The Incrementalist

Memento Mori is a powerful practice to create a meaningful, productive and fulfilling life. 

Roughly translated to English, it means, "Remember you must die."

Reflecting on your own death might seem like a dark and depressing way to live.  But it offers three unique gifts that help you live with intention.

In episode 53 of The Incrementalist, you will learn:

1) Memento Mori is an ancient practice that spans across time and cultures.

2) Life lessons on death from Stoicism and philosophers, Marcus Aurelius, Seneca and Epicurus.

3) Key takeaways from Irvin D. Yalom's book, Staring at the Sun.
"Though the physicality of death destroys us, the idea of death saves us.”

4) 3 gifts from reflecting on death:
-  the gift of gratitude
-  the gift of groundedness
-  the gift of grit

5) How I applied Memento Mori to grieve the loss of two loved ones who recently died within 6 months of each other. 

Watch the video on episode 53, especially if you're a visual learner! Become one of the first 100 subscribers on our YouTube channel, The Incrementalist - A Productivity Show.

Music by:
Sebastian Brian Mehr. Album –  Olemus; Songs – La Nieve (Intro & Outro music) and Kuura (featured music). 

Check out the book: The Incrementalist, A Simple Productivity System to Create Big Results in Small Steps
Email: [email protected]
Visit website: www.dyanwilliams.com
Subscribe to productivity e-newsletter

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 will learn:

1) 3 reasons work-life balance isn't really practical or beneficial

2) 3 elements of Intentional Imbalance
- Alignment
- Introspection
- Momentum

3) There’s nothing wrong with having a comfortable and balanced life. But if you want to do something great or extraordinary, you will need to focus on one thing at the expense of the other. And if you’re going to have imbalance, you might as well be intentional about it. 

Watch the video on episode 52, especially if you're a visual learner! Become one of the first 100 subscribers on our YouTube channel, The Incrementalist - A Productivity Show. 

Intro & Outro Theme Music by:

• Sebastian Brian Mehr: Album –  Olemus; Song – La Nieve (hearnow.com)

Check out the book: The Incrementalist, A Simple Productivity System to Create Big Results in Small Steps
Email: [email protected]
Visit website: www.dyanwilliams.com
Subscribe to productivity e-newsletter

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 work easier to do, that’s more than half the battle in making the impossible possible.

In episode 51 of The Incrementalist, you will learn:

1. The power of grit and the habit of ferocity

2. Three ways to make boring or hard work easier to do:

a) Pick the right task to do in a given moment
- The task itself should match your level of focus and energy, which often depends on the time of day and your natural rhythm
- The 3 stages of the flow cycle
- The mind-body ultradian rhythm
- The challenge-skills balance and work-rest ratio

b) Keep the right mindset for lifelong learning
- A growth mindset is better than a fixed mindset to learn and develop any skill
- The importance of reading books to learn
- The two modes of learning theories - entity vs. incremental theories of intelligence

c) Choose the right turf
- Your workspace environment affects your ability to think and do work
- The one advantage that remote workers have over workers who have to go to a shared office space
- The difference between focused thinking and diffused thinking
- The difference between divergent thinking and convergent thinking
- Four tactics to design your environment for sparking ideas and triggering flow

Watch the video on episode 51, especially if you're a visual learner! Become one of the first 100 subscribers on our YouTube channel, The Incrementalist - A Productivity Show. 

Intro & Outro Theme Music by:

• Sebastian Brian Mehr: Album –  Olemus; Song – La Nieve (hearnow.com)

Check out the book: The Incrementalist, A Simple Productivity System to Create Big Results in Small Steps
Email: [email protected]
Visit website: www.dyanwilliams.com
Subscribe to productivity e-newsletter

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 procrastinate on the things they need to do. And willpower is finite. The more you use it, the less you have on a given day. 

In episode 50 of The Incrementalist, you will learn:

5 steps to reset and start fresh -

1) Acknowledge what you control and don't control.

2) Figure out what you really want.

3) Remove obstacles that take up mental bandwidth and drain your energy.

4) Take one small action.

5) Set artificial deadlines.

