Category Archives: competence

Uncertainty makes it harder to make progress and find flow in meaningful things. In easy conditions, progress is a straight line toward an end point. But when there’s uncertainty, progress is more like a feedback loop. The key is to focus on what you control and let go of what you do not.

In episode 68 of The Incrementalist, you will learn:

1) When faced with the unknown, you can either take action or no action, do something or do nothing.

2) The difference between uncertainty and ambiguity and why they both cause frustration.

3) The Paradox of Control and how we create anxiety.

4) How good anxiety works for you and bad anxiety works against you.

5) The Progress Principle and ways to leverage it.

6) Progress is a feedback loop when you face the unknown.

7) How to step into uncertainty to make progress and find flow:

Tip 1 – Define the right problem or challenge to tackle before you get into solution mode.

Tip 2 – Break up the problem or challenge into subproblems or smaller challenges.

Tip 3 – Set clear, daily goals to make consistent progress, get immediate feedback and exercise control. (Stage 1 of flow cycle.)

Tip 4 – Disengage from the problem or challenge and let yourself imagine, daydream and mind-wander with intention. (Stage 2 of flow cycle.)

Tip 5 – Zoom in on the task at hand and find the sweet spot where the challenge is the right match for your current skill set. (Stage 3 of flow cycle.)

Tip 6 – Zoom out from the problem, take a break and rest. (Stage 4 of flow cycle.)

8) Benefits of the Flow Cycle

9) Benefits of the Progress Loop

10) I’m making an online course currently titled The Busyness Trap: How to Escape Overload and Focus on What Matters. To get updates on the course launch and registration process, subscribe to my e-newsletter or The Incrementalist YouTube channel or podcast.

To read the transcript of this episode, go here.

To listen to the podcast, click here and subscribe. 

Watch the video on The Incrementalist YouTube channel. 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 busy professionals and business owners reduce overwhelm, turn their ideas into action, and focus on what matters. She is the author of The Incrementalist: A Simple Productivity System to Create Big Results in Small Steps.

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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.

Solitary confinement and social outcasting are some of the worst forms of punishment. In psychoanalysis, Object Relations Theory basically states humans are social beings who need to have rewarding relationships to be fulfilled. And yet, 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

To learn more by reading the transcript, go here.

To listen to Solitude: The Overlooked Path to Move Through Loneliness, click here. Subscribe to The Incrementalist podcast at Apple Podcasts or other apps.

Watch the video on our YouTube channel, The Incrementalist – A Productivity Show. And subscribe to the show to keep making 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