Neuroscientist and former Google executive Anne-Laure Le Cunff argues that traditional goal-setting is a recipe for disappointment in many areas of life. Instead, she promotes an experimental mindset, using tiny experiments to navigate uncertainty in career, relationships, and health.
The Problem with Goals
Le Cunff explains that goals work well only when the destination is known and the path is clear, such as buying a specific car. But for life's most important questions—career, relationships, health—the destination shifts as we grow. Chasing goals in these areas leads to frustration and self-blame, akin to locking in an answer before understanding the question.
Drawing on her background as a neuroscientist, Le Cunff notes that the brain learns through generating predictions and updating them when they prove wrong. However, most people interpret this as failure and double down on their plans.
The Experimental Mindset
Le Cunff proposes an alternative: the experimental mindset, borrowed from scientists. Instead of asking "Am I there yet?", one asks "What can I learn?" This approach encourages trying new approaches, paying attention to outcomes, and changing direction based on evidence. The goal is to learn, not to achieve a fixed outcome.
To apply this mindset, Le Cunff suggests starting with observation. Spend 24 hours as an anthropologist, taking field notes on what gives energy, what drains it, and who you love talking to. These observations reveal areas ripe for experimentation—routines, commitments, or habits—that can be tested with a tiny experiment.
Designing Tiny Experiments
Every experiment boils down to one line: "I will [action] for [duration]." No big commitments, just a protocol to test. For example, in career, try: "I will spend 30 minutes a day reading newsletters for a month" or "I will block out one afternoon a week for deep creative work." Le Cunff herself committed to writing a weekly newsletter for 20 weeks, which led to a consulting business, an online community, and eventually her first book.
In relationships, experiments can break calcified patterns. Replace a weekly call with an activity together for six weeks, or contact one lost friend per week for a month. For romantic relationships, a friend of Le Cunff ran experiments like singles events, friend introductions, and different apps, framing each as a learning opportunity rather than a pass-or-fail test. He discovered he valued honest conversation over impressive partners.
Experiments in Health
Wellness is saturated with one-size-fits-all goals like 10,000 steps or eight glasses of water. Le Cunff says the experimental mindset helps reframe health: instead of adopting others' definitions, run experiments to find what works for your body. For marathon training, test nutrition, fatigue management, and morning vs. evening exercise. Even small experiments like "I will go to bed at the same time for 10 days" yield personal data.
Le Cunff's book, Tiny Experiments: How to Live Freely in a Goal-Obsessed World, is published by Profile at £10.99. She concludes that tiny experiments allow you to build a life that is yours, not a copy of someone else's blueprint.
