles. WOOP stands for Wish, Outcome, Obstacle, Plan.
I also explain Dr. Tim Pychyl's theory that procrastination is an emotion management problem, not a time management issue. We procrastinate because we’re thinking about all the things that might happen rather than just starting what we have to do. Procrastination is a coping strategy to deal with negative emotions like frustration and anxiety. It is based on assumptions that the task won’t feel good.
When we procrastinate, we have less time to complete the project. We sometimes tell ourselves we work better under pressure. But we just make more errors when we wait until the deadline is tomorrow.
Whatever you have to do, just start now.
Resources Cited:
- Pierce Steel, The Procrastination Equation: How to Stop Putting Things Off and Start Getting Stuff Done
- Gabriele Oettingen, Rethinking Positive Thinking: Inside the New Science of Motivation
- Timothy A Pychyl, Solving the Procrastination Puzzle: A Concise Guide to Strategies for Change
Music by:
Sebastian Brian Mehr
Cheers,
Dyan Williams
Check out the book: The Incrementalist, A Simple Productivity System to Create Big Results in Small Steps
Visit website: www.dyanwilliams.com
Subscribe to productivity e-newsletter
To move in the desired direction, you need more flow in your life, says Mihaly Csikszentmihaly, renowned psychologist and author of the groundbreaking book, Flow. He defines flow as the optimal experience in which you’re so involved in an activity that nothing else seems to matter. You enjoy it for its own sake and will keep at it even with great cost. Flow is a key ingredient of a meaningful and happy life.
But amped up flow doesn’t lead to ongoing success. While flow is necessary for peak performance, it’s not enough to sustain it, says Steven Kotler. He’s the author of many neuroscience books, including The Art of Impossible. He’s a peak performance expert and Executive Director of Flow Research Collective.
In this episode, I review the 5 intrinsic motivators, the 3 tiers of goal-setting, and the 6 levels of grit, and how they all come together to trigger flow. I also discuss the 9 elements of flow, which means your biology is working for you to perform at your peak.
You will learn how the flow cycle leads to reliable and repeatable results. Through compound interest, the minutes, hours, days, months and years of focus and effort add up to make the impossible possible.
Resources cited:
- Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience
- Steven Kotler, The Art of Impossible: A Peak Performance Primer
Music by:
- Sebastian Brian Mehr
Dyan Williams
Check out the book: The Incrementalist, A Simple Productivity System to Create Big Results in Small Steps
Visit website: www.dyanwilliams.com
Subscribe to productivity e-newsletter
When we look at a clock – digital or analog – we see the seconds, minutes and hours passing. The day starts and end, regardless of what we do. The clock tells us we have 24 hours in a day.
Of that, we need about 7 to 8 hours of sleep, 1 hour for a lunch break, and a few more hours for daily routines, errands and so on. We have distractions and interruptions. Also, we’re human: our energy and focus ebb and flow throughout the day.
The maximum time you have for your Most Important Tasks is around 8 hours per day. Your MIT is your core work or your high-value, high-leverage activity. This contributes directly to your success. It helps you create the most important, desired results.
In this episode, I discuss how to set your priorities, which starts with the Brain Dump, continues with the Priority Matrix (Eisenhower Complex), and ends with blocking time and matching your tasks with your energy and focus levels, your environment, and your circumstances.
I cover Essentialism, which involves distinguishing the vital few from the trivial many, and making the necessary trade-offs to tackle what truly matters.
I explain why you need to align your actions with your One Thing, which is what you can do, such that by doing it, makes everything else easier or unnecessary.
Resources Cited:
- Greg McKeown - Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less
- Gary Keller and Jay Papasan - The One Thing: The Surprisingly Simple Truth Behind Extraordinary Results
Music by:
- Sebastian Brian Mehr
Dyan Williams
Check out the book: The Incrementalist, A Simple Productivity System to Create Big Results in Small Steps
Visit website: www.dyanwilliams.com
Subscribe to productivity e-newsletter
Like good habits, bad habits also give you a dopamine hit. Dopamine is a neurotransmitter that is often called the feel-good hormone. Dopamine fires when you get the thing you crave, and when you anticipate getting that thing.
