Create Space to Think (part 1)

Posted on September 2, 2021 | Comments Off on Create Space to Think (part 1)

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’s 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:

Music by:

To listen to episode 34,  Create Space to Think, click here. If you prefer to read the transcript, go here. Subscribe to The Incrementalist at Apple Podcasts or other apps.

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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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Posted in communication, competence, diligence, lawyer well-being, The Productive Lawyer - Productivity + Lawyer Wellbeing Blog

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COVID-19 Vaccination Required for Green Card Applicants, Starting October 1st

Posted on September 1, 2021 | Comments Off on COVID-19 Vaccination Required for Green Card Applicants, Starting October 1st

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has a new requirement that will affect all green card applicants. Starting October 1, 2021, intended immigrants must receive full doses of the COVID-19 vaccine to immigrate to the U.S. This new requirement affects eligibility for permanent residence on health-related grounds.

COVID-19 has been added as a Class A medical condition that bars a person from the United States.  Class A inadmissibility includes a communicable disease of public health significance per regulations under the Department of Health and Human Services; and a failure to present documentation of having received vaccinations against vaccine-preventable diseases. 

As of October 1st, the COVID-19 vaccine will be among the vaccines required for applicants to obtain lawful permanent residence, either through the I-485 green card application with USCIS or through an Immigrant Visa application at the U.S. Embassy.

Section 212(a)(1)(A)(ii) of the Immigration and Nationality Act states applicants for permanent residence must present proof that they are vaccinated against vaccine-preventable diseases, which include mumps, measles, rubella, polio, tetanus and influenza type B and hepatitis B, and receive any other vaccinations against vaccine-preventable diseases recommended by the Advisory Committee for Immunization Practices.

In episode 12 of The Legal Immigrant, you will learn:

1) The ACIP has now recommended COVID-19 vaccination for the age-appropriate, general U.S. population. The CDC says this means the COVID-19 vaccination is now required to immigrate to the U.S.

2) The CDC does not recognize natural immunity. Its instructions state, “Laboratory tests for COVID-19 immunity must not be used for the civil surgeon exam. The applicant is required to receive the vaccine series regardless of evidence of immunity or prior COVID-19 infection.” The CDC asserts, “The duration of immunity due to natural infection is still being investigated and might not protect the applicant throughout the immigration process.” 

3) What is an acceptable COVID-19 vaccination and proof of vaccination

  • Approved COVID-19 vaccines are those authorized for use in the United States or those listed for emergency use by the World Health Organization. 
  • Personal attestation that you have been vaccinated is not enough. 
  • Showing immunity or recovery from a prior COVID-19 infection is not a permissible basis for a vaccination waiver. 

Acceptable evidence of vaccination includes – 

  • An official vaccination record;
  • A medical chart with physician entries pertaining to the vaccination, including dates you received the vaccine, name or manufacturer and lot number; or,
  • Appropriate medical personnel attestation.

4) What is the COVID-19 vaccination requirement

The designated civil surgeon who performs the medical examination and completes the Form I-693, Report of Medical Examination and Vaccination Record, must confirm the applicant received all doses of the COVID-19 vaccine. The I-693 is part of the green card application within the United States.  A similar medical exam process is performed by a panel physician and required for Immigrant Visa applicants abroad. 

5) What are the exemptions to the vaccination requirement

Blanket waiver – 

  • Applicant is not age appropriate, i.e. too young to receive the vaccine
  • Applicant has medical contraindication to the vaccine
  • Applicant does not have access to an approved COVID-19 vaccine, i.e. no COVID-19 vaccine is routinely available in the state where the civil surgeon practices

Individual waiver – 

  • Applicant refuses to take the vaccine on religious or moral conviction grounds
  • USCIS – not the civil surgeon or CDC – decides whether to grant the individual waiver on religious or moral conviction grounds

6) If an applicant refuses one or more doses of a COVID-19 vaccine series and is not eligible for a waiver of this requirement, the civil surgeon will document the vaccine requirements as incomplete.  On health-related grounds, the applicant will be deemed inadmissible for a Class A condition and will be found ineligible for permanent residence. 

