Monthly Archives: April 2021

Hack Back Email, The Incrementalist, Ep. 16

Posted on April 28, 2021 | Comments Off on Hack Back Email, The Incrementalist, Ep. 16

Do you get stressed out by the sheer number of emails in your inbox?

Are you checking and responding to emails when you really need to be doing your core work?

Do you get anxious if you don’t respond right away to customers, clients, colleagues, coworkers, friends?

Are you switching to emails when you feel bored, frustrated, or stuck on a project?

Email processing is a repeated behavior and repetitive action.

Email is a habit-forming tool. It’s a key method for communication, collaboration and information sharing. You need to know how to use it to make essential progress without getting sidetracked by other people’s agendas. 

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:

1. Internal triggers (e.g. boredom, anxiety, frustration) and external triggers (e.g. pings and dings) lead to distraction

2. The critical question to ask in deciding whether an external trigger is helpful or not

3. The opposite of distraction is traction

4. Time spent on email = the number of messages received multiplied by the average time spent per message.  T = n x t

5. Seven tips to hack back email –

  • 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. 
  •  Improve your workflow to reduce back and forth communication. 

6. 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: 

To listen to episode 16, Hack Back Email, click here. Subscribe to The Incrementalist at Apple Podcasts or other apps.

# # #

Dyan Williams is a solo lawyer who practices U.S. immigration law and legal ethics at Dyan Williams Law PLLC. She is also a productivity coach who helps working parents, lawyers, small business owners and other busy people turn their ideas into action, reduce overwhelm, and focus on what truly matters. She is the author of The Incrementalist: A Simple Productivity System to Create Big Results in Small Steps. 

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AILA Members: Sign Up for Second Annual Lawyer Well-Being Week Events, May 3 to 7

Posted on April 27, 2021 | Comments Off on AILA Members: Sign Up for Second Annual Lawyer Well-Being Week Events, May 3 to 7

The American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA), the Institute for Well-Being in Law, and bar associations across the country are hosting the second annual Lawyer Well-Being Week, May 3 to 7.

During the week, AILA will provide daily meditations and three well-being programs for AILA members. There will be a different morning meditation every weekday, a roundtable on resilience on Monday, a CLE on dealing with difficult people on Tuesday, and a roundtable on mindfulness on Thursday. 

As a member of AILA’s Lawyer Well-Being Committee, I encourage you to learn more and register at https://info.aila.org/wellness2021.

I am scheduled to present one of the meditations on Wednesday, May 5:

  • 8:00 am (CT) / 9:00 am (ET) / 6:00 am (PT): Emotional Freedom Technique, or Tapping Meditation Involving Acupressure and Affirmations to Calm the Nervous System

AILA’s Lawyer Well-Being Committee has put together resources that can help you make quick improvements and long-team commitments to your well-being at the Lawyer Well-Being Center. 

Sign up for the free meditations and AILA will send out instructions. Other events must be registered for separately. 

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Evening Routines and Rituals to End Your Day, The Incrementalist, Ep. 15

Posted on April 19, 2021 | Comments Off on Evening Routines and Rituals to End Your Day, The Incrementalist, Ep. 15

Do you wake up in the middle of the night stressing over what you didn’t get done or what you still have to do?

Are you checking your phone, scrolling through news feeds, and replying to emails as part of your bedtime rituals?

Do you wake up groggy and unrefreshed even if your bedtime began 7 to 8 hours ago?

The evening is your P.M. bookend to your day. Your evening routine is your “me time” at night that helps you to unwind, quiet the nervous system and prepare for sleep. How you end your day is essential to recharging from it.

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:

1. 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. 

2. The value of sleep and how the sleep cycle works –

  • Stage 1 – alpha state
  • Stage 2 – theta state
  • Stages 3 and 4 – delta state
  • REM sleep 

3. Ways to create a sleep sanctuary to improve sleep quality and duration

4.  Key things to avoid in your evening routine – 

  • 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
  • Alcohol consumption in the 3-hour period before bedtime

5. 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
  • Pray or meditate or listen to mellow music

6. The advantage of a maintaining a consistent bedtime, synching with your circadian rhythm, and building good sleep habits

Resources cited: 

To listen to episode 15, Evening Routines and Rituals to End Your Day, click here. Subscribe to The Incrementalist at Apple Podcasts or other apps.

Cheers,
Dyan Williams

# # #

Dyan Williams is a solo lawyer who practices U.S. immigration law and legal ethics at Dyan Williams Law PLLC. She is also a productivity coach who helps working parents, lawyers, small business owners and other busy people turn their ideas into action, reduce overwhelm, and focus on what truly matters. She is the author of The Incrementalist: A Simple Productivity System to Create Big Results in Small Steps. 

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Morning Routines and Rituals to Start Your Day, The Incrementalist, Ep. 14

Posted on April 14, 2021 | Comments Off on Morning Routines and Rituals to Start Your Day, The Incrementalist, Ep. 14

Do you find yourself reacting to emails and messages soon after you wake up?

Are you scrolling through online news and social media as part of your morning rituals?

Do you hit the snooze button or need multiple alarms before you get out of bed?

Your morning is your A.M. bookend to your day. A morning routine can help you get the clarity and structure you need every day, wherever you are. How you start your day is key to taking charge of it.

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: 

1. 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. 

2. 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.  

3. 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. 

4. Key things to include in your morning routine – 

  • Movement
  • Sunlight
  • Quick wins, e.g. make your bed, drink water

5. Key things to avoid in your morning routine – 

  • Online activity, e.g. social media, news, emails
  • The snooze button or multiple alarms
  • Sugary foods

6. 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.

  • Silence
  • Affirmation
  • Visualization
  • Exercise
  • Reading
  • Scribing

Resources cited: 

To listen to episode 14, Morning Routines and Rituals to Start Your Day, click here. Subscribe to The Incrementalist at Apple Podcasts or other apps.

Cheers,
Dyan Williams

# # #

Dyan Williams is a solo lawyer who practices U.S. immigration law and legal ethics at Dyan Williams Law PLLC. She is also a productivity coach who helps working parents, lawyers, small business owners and other busy people turn their ideas into action, reduce overwhelm, and focus on what truly matters. She is the author of The Incrementalist: A Simple Productivity System to Create Big Results in Small Steps. 

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How to Make a To-Do List that Works, The Incrementalist, Ep. 13

Posted on April 7, 2021 | Comments Off on How to Make a To-Do List that Works, The Incrementalist, Ep. 13

An effective to-do list helps you take action on the right priorities at the right time. But if yours leaves you feeling overwhelmed and uninspired, you need to change how you make it.

How do you make a to-do list so it brings a sense of calm and keeps you focused on what matters?

How do you make it work for you instead of against you?

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: 

To listen to episode 13, How to Make a To-Do List that Works, click here. Subscribe to The Incrementalist at Apple Podcasts or other apps.

Cheers,
Dyan Williams

# # #

Dyan Williams is a solo lawyer who practices U.S. immigration law and legal ethics at Dyan Williams Law PLLC. She is also a productivity coach who helps working parents, lawyers, small business owners and other busy people turn their ideas into action, reduce overwhelm, and focus on what truly matters. She is the author of The Incrementalist: A Simple Productivity System to Create Big Results in Small Steps. 

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