A dopamine hit is not the same as true happiness, say Dr. Jud Brewer, director of research and innovation at Brown University Mindfulness Center, a psychiatrist and an expert in mindfulness training for treating addictions. To break everyday addictions and bad habits, he recommends you step out of the reactive pattern and just be present with whatever comes up. Use your natural curiosity to learn about the habit loop while you're in it and become aware of the results of your actions.
There are 4 laws of behavior change, says author, speaker and entrepreneur James Clear. If you want to build a habit, you make it Visible, Attractive, Easy and Satisfying. If you want to stop a habit, you invert the laws. You make it Invisible, Unattractive, Difficult and Unsatisfying.
You might think you have to replace the habit with another to break it. But this is really a last resort. You can untangle the bad habit if you stay mindful, get curious, and invert the 4 laws of behavior change.
"Learn how your mind works, so you can work with it." – Dr. Jud Brewer
"You do not rise to the level of your goals. You fall to the level of your systems." – James Clear
Resources Cited:
- Jud Brewer - The Craving Mind: From Cigarettes to Smartphones to Love - Why We Get Hooked and How We Can Break Bad Habits
- James Clear - Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones
Music by:
- Sebastian Brian Mehr
Here's to breaking bad habits,
Dyan Williams
Check out the book: The Incrementalist, A Simple Productivity System to Create Big Results in Small Steps
Visit website: www.dyanwilliams.com
Subscribe to productivity e-newsletter
A habit starts with a conscious decision and becomes automatic through a 3-step loop (cue, behavior, reward). Building good habits allows you to make changes without relying on willpower and motivation.
In this episode, I discuss how motivation, ability and prompts drive behavior, using Professor BJ Fogg's B=MAP formula. I also cover the ABC (Anchor, Behavior, Celebration) method to create new habits and sustain momentum. Make the new behavior tiny with the starter step and by scaling back. Excellence comes from the actions you do habitually, consistently, repeatedly - not from once-in-a-while acts. Being the best version of yourself and having self-mastery stem from your habits.
Resources Cited:
- Charles Duhigg - The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business
- BJ Fogg - Tiny Habits: The Small Changes that Change Everything
- David T. Neal, Wendy Wood, and Jeffrey M. Quinn, Duke University, Habits - A Repeat Performance, Current Directions in Psychological Science, Volume 15, Issue 4, August 1, 2006
- Magic Weighted Blanket
Music by:
- Sebastian Brian Mehr
Happy habit-building,
Dyan Williams
Check out the book: The Incrementalist, A Simple Productivity System to Create Big Results in Small Steps
Visit website: www.dyanwilliams.com
Subscribe to productivity e-newsletter
Welcome to The Incrementalist podcast! Hosted by Dyan Williams - a productivity & purpose coach and solo lawyer - this show offers simple techniques and tools to focus on your top priorities and design a well-lived life. You will learn how to use the Incrementalist approach to turn your ideas into action, maximize focus, and make time for what truly matters.
We'll cover practical ways to implement big changes or finish a big project in small steps. The change or project may relate to your work, your family, your relationships, a creative endeavor, or any other domain of life.
Stop using lack of time, energy, focus, skills, motivation and fear as an excuse. Tiny habits and small tweaks are enough to get you moving in the right direction. You can do great work, make great things, and stretch your limits, gradually and slowly. Incremental progress helps you gain control, master your craft and integrate all that matters to you.
Dyan Williams
Check out the book: The Incrementalist, A Simple Productivity System to Create Big Results in Small Steps
Visit website: www.dyanwilliams.com
Subscribe to productivity e-newsletter