7) As of August 12, 2021, USCIS temporarily extended the validity period for Form I-693 from two years to now four years. For decisions on Form I-485 green card applications issued on or before September 30, 2021, USCIS may accept an otherwise valid Form I-693 if:

  • The civil surgeon’s signature is dated no more than 60 days before the applicant filed the I-485; and
  • No more than four years have passed since the date of the civil surgeon’s signature

8) If you have weighed the risks and benefits, and do not want to take the COVID-19 vaccine for U.S. immigration purposes, you will have to get a completed medical exam report before October 1st. Then you must file your I-485 application within 60 days. 

9) Starting October 1, all green card applicants will have to take the vaccine unless they qualify for a waiver or exemption.

This is general information only and is not legal advice. To request a consultation, you may submit an email to info@dyanwilliamslaw.com or online message through our website’s contact form.

Subscribe to The Legal Immigrant podcast at Apple Podcasts or other apps.

To listen, click HERE for Episode 12 on The Legal Immigrant podcast or find it on Apple Podcasts or Google Podcasts.

If you prefer to read, click HERE for transcript of episode 12.

Resources cited:

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The Legal Immigrant podcast and this article provide general information only. It is based on law, regulations and policy that are subject to change. Do not consider it as legal advice for your situation. The sharing or receipt of this information does not create an attorney-client relationship.

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Posted in adjustment of status, green card, immigrant petition, immigrant visa, The Legal Immigrant - Immigration Blog

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The Neuroscience of Sleep and Why We Need It, AILA Video Roundtable on September 1 at 2 pm ET/ 1 pm CT

Posted on August 27, 2021 | Comments Off on The Neuroscience of Sleep and Why We Need It, AILA Video Roundtable on September 1 at 2 pm ET/ 1 pm CT

Sleep impairment impacts focus, decision-making, effective client communication, and making progress on cases. Sleep deprivation starves the lawyer mind of the fundamental ingredients it needs to strategically and logically analyze cases and write persuasively about them. Sleep deprivation will even predict lawyer misconduct.

AILA members may join the September 1, 2 pm ET/1 pm CT video roundtable to discuss the neuroscience of sleep with Joan Bibelhausen, Executive Director of Lawyers Concerned for Lawyers and Robin M. Wolpert, Attorney, Sapientia Law Group, brought to you by the AILA Lawyer Well-Being Committee. I am scheduled to co-host the discussion as a member of the AILA Lawyer Well-Being Committee.

AILA University Video Roundtables are free learning opportunities for AILA members provided via a weekly schedule of live video programming for members to come together from across the country and world to discuss hot topics and network with colleagues in the field. Video Roundtables are part of AILA University programming and each session is hosted by faculty selected for their expertise.

Discussion Topics:

  • Learn How Sleep Deprivation Increases Anxiety, Interrupts Working Memory, and Impairs Executive Thinking
  • Hear The Latest Neuroscience Behind Sleep, and Its Impact On Mental Health, Substance Use, Ethical Behavior, and Performance
  • Get Guidance on How to Achieve Healthier Sleep

Discussion Leaders:

  • Dyan Williams, AILA Lawyer Well-Being Committee, Minneapolis, MN
  • Joan Bibelhausen, Executive Director, Lawyers Concerned for Lawyers, St. Paul, MN
  • Robin M. Wolpert, Sapientia Law Group, Minneapolis, MN

If you’re an AILA member, click HERE to register for this live event and receive a free recording.

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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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Posted in communication, competence, diligence, lawyer well-being, The Productive Lawyer - Productivity + Lawyer Wellbeing Blog

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Make Time Your Ally (not a thing to manage)

Posted on August 25, 2021 | Comments Off on Make Time Your Ally (not a thing to manage)

Do you struggle with time management?

Are you big on planning how you spend your hours?

Do you dread being idle and love being busy?

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

Resources cited:

Music by:

To listen to episode 33,  Make Time Your Ally (not a thing to manage), click here. If you prefer to read the transcript, go 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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Posted in competence, diligence, lawyer well-being, The Productive Lawyer - Productivity + Lawyer Wellbeing Blog

Patience is a Superpower

Posted on August 17, 2021 | Comments Off on Patience is a Superpower

Are you constantly trying to do things faster?     

Do you get frustrated when things take longer than you expected?  

How do you feel when time runs out?  

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:

To listen to episode 32,  Patience is a Superpower, 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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Posted in competence, diligence, lawyer well-being, The Productive Lawyer - Productivity + Lawyer Wellbeing Blog