“The difficulty lies, not in the new ideas, but in escaping the old ones, which ramify, for those brought up as most of us have been, into every corner of our minds.” -John Maynard Keynes
1: If self-renewal is our goal, the biggest challenge isn’t a lack of time or money. It’s figuring out where to begin, Anne-Laure Le Cunff writes in Tiny Experiments.
We may ask: “Should I keep my current job or take a risk and start my own business? Should I stay in my hometown or move to a new city? Should I pursue further education or focus on gaining more work experience?”
Questions like these can feel paralyzing. And they can begin a process of self-curiosity.
What is required? The courage to be curious.
Yesterday, we examined the scripts that run on autopilot, which confine us within defined boundaries and limit our perception of what’s possible.
“It is possible to break free from cognitive scripts and carve our own path,” Anne-Laure writes, “but it requires a hard reset.”
2: She recommends seeing ourselves as anthropologists studying our own lives.
“In search of answers, they conduct fieldwork,” she observes. “They go into the field and write field notes. These notes could be written observations, or they may take the form or visual maps to chart relationships and uncover intriguing connections.”
How do we proceed?
“For just one day, I invite you to play a game of self-anthropology,” Anne-Laure suggests. “It’s a game of curiosity, an exercise in receptiveness, a way to deactivate your cognitive scripts. It’s a fun opportunity to conduct an audit of our lives and reevaluate our goals.”
We don’t need any fancy tools. Just a notebook or a notes app on our phones. As we go about our day, we simply jot down our thoughts along with the time.
“Call it ‘Field Notes’ or another title that feels playful or meaningful,” she writes. “Then, whenever something crosses your mind, write a time stamp and a few words.”
It’s best to run this tiny experiment on a typical workday. We “might write something down after we read an inspiring article or listen to an infuriating podcast, record a thought-provoking phrase from a conversation with a friend or capture our feelings after they have left,” Anne-Laure explains. “Maybe we put down an idea that comes to us on the train or the feelings we had minutes before giving an important presentation.”
No need to capture everything that happens. Our goal isn’t to create a prolonged narrative record or painstaking log.
“Field notes offer a way to become an active observer and to discover interesting patterns in our lives,” she writes. “Because we take notes in the present moment, rather than waiting until the end of the day to reflect, we’re less likely to forget bursts of inspiration and fleeting ideas that might otherwise get lost in the bustle of the day.”
We use our curiosity as our compass. We are collecting data points. We may want to note:
- Our insights: Moments of curiosity, ideas, as well as random thoughts and questions that spark our interest.
- Our energy: What excites us? What drains our energy?
- Our Mood: How do we feel during and after various experiences, such as meetings, workouts, or listening to a podcast?
- Our encounters: Insights that arise when we interact with different people
“To augment those written notes,” Anne-Laure explains, “we might additionally create a photo album where we store images of things, places, or people that jumped out at us, or a sketchbook for drawing and doodling.”
Because we have time stamps, it’s easy to remember where we were and what we were doing. We may want to create categories for “things that give me joy” and “things that drain me,” or for “what I want more of” and “what I want less of,” or our insights into learnings, relationships, as well as our health.
3: “After just twenty-four hours, we will have a treasure trove of data about a typical day in our lives,” she predicts. “Spend time reading our notes and reflecting. Look for recurring themes, interesting details, and general feelings that come up again and again.
“Simply by grouping our breadcrumbs into larger piles, we will see patterns emerge,” Anne-Laure writes. “This could be a persistent challenge or a point of curiosity. For instance, we could notice that we have the morning blues every day when it’s time to go to work or that our moods tend to be higher when we participate in group projects. It could be that a specific type of task always makes you feel creative or that conversations with certain people tend to yield more insights.”
Our goal in reviewing our notes is to identify insights that will inform our next experiment.
“Like a scientist, we can now use our observations to formulate a hypothesis,” she explains. “It all starts with a research question. For example, if we observe that we’re feeling energized when discussing certain topic, we might ask ourselves: How can I incorporate more of this into my daily life?”
Next, we turn our question into a hypothesis: “Formulating a hypothesis is an intuitive process based on our past experiences and present inclinations,” Anne-Laure notes. “It should simply be an idea we want to put to the test—an inkling of an answer to our research question.”
She provides some examples:
- Observation: I’m dreading giving presentations.
- Question: How can I become more confident?
- Hypothesis: Improv classes might build my confidence.
- Observation: I feel anxious in the morning.
- Question: How can I feel more grounded before going to work?
- Hypothesis: Meditation might help regulate my emotions.
- Observation: I get excited when talking about renewable energy.
- Question: How can I learn more about the renewable energy sector?
- Hypothesis: Networking with professionals might open new doors.
- Observation: I rarely have time to read.
- Question: How can I make reading a part of my daily life?
- Hypothesis: Setting aside specific times might help me build a reading habit.
- Observation: I enjoy graphic design and receive positive feedback on my work.
- Question: How can I do more graphic design work?
- Hypothesis: Freelancing might be a fun way to strengthen my portfolio.
Anne-Laure concludes: “Notice how different each question and its corresponding hypothesis are from linear goals. In the work-related examples above, the ultimate aim is not to become a successful public speaker or graphic designer. Rather than an attempt to reach a fixed destination, testing a hypothesis is an opportunity for growth. . .
“We are simply exploring our potential,” she writes, “driven by genuine curiosity, asking ourselves: What might I find on that path? Once we have a hypothesis, we can design an experiment and turn our lives into a giant laboratory for self-discovery.”
More tomorrow!
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Reflection: What patterns and routines am I unconsciously following, and how might observing my daily life with curiosity reveal new opportunities for growth?
Action: Set aside one day to take field notes on my thoughts, moods, and energy, then review them to identify a small experiment I can try to spark self-renewal.
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