Check out the new YouTube channel at The Incrementalist - A Productivity Show! If you're visual learner, there is a video on episode 50! Become one of the first 100 subscribers on our YouTube channel! 

Intro & Outro Music by:

• Sebastian Brian Mehr: Album – Olemus; Song – La Nieve (hearnow.com)

Check out the book: The Incrementalist, A Simple Productivity System to Create Big Results in Small Steps
Email: [email protected]
Visit website: www.dyanwilliams.com
Subscribe to productivity e-newsletter

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 episode 49 of The Incrementalist, you will learn:

1) The Habit Stacking formula

2) How habit stacking fits with Professor BJ Fogg's ABC method for designing behavior and building habits

3) Habit stacking applies the four rules of habit formation, outlined in James Clear's book, Atomic Habits:
Rule 1 - make the cue obvious
Rule 2 - make the craving attractive
Rule 3 - make the response easy
Rule 4 - make the reward satisfying

4) 5 quick tips for habit stacking

Check out the new YouTube channel at The Incrementalist - A Productivity Show! If you're visual learner, there is a video on episode 49!  Become one of the first 100 subscribers on our YouTube channel! 

Intro & Outro Music by:

• Sebastian Brian Mehr: Album – Olemus; Song – La Nieve (hearnow.com)

Check out the book: The Incrementalist, A Simple Productivity System to Create Big Results in Small Steps
Email: [email protected]
Visit website: www.dyanwilliams.com
Subscribe to productivity e-newsletter

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) Key lessons from James Clear's Atomic Habits and Professor BJ Fogg's Tiny Habits books

2) What is a habit

3) How your brain controls your behavior 

4) How habits form through a neurological loop: cue, trigger, craving, response and reward

5) What drives behavior (Professor BJ Fogg's B= MAP formula)

6) Why good habits are so hard to build

• Reason 1 - the cue is not obvious 
• Reason 2 - the craving is not strong
• Reason 3 - the action step is not easy
• Reason 4 - the reward is not satisfying

Check out the new YouTube channel at The Incrementalist - A Productivity Show! If you're visual learner, there is a video on episode 48! Become one of the first 100 subscribers on our YouTube channel! 

Intro & Outro Music by:

• Sebastian Brian Mehr: Album – Olemus; Song – La Nieve (hearnow.com)

Check out the book: The Incrementalist, A Simple Productivity System to Create Big Results in Small Steps
Email: [email protected]
Visit website: www.dyanwilliams.com
Subscribe to productivity e-newsletter

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 need an app or even a planner to time block. 

In episode 47 of The Incrementalist, you will learn:

1) More busyness does not lead to higher quality or better results. To align your intentions with your actions, you need to have structure in your day. You also want to have buffers for emergencies and margin for the unexpected.

2) Time blocking is an essential tool to protect time for important projects and tasks. You assign a time block – with a start time and an end time – to focus on a specific activity or a batch of similar activities.  

3) The subtle and important difference between time blocking and time boxing.

4) 3 main tips for time blocking

Tip 1: schedule time blocks in 30-minute or 1-hour increments (not in 5-minute increments like Elon Musk)

Tip 2: time block just the day (not the whole week)

Tip 3: incorporate theming and batching in your time blocks (not time blocks for whatever, whenever)

4) You do not need digital apps or even a planner to time block

5) How I time block the easy, stress-free way on a whiteboard. 

 
Check out the new YouTube channel at The Incrementalist - A Productivity Show! If you're visual learner, there is a video on episode 47!  Become one of the first 100 subscribers on our YouTube channel! 

Intro & Outro Music by:

• Sebastian Brian Mehr: Album – Olemus; Song – La Nieve (hearnow.com)

Check out the book: The Incrementalist, A Simple Productivity System to Create Big Results in Small Steps
Email: [email protected]
Visit website: www.dyanwilliams.com
Subscribe to productivity e-newsletter

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 money into it, even if the current costs outweigh the benefits. 

2) Commitment bias is to stand by past decisions despite new evidence showing this isn’t the best action. 

3) The Endowment Effect is to ascribe a higher value to things we already own. The disutility of a loss is greater than the utility of a comparable gain. The displeasure in losing something is greater than the pleasure in gaining the same thing.   

