Category Archives: The Productive Lawyer – Productivity + Lawyer Wellbeing Blog

2023 AILA Annual Conference and Webcast (June 21 – 24); Panel Speaker for The Art of Time Management

Posted on May 10, 2023 | Comments Off on 2023 AILA Annual Conference and Webcast (June 21 – 24); Panel Speaker for The Art of Time Management

American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) will host the 2023 AILA Annual Conference and Webcast on Immigration Law, from June 21 to 24, in Orlando, Florida.

If you’re a U.S. immigration lawyer, join your colleagues for four days of skill development, connecting with your AILA colleagues, learning the basics, and delving into creative solutions for challenging problems. In addition, there are wellness, law practice management, and technology sessions to attend.

For the Special Sessions track, The Art of Time Management, on Wednesday, June 21, 9:30 am ET/8:30 am CT, I will be a panel speaker with fellow AILA members, Jacob Ratzan, Kelly Ryan and Zaira Solano.

Here’s the description for the session:

So much to do and so little time! Do you feel like you have 30 hours of tasks to complete in a 24- hour day? Panelists will discuss time management strategies that will help you achieve optimum operational efficiencies and reduce stress.

  1. Prioritizing and delegating tasks
    o Eliminating low priority tasks

2. Communicating effectively while adhering to your standard of quality

3. Achieving a balance between scheduling and flexibility, leaving time for professional and
personal contingencies 

4. Block scheduling, organizing your calendar based on related tasks
o Carving out blocks of time for consultations or drafting 

5. The value of regular administrative or case audits 

6. Creating time for business development

To view the full program, click here. 

To register for the conference, go to 2023 AILA Annual Conference and Webcast on Immigration Law.

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

Making Decisions When You Don’t Know What to Do

Posted on May 10, 2023 | Comments Off on Making Decisions When You Don’t Know What to Do

Uncertain outcomes and imperfect data make it tougher to decide. A decision starts with a choice, which is an opportunity to select from two or more options. A decision is cutting off options and narrowing it down to just one. This is harder to do in novel, high-stakes situations.

In episode 63 of The Incrementalist, you will learn how to make better decisions in the face of uncertainty:

1. Understand that decision making starts with knowing what you really want. Go with thick desires, instead of thin desires.
2. Find out where you are on the Social Behavior Map in decision making.
3. Embrace Wicked Learning Environments.
4. Create Kinder Learning Environments.
5. Consider the need for certainty as a pitfall in decision making. 

To learn more by reading the transcript, go here.

To listen to Making Decisions When You Don’t Know What to Do, click here. Subscribe to The Incrementalist podcast at Apple Podcasts or other apps if you’re an auditory learner.

Watch the video, Making Decisions When You Don’t Know What to Do on our YouTube channel, The Incrementalist – A Productivity Show. And subscribe to the show to keep making big changes in small steps.

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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

Making Decisions When You Have Choice Overload and Cognitive Biases

Posted on March 23, 2023 | Comments Off on Making Decisions When You Have Choice Overload and Cognitive Biases

Decision making can be daunting. A decision can be so tough that you avoid it for as long as possible, instead of approach it head-on. And we can get worn out by the sheer number of choices we make daily.

In episode 62 of The Incrementalist, you will learn two major pitfalls in decision making and strategies to navigate them.

To learn more by reading the transcript, go here.

To listen to Making Decisions When You Have Choice Overload and Cognitive Biases, click here. Subscribe to The Incrementalist podcast at Apple Podcasts or other apps if you’re an auditory learner.

Watch the video on our YouTube channel, The Incrementalist – A Productivity Show. And subscribe to the show if you enjoy video learning. This will help the show grow and reach you and others who want to create big changes in small steps.

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Dyan Williams is 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 also a solo lawyer who practices U.S. immigration law and legal ethics at Dyan Williams Law PLLC. 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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7 Mistakes to Avoid When Goal Setting

Posted on February 3, 2023 | Comments Off on 7 Mistakes to Avoid When Goal Setting

Goals are targets, milestones or results you want to achieve. They can empower you to move out of a rut and experience life more fully.

The fresh start effect of a Monday, the first day of the month, or a new year inspires us to set new goals. But week after week, month after month, year after year, we set goals that we soon forget.

Before you decide that goals are bad for you or don’t work, first look at how you set them.

In episode 61 of The Incrementalist, you will learn 7 big mistakes to avoid when goal setting.

To learn more by reading the transcript, go here.

To listen to 7 Mistakes to Avoid When Goal Setting, click here. Subscribe to The Incrementalist podcast at Apple Podcasts or other apps if you’re an auditory learner.

Watch the video on our YouTube channel, The Incrementalist – A Productivity Show. And subscribe to the show if you’re a visual learner. This will help the show grow and reach you and others who want to create big changes in small steps.

# # #

Dyan Williams is 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 also a solo lawyer who practices U.S. immigration law and legal ethics at Dyan Williams Law PLLC. She is the author of The Incrementalist: A Simple Productivity System to Create Big Results in Small Steps.

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Why You Need to Set Goals, Even If Achieving Them Doesn’t Make You Happier

Posted on December 2, 2022 | Comments Off on Why You Need to Set Goals, Even If Achieving Them Doesn’t Make You Happier

Why doesn’t goal achievement make us happier?

When we finally accomplish what we want or create the life we designed, we feel excited and ecstatic. But as the days and weeks go by, our emotional state goes back to baseline.

Goals cannot fix internal, existential problems. They can lead to distracting busy work, instead of purposeful, important work. They do not always create desired results or positive outcomes. They are not reliable sources of true joy.  

Even though goals don’t make you happy or happier, you still need to make them for different reasons.

In episode 60 of The Incrementalist, you will learn:

1) The limits of goal setting and goal achievement

2) The 5 reasons you still need to set goals

To learn more by reading the transcript, go here.

To listen to Why You Need to Set Goals, click here. Subscribe to The Incrementalist podcast at Apple Podcasts or other apps if you’re an auditory learner.

Watch the video on our YouTube channel, The Incrementalist – A Productivity Show. And subscribe to the show if you’re a visual learner. This will help the show grow and reach you and others who want to create big changes in small steps.

# # #

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.

SUBSCRIBE           CONTACT

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