The Incrementalist

Do you get overwhelmed by digital task management tools?   Are you seeking a good mix of structure and flexibility in your day? Is there an easy, stress-free way to block time for important projects? When you hear the term Time Blocking, you might picture color-coded calendars filled up with specific activities for the week. Digital apps to block time might also come to mind. But you really don’t...

Are you in a cul-de-sac, on a cliff, or in the dip? Patience and persistence are essential for success. If you give up whenever you face a challenge or an obstacle, you’re bound to fail. But you also need to know when to quit and cut your losses.  In episode 46 of The Incrementalist, you will learn: 1) The Sunk Cost Fallacy means we prefer to continue the action if we already put time, effort, and...

The start of the new year is an ideal time to take stock and reflect. January 1, the 1st of every month, or the start of a new season are temporal landmarks. This is when many of us set goals or recommit to goals.   A review of the year gives you insights on how to move forward in the next. It’s better to do it in the first week of the year, but no later than before you start planning for the upco...

At the end of the year and the start of a new one, we tend to reflect on accomplishments and think about aspirations. There’s nothing wrong with keeping the status quo if it works for you. Constantly striving for the next big thing is no better than leading a simple, satisfying life. But like all human beings, you probably have a wish or a dream that has yet to come true. A wish or a dream is not...

We have all experienced anxiety on some level at various points in our lives. COVID-19 and the global response to it have brought massive changes and deep uncertainty since the start of 2020. Before then, 90% of Americans in the room raised their hands when asked if they had experienced daily anxiety. Wendy Suzuki, a neural science and psychology professor at NYU, says that number has gone way up....

There are news stories and articles on how we have the attention span of a goldfish. You might have heard that with the Internet, we can now only focus for 8 seconds at a time. The good news is there are no studies to back this up. There is also a common belief that we use only 10% of our brain. The entire brain is being used, but some parts are more activated than others. Having a peak mind is mo...

Is boredom a negative emotion? It is defined as a feeling of discontent with something that is dull, repetitive, tiresome or tedious. We prefer to stay away from anything that is boring to us. But boredom is largely a complex emotion that can have a very positive impact. It can make us more creative and productive.  In episode 41 of The Incrementalist, you will learn: 1) In 11 studies, researchers...

Some of the wealthiest people are the most depressed and saddest in the world.  Having too much stuff can be distracting and overwhelming. Less stuff brings more clarity, more space, and more freedom. Still, there's nothing wrong with having shiny, new things. You don’t want to depend on things to make you happy or to define you. But you also don’t want to feel guilty when you buy something you re...

Small wins make you more productive, creative, committed, collegial, and focused. When you track the progress you’ve made, no matter how small, you gain confidence that builds on the momentum. With an incremental approach, you take daily actions that move you in the right direction, instead of take big leaps that are more likely to steer you off course. In episode 39 of The Incrementalist , you wi...

When you’re acquiring and developing a new skill, you need to learn how to learn. Learning is a meta-skill for life and for sustaining peak performance. This continuation of a two-parts episode builds on the foundation principles covered in Episode 36. In episode 37 of The Incrementalist , you will learn:  7 more  takeaways to learn and master any skill Keep a beginner's mind - be like the child l...

When you’re learning and developing any skill, it’s better to have a growth mindset, than a fixed mindset. Talent and natural ability do matter. But your attitude towards failure and setbacks are more critical.  There are two modes of learning theories: entity versus incremental theories of intelligence.   Entity theorists think, "I am smart at this." Success or failure is based on an ingrained ab...

Making space between activities can be done solo, without allies. But industry norms and workplace culture might pull you back into chronic busyness. Norms are standards or principles of action that apply to a group. A culture is made up of norms. Effective leadership from the top reduces the burden on individuals who seek to have more margin in their day. In episode 35 of The Incrementalist , you...

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 require...

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...

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 Increment...

If you want to get to the next level, you need willpower to make creative breakthroughs and steady progress. Don’t you? After all, willpower helps you to beat distractions and delay gratification to make wise choices. But willpower is limited. It gets depleted the more you use it and as the day goes on. While you could do certain things to boost and improve willpower, you could also shape your env...

2020 was an especially challenging year. And this year continues to require some extra effort to start and finish things that matter.  Even if you’ve built a business for yourself (like I did), you can still have creative exhaustion and feel trapped by your work. Maintaining discipline is more critical than having motivation. Preserve your energy and leave some fuel in the tank. Steady, daily prog...

True productivity is not just about getting more stuff done effectively and efficiently. It also involves creating a meaningful and satisfying life. This doesn’t mean you always get what you want or that everything comes easy to you. Hardships can build appreciation for life itself.  Words like purpose and calling are nebulous. They are associated with living authentically, with integrity and in a...

To gain traction and execute better on your goals, start with a 12-week action plan instead of a longer term, annual plan. Rather than wait an entire year to track progress and measure results, you do a formal review every 12 weeks.  And in the 13th week, you make a plan for the next 12 weeks. As part of your routine, you score the week, plan the week, and participate in weekly accountability meet...

If you’re resisting what you need to accomplish, you might have given yourself too much time to execute your plans. New Year’s Resolutions and annual goals rarely get you to where you need to be and create the life you want.    Move out of annual thinking and adopt the 12 Week Year. With this planning technique, a year is no longer 12 months; it's 12 weeks. 1 year = 12 weeks, 1 month = 1 week, and...

Stress is not always bad. It comes with having big goals and pushing beyond your comfort zone. Going off to college, starting a new job, traveling to a foreign country, or launching a business trigger stress. And they also bring feelings of excitement, confidence and achievement. Stress is positive when it stimulates growth, adaptation and expansion. It’s the chronic, persistent, negative stress t...

When you’re making a decision on tough problems, you are always missing key information. Every decision is biased because it’s based on limited beliefs, assumptions and data points. You can never be sure of the outcome.  A bet is a decision about an uncertain future. And decisions are bets in uncertain environments.  As you seek to learn more, you start to peel back the layers. You become more ski...

If you want to have a happier, more satisfying life, it’s better to value time over money. It doesn’t matter whether you’re financially secure or financially struggling.  Even when you control for income level, the more time affluence you have, the happier you are.  Time affluence is feeling that you have enough time to pursue meaningful activities and enjoy leisure. You can exercise, move, relax,...

We often believe we need credentials to do useful or valuable work. Whether it’s having a college degree, a training certificate, or a professional license, credentials help us seem less like an imposter. But we’re all imposters on some level when we work on hard problems with no easy answers. You might ask yourself: Why did I get picked? Why am I being charged to solve this issue? Why am I steppi...

We tend to think that important and valuable work has to be hard. This could be writing a book, leading a team, designing a new product, running a business, or preparing a presentation. But too much effort is counterproductive when it leads to chronic stress, health problems, sleep issues, and burnout.  You first need to decide where to focus your energy. Once you determine the essentials, how do...