4) The story behind Instagram

• How this microbusiness with 13 employees sold to Facebook for $1 billion
• Why co-founders Kevin Systrom and Mike Krieger quit working on the check-in app, Burbn, and pivoted to the photo-sharing app, Instagram
• The significance of focusing on a unique solution for a specific problem

5) The three curves to watch out for in any major endeavor or project, according to Seth Godin:

• The Dip
• The Cul-de-sac
• The Cliff

6) The three questions to ask when deciding whether to quit or stick with it:

• Am I in a cul-de-sac, on a cliff, or in the dip?
• Am I willing to slog through the dip?
• Why am I doing this thing? (Is it to be the best or for some other reason?)

7) Why you need to practice strategic quitting and set your quitting criteria before you start.

8) The Incrementalist approach is to prioritize what matters, make time for it, and create margin.

9) Sometimes you do need to quit even good things to make space for one great thing.

Check out the new YouTube channel at The Incrementalist - A Productivity Show! If you're visual learner, there is a video on Episode 46! Become one of the first 100 subscribers on our YouTube channel! 

Read the transcript.

Sources cited:

• Seth Godin, The Dip: A Little Book that Teaches You When to Quit (and When to Stick)

Music by:

• Sebastian Brian Mehr: Album – Olemus; Song – La Nieve (hearnow.com)

Check out the book: The Incrementalist, A Simple Productivity System to Create Big Results in Small Steps
Email: [email protected]
Visit website: www.dyanwilliams.com
Subscribe to productivity e-newsletter

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 upcoming months.   

In episode 45 of The Incrementalist, you will learn:

1. How much time to invest in the Yearly Review. 

2. You get to decide where to review your year, such as at the dining table, at your work desk, on your couch, or outdoors if the local weather is ideal.

3. The Peak End Rule is a cognitive bias that affects our memories and shapes our behavior. We remember fragments of an event or experience. The fragments are the peaks, the pits, and the beginning and ending. 

4. Don’t rely on just your memory when you do your review. Go through your personal records, like journals, planners, calendars, notebooks, videos and photos. 

5. 12 questions to kickstart your year: 

Question #1: What made you feel the most joy? 

Question #2: What made you feel the most discontent?

Question #3: What was your biggest win? How did you celebrate it?

Question #4: What was your biggest setback? How did you recover from it?  

Question #5: What do you wish to do or experience more? What would happen if this came true? How can you make it come true?    

Question #6: What do you wish to do or experience less? What would happen if this came true? How can you make it come true? 

Question #7: Which habit or activity renews your energy the most?

Question #8: Which habit or activity drains your energy the most?  

Question #9 What did you do to make life for your [spouse, partner, child, sibling, parent, friend, colleague] more easeful?        

Question #10: What did you do to make life for your [spouse, partner, child, sibling, parent, friend, colleague] more difficult?  

Question #11: What did you receive from each person that made you most grateful? 

Question #12: What was the biggest lesson you learned and are afraid to apply?  

6. If these questions do not resonate with you, be sure to come up with your own to reflect on the past and plan for the future. 

7. Remember the 80/20 Rule: 20% of what you do creates 80% of the results, either 80% of your joy or 80% of you discontent. 

8. The huge benefits of reflecting on the past before you plan for the future. 

9. Asking the right questions will lead to more informed answers. Sometimes we avoid questions because they are inconvenient and they hold us accountable or responsible. But if we don’t bring them to the surface, they will linger and keep us from growing and making good decisions.    

Check out the new YouTube channel at The Incrementalist - A Productivity Show! If you're visual learner, there is a video on Episode 45! 

Read the transcript.

Sources cited: 

• Dyan Williams, The Incrementalist podcast, Ep. 8, How to Plan Your Ideal Week
• Dyan Williams, The Incrementalist podcast, Ep. 19, Create Peak Moments for a Meaningful Life

Music by:

• Sebastian Brian Mehr: Album – Olemus; Song – La Nieve (hearnow.com)

Check out the book: The Incrementalist, A Simple Productivity System to Create Big Results in Small Steps
Email: [email protected]
Visit website: www.dyanwilliams.com
Subscribe to productivity e-newsletter