The Incrementalist

After a long break from posting on The Incrementalist, I am back on the channel. To know whether to continue, start or stop any project, you must know the WHY before the HOW. The Busyness Trap: Escape Overload and Focus on What Matters is now available for early enrollment at dyan-williams.thinkific.com/courses/busyness-trap Module 2 is now up. It contains 16 minutes of 5 video lessons: 1)  What i...

Enroll early in the Busyness Trap: Escape Overload and Focus on What Matters: https://dyan-williams.thinkific.com/courses/busyness-trap Module 1 is now available. For an early enrollment fee of $29, you will get unlimited access to Module 1 plus all new modules that are added incrementally. The price of this course will increase as more modules are published. When all the modules are made availabl...

Learn 7 reasons why the Law of Attraction is unproductive and even harmful.   The Law of Attraction says your thoughts and feelings manifest your reality; they contain vibrations and frequencies that create tangible outcomes or visible results. It’s pseudoscience that makes vague references to neurology, metaphysics and quantum mechanics.    The law of attraction is a New Thought or New Age concep...

When you’re busy all the time, it’s hard to pause, slow down and rest. But the busier you are, the more you need to recover and recharge. In episode 70 of The Incrementalist, you will learn: 1) Wanting to rest is not a sign of weakness or laziness 0:00 2) What is rest 0:53 3) The benefits of passive rest, like Niksen (the Dutch term for doing nothing) 1:21 4) The advantages of active rest, like ta...

Learning is a meta skill for thriving, growing, and doing better. When you don’t learn, you stay stuck and repeat the same mistakes. While learning might not be as urgent as performing tasks, producing output and meeting deadlines, it’s just as important. Your performance is at its lowest when you’re purely performing or purely learning.  You’re most likely to succeed when you have the ideal mix o...

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. In episode 68 of The Incrementalist, you will learn: 1) 0:09 When faced with the unknown, you can either do something or do nothing. 2) 0:26 The difference between uncertainty and a...

Setting goals - when done right - puts you on the path to a more desired life. In goal setting, do not make the finish line the main thing or lose sight of the journey.  In episode 67 of The Incrementalist, you will learn: 1) 0:15 By breaking your big goals down into mini goals, you achieve small wins that build your confidence, grow your knowledge, and keep you on an upward spiral. 2) 0:32 Goals...

A bias for action can help you do big things and reach big goals.  In big projects, it's vital in the delivery phase, which should be fast. But it hurts the planning phase, where it’s better to be slow. In episode 66 of The Incrementalist, you will learn: 1) 0:00 A bias for action feels productive but can also backfire and cause big failure in big projects. 2) 0:55 Every big project has 2 basic ph...

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. 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 unskillfu...

As you make gains, step by step, your actions and behaviors that used to take a lot of effort become more like a habit. You can choose to stay there and enjoy what you’ve accomplished or take the next step for a new challenge. The Incrementalist: A Simple Productivity System to Create Big Results in Small Steps , is now available on both Amazon and Leanpub. The book shows you how to skillfully pra...

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. Unders...

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: 1. Pitfall #1 - Choice Overload  Decision Matrix Paradox of Choice Max...

Goals are targets, milestones or results you want to achieve.  But week after week, month after month, year after year, we set goals that we soon forget. Before you decide that goals don’t work, first look at how you set them. In episode 61 of The Incrementalist, you will learn: 1) Even when we don't set goals, we carry them around in some shape or form. 2) 7 big mistakes to avoid when goal settin...

Even if 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, even if they don't really make you happier. Watch the video, Why You Need to Set Goals, Even if Achieving Them Doesn't Make You Happier , on our YouT...

What to do - when you feel like doing nothing - depends on the reasons you're unmotivated and unproductive.  In episode 59 of The Incrementalist, you will learn: 1) The Procrastination Equation, a formula by Dr. Piers Steel that helps explains why you feel unmotivated and why you procrastinate.    2) 10 tips to get out of a mental slump and motivation rut.  Watch the video, What to Do When You're...

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...

Harness the power of slow living and practice the slow philosophy. This is how you break the obsession with doing more faster and, instead, do the right things at the right speed. On the road of life, there are twists and turns, hills and valleys. We can map out and plan our journey. But even then, we can’t always see what’s ahead of us in a given moment. And slowing down is the only way to move a...

If you have trouble finishing projects and goals, you’re not alone. This is a common human experience.  But there are 5 things you can do to finish strong with any project or goal. In episode 56 of The Incrementalist , you will learn: 1. The limits of willpower, better habits, and more refined systems. 2. The 5 things to start doing to finish your goals - i. Make progress incrementally and imperfe...

Your ability to focus on deep work is key to being productive. Your power to connect ideas is vital to being creative. Whether you’re focusing or mind wandering, you need to direct your attention to perform at your peak.    In episode 55 of The Incrementalist , you will learn: 1) The difference between Hyperfocus and Scatterfocus and why you need both modes of focus to control your attention. 2) M...

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 every...

When we hear the term work-life balance, we tend to think of it as a good thing. It’s doing great work, without overworking. It’s getting enough rest, without staying idle. But if we want to have a meaningful and productive life, striving for perfect work-life balance is not often the right path. What we really want to aim for is Intentional Imbalance. In episode 52 of The Incrementalist ,  you wi...

Do you struggle to stick with challenging projects? Can you stay curious when you do tedious tasks? How do you deal with boring, hard things you have to do? Habits help you automate positive behavior and actions on a daily basis. But they are not enough to perform at your peak. There will be times when you will have to do boring or hard things that take uphill effort.  If you can make boring, hard...

Are you feeling overwhelmed by your to-do list?   Do you have thoughts churning around, usually about things you don’t control?  Is lack of clarity stopping you from taking action?   If you feel stuck, bored or just plain lazy, you might be waiting for inspiration to strike. But what if it doesn’t? You might think you need more discipline or willpower. But even the most disciplined people procrast...

Do you have trouble remembering to do a new habit? Are you setting the right conditions to form the habit? Do you lose motivation when you don’t get immediate results? Habit stacking is a quick way to build good habits, which have a lasting, massive impact in your life. Habits are automatic behaviors that reduce decision fatigue, make time your ally, and save your energy for the hardest things. In...

Goals are the results and outcomes you want to achieve. They are the direction you want to head in, at least for the time being.  But systems are what create the desired results and outcomes.  Your daily habits make up your system. What you do day in and day out compounds over time to determine your level of success, mastery and contentment.  In episode 48 of The Incrementalist , you will learn: 1...