Category Archives: communication

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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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.

# # #

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.

SUBSCRIBE           CONTACT

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.

SUBSCRIBE           CONTACT

The Truth About Productivity Advice and Toxic Productivity

Toxic productivity occurs when you apply habits, routines and practices that are prescribed for someone else. Some of the productivity advice are hacks, tricks and tips that won’t work for you. They just don’t match with your mindset, preferences and season of life.

In episode 58 of The Incrementalist, you will learn:

1) The truth about productivity advice and toxic productivity.

2) 5 universal principles or basic rules to apply in any productivity practice. 

3) 7 common mistakes to avoid when moving from being unproductive to productive. 

To learn more by reading the transcript, go here.

To listen to episode 58, The Truth About Productivity Advice, click here. Subscribe to The Incrementalist podcast at Apple Podcasts or other apps if you’re an auditory learner or want to develop your active listening skills.

Watch the video on our YouTube channel, The Incrementalist – A Productivity Show. And subscribe to the show to help it grow and reach you and others who want to create big changes in small steps. If you’re a visual learner who knows how to manage your online consumption, you will benefit the most from being a regular viewer of the YouTube channel!

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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.

SUBSCRIBE           CONTACT

Digital Minimalism: Break Your Technology Addiction and Master Your Tech Use

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

To listen to episode 54, Digital Minimalism: Break Your Technology Addiction and Master Your Tech Use, click here. If you prefer to read the transcript, go here. Subscribe to The Incrementalist at Apple Podcasts or other apps.

Watch the video on episode 54, especially if you’re a visual learner! Subscribe to the YouTube channel, The Incrementalist – A Productivity Show, to help it 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