599. Anne-Laure Le Cunff, Author of Tiny Experiments: How to Live Freely in a Goal-Obsessed World

Show Notes:

Anne-Laure Le Cunff, author of Tiny Experiments and founder of Ness Labs, shares her approach to understanding her own life and why she does things the way she does. Anne-Laure explains that self anthropology is a powerful tool for problem-solvers and doers to understand their own lives and prioritize their priorities. By embracing uncertainty and turning it into curiosity, individuals can overcome procrastination and achieve more in their lives. She emphasizes the importance of self-anthropology in helping people become anthropologists of their own lives by observing themselves throughout their daily lives and asking themselves why they are doing things the way they do. This allows them to understand what is happening right now before planning for the future.

Overcoming Procrastination with Curiosity

One example of how self-anthropology can be applied to procrastination is by focusing on the problem with curiosity rather than trying to beat it. Procrastination is often seen as a signal from the brain and body that something is not working for you right now. By approaching procrastination from a place of curiosity, individuals can learn useful things from it. By identifying the problem, learning more about it, addressing it constructively, and seeking mentorship, coaching, and the right tools, individuals can design tasks in a more fun and enjoyable way. This approach allows individuals to move forward and get unstuck from the pressure to beat the problem. Anne-Laure explains that self-anthropology is a powerful tool for problem-solvers and doers to understand their own lives and prioritize their priorities. By embracing uncertainty and turning it into curiosity, individuals can overcome procrastination and achieve more in their lives.

A Framework for Overcoming Procrastination

The conversation turns to the effectiveness of a framework that treats procrastination with empathy, and overcoming procrastination by asking questions and experimenting with different approaches. This approach can be applied to various challenges, such as managing anger, managing health, and examining patterns in emotions and anxiety. Journaling is a great tool for reflecting on experiences and understanding the root causes of issues. Journaling is a mindfulness practice that allows for non-judgmental observation and self-anthropology. By taking notes about thoughts, emotions, and behavioral patterns, one can ask questions about why they happen, what could be different, and what new approaches or ideas could be explored. Regular reviews of journal entries can help identify patterns and changes in one's life, which can help in dealing with challenges in the present moment and providing material for future reflection.

Tiny Experiments and Atomic Habits

Anne-Laure discusses the concept of making PACTs and how they can be used in conjunction with habits. PACT stands for Purposeful, Actionable, Continuous, and Trackable and they work well with habits.  Atomic habits involve building habits by making tiny experiments with specific durations and outcomes. A tiny experiment is a type of PACT that involves choosing one action and a specific duration to collect data. The main difference between a tiny experiment and an atomic habit is that the experimenter withholds judgment until the data is collected, allowing them to decide if the habit is beneficial or not. The main difference between a tiny experiment and an atomic habit is that the experimenter withholds judgment until the data is collected. This allows them to determine if the habit is beneficial and if it is something they want to continue with in the future. Anne-Laure also discusses the importance of reflection in small experiments, as it helps individuals identify what they enjoy and what they should continue with.  Anne-Laure suggests aligning the data with the measures of success at the end. She suggests tracking internal and external signals, such as mood, heart rate variability, stress, or sleep score, and collecting quantitative data through journaling.

The Power of Learning in Public

Anne-Laure also emphasizes the importance of learning in public, such as announcing the experiment to others and building accountability. This can be done through social media, WhatsApp groups, or even with a few friends, or even just one accountability factor. She stresse