379: Anne-Laure Le Cunff — Tiny Experiments

What It Covers

Anne-Laure Le Cunff, neuroscientist and author, explains how to design tiny experiments to combat burnout, embrace uncertainty, and escape three cognitive scripts that drive misaligned goal-setting in business and life.

Key Questions Answered

• •Three Cognitive Scripts: People follow the Sequel Script (decisions based on past choices for narrative consistency), Crowd Pleaser Script (goals that earn praise from others), and Hollywood Script (only pursuing massive, ambitious goals). Recognizing these patterns enables intentional decision-making aligned with personal values.
• •Plus-Minus-Next Framework: Track experiments using three columns: Plus (what worked and felt good), Minus (what didn't work or felt bad), and Next (potential tweaks or future directions). This captures both quantitative external metrics and qualitative internal signals like burnout or fulfillment for complete evaluation.
• •Direction Over Destination: Replace specific end goals with vector-based direction that allows progress toward outcomes impossible to imagine today. Check in regularly to ensure the direction still aligns with current values and circumstances, avoiding disappointment from either achieving or missing rigid targets.
• •Experiment Design Protocol: Choose one action and duration (three to five days for smallest experiments, six months for complex ones), withhold judgment until data collection completes, then evaluate. Starting with tiny commitments like taking meeting notes for five days builds positive momentum without overwhelming commitment.