 | Tiny Experiments: How to Live Freely in a Goal Obsessed World is full of actionable ideas for living a fulfilling creative life. The author weaves scientific research with personal experiences and testimonials to make the case for embracing curiosity. She says, “Our collective focus on the ladder of success is what gives rise to the proverbial rat race of modern life: if only we can climb one more step—if only we can get that promotion, give that big presentation, grow our online audience, hire a team, buy that house—then we will finally feel at peace.” Her antidote is to explore our innate curiosity and discover what excites us. “What makes you come alive? [Discover] the experiences that light that spark.” |
Some favorite quotes:
- Success is showing up, regardless of the end result.
- You could even experiment with doing nothing for a few minutes a day.
- Making the most of our time isn’t about doing more but being more: more present, more engaged, and more attuned to the quality of our experiences.
- Excellence is a marathon, not a sprint.
- It’s important to notice when we use learning [i.e. research] as procrastination in disguise.
- Remember life is not about how much we do, but how well we do.
- there is so much to learn from our mistakes; we should learn to fall in love with them.
The author had a unique and helpful approach to procrastination. She says, “Procrastination is not an enemy to be conquered, but a meaningful signal that something is amiss—a mismatch between your rational aspirations, your emotional needs, and your practical skills. Approach procrastination from a place of curiosity to identify its cause and adjust your course of action.”
She advocates using procrastination as “a signal to reconsider your approach.”
She advocates using procrastination as “a signal to reconsider your approach.”
I found the exploration of perfectionism especially helpful. She explains that “We are wired to quickly label situations as good or bad, an evolutionary mechanism designed to protect us from unknown risks.”
This instinct becomes problematic when there’s no certain answer.
This instinct becomes problematic when there’s no certain answer.
 | Perfectionism is one of the defense mechanisms we fall back on when faced with uncertainty. "[We] cling to our past successes, trying to repeat them [which] limits our imagination by making us rehash old tales instead of facing the discomfort of the blank page." "When love, acceptance, and attention seem conditional on our achievements, it creates a deep-seated sense of inadequacy that makes us feel that we’re never quite good enough. We tirelessly strive toward unattainable perfection, which not only stifles our curiosity but inevitably leads to disappointment when we fall short of our own unrealistic expectations.” |
But “the more we flex our curiosity muscles, the more uncertainty transforms from something to escape to somewhere to explore. …Rather than resisting uncertainty, we befriend it.”
Thus practice not perfection is the goal. She quotes John Maxwell: “The more you do, the more you fail. The more you fail, the more you learn. The more you learn, the better you get.”
Thus practice not perfection is the goal. She quotes John Maxwell: “The more you do, the more you fail. The more you fail, the more you learn. The more you learn, the better you get.”
 | Because “failure is an integral part of growth . . . embracing imperfection is necessary to live a life of creative adventure.” She points out that it’s unrealistic to expect to excel at everything simultaneously, and instead we should cultivate intentional imperfection, which "means being deliberate about where you invest your efforts, recognizing that you cannot be at the very top all the time and across all areas of life. It’s about striving for sustainable excellence rather than fleeting perfection.” She advises letting go of “good” projects to focus on great projects; to put our focus and effort into the activities that excite us the most. |
But dropping even mediocre projects can be tough. "The bravest thing you can do, sometimes, is to admit that a course of action is no longer serving you and to bow out.”
 | “The stigma attached to quitting often clouds our judgment and can keep us tethered to a project that drains our physical, cognitive, and emotional resources. A powerful barrier to taking a break or abandoning a project is the sunk cost fallacy: the irrational reasoning that further investment—be it time, money or effort—must be made simply because of the initial investment, regardless of the current and future value of that project. We have poured so much energy and hope into a project that it feels impossible to withdraw.” Every author I know has at least one manuscript in a drawer they abandoned when it finally became heartbreakingly clear the story wasn't working—sometimes after many years of investment. |
The author advocates “learning in public” as a way of developing new skills in community, but I found this advice problematic. She says, “Find opportunities to document and share that align with work you would be doing anyway. For instance, writers and artists share snippets of works in progress, giving fans a peek while maintaining momentum.”
 | Before you rush to post your work-in-progress online, consider that this public learning creates an “audience effect,” where a creator alters their behavior to seek social approval. Work shared publicly “becomes content for others to react to, distorting your priorities and skewing them toward pursuing public validation over personal values.” It also opens the creator to critiques and attacks from “mean-spirited trolls.” So why does she suggest such a perilous venture? Apparently because it might increase “your chances of being noticed by potential employers, investors, and collaborators, unlocking new career opportunities.” |
This theme of becoming a successful entrepreneur underlies many of the anecdotes she uses to “sell” her learning method, which essentially undermines her argument of experimenting for its own sake versus working toward a specific goal of “new career opportunities.”
Tiny Experiments was strongest for me when the focus was on the creative journey, on framing experiments as “just for fun,” and “embracing the adventure of not knowing where your path will lead.”
For more helpful tips read: The Power of Practice, Embracing Fear,
How to Keep House While Drowning, Life Admin
How to Keep House While Drowning, Life Admin
