Tiny Experiments

How to Live Freely in a Goal-Obsessed World

De: Anne-Laure Le Cunff

Narrado por: Anne-Laure Le Cunff

"I loved this profound, practical, and generous book." —Oliver Burkeman

A transformative guide to rethinking our approach to goals, creativity, and life itself from a neuroscientist and entrepreneur, and the creator of the popular Ness Labs newsletter

Life isn’t linear, and yet we constantly try to mold it around linear goals: four-year college degrees, ten-year career plans, thirty-year mortgages. What if instead we approached life as a giant playground for experimentation? Based on ancestral philosophy and the latest scientific research, Tiny Experiments provides a desperately needed reframing: Uncertainty can be a state of expanded possibility and a space for metamorphosis.

Neuroscientist and entrepreneur Anne-Laure Le Cunff reveals that all you need is an experimental mindset to turn challenges into self-discovery and doubt into opportunity. Readers will replace the old linear model of success with a circular model of growth in which goals are discovered, pursued, and adapted—not in a vacuum, but in conversation with the larger world.

Throughout the book, you will ask hard questions and design simple yet meaningful experiments to find the answers. You will learn how to break free from the invisible cognitive scripts that shape your life, how to harness the power of imperfection, and how to make smarter decisions when the path forward is unclear.

This is a guide to:
• Discover your true ambitions through conducting tiny personal experiments
• Dismantle harmful beliefs about success that have kept you stuck
• Dare to make decisions true to your own aspirations
• Stop trying to find your purpose and start living instead

Tiny Experiments offers not just practical tools to make sure our most vital work gets done, but a guide to reawakening our curiosity and drive in a noisy, busy, disaffected world, so that we can discover and pursue our most authentic ambitions while making a meaningful contribution.


* This audiobook edition includes a downloadable PDF containing the Experimentalist Toolkit, Reflection Guide, Glossary and Acknowledgments from the book.

A Refreshing Take on Growth and Creativity!

As a long-time Ness Labs member, I was thrilled to finally meet Anne-Laure Le Cunff in person and to be part of the small group that got to hear the name Tiny Experiments first. It was amazing to see how perfectly the title captured the essence of her work and writing over the years.

The book's focus on embracing curiosity, imperfection, and small-scale experiments really resonated with me—especially since I often try out small projects just to see what sticks. The idea of learning in public and sharing progress, even when it's not perfect, was a powerful reminder that growth is a process, not a destination.

I also appreciated the practical tips for making better decisions and challenging limiting beliefs without feeling overwhelmed. Anne-Laure's approach to iterative learning and embracing uncertainty makes the advice feel doable and encouraging rather than intimidating.

If you're looking for a book that celebrates curiosity and experimentation without the pressure of rigid goals, Tiny Experiments is a must-read.

Curiosity Over Certainty: A Listener’s Gratitude

Listening to Tiny Experiments felt like an invitation, not to master anything, but to explore, to wonder, and to try. I’m especially inspired by Anne-Laure’s choice to record in English, her second language. It gives me courage to someday do the same as one of my own tiny experiments.

Her framing to prioritize curiosity and community over convention, certainty, and continuity has been transformative for me. So much so that I started my own podcast Nevermet Jen just yesterday, with my parents as my very first guests! I want to get better at listening, at communicating in conversation, and this spirit of small, sincere steps toward growth is something I credit directly to Anne-Laure’s work.

Thank you, Anne-Laure, for everything you do — your research, your risks, and your reminders that experiments, especially tiny ones, can change our lives.

A new way of looking at achieving change

it made me think about breaking things I'd like to look into as a series of tiny experiments rather than trying to achieve one big audacious goal, which has never been a good approach for me. eager to get started and give tiny experiments a try.

Innovative, effective approach to adopting a spirit of inquiry and experimentation

Highly useful approach for developing a more open approach to assessing how and where we can make change that works for us: adopt a scientific mindset, make small, discrete "pacts", assess the result, refine, and design the next pact.

Escape from the tyranny of purpose and linear goals

I’ve done a lot of research and writing and speaking on the topic of goal setting and the emotional impact of the conventional wisdom about goals. I’ve managed to accomplish a fair bit in my life with an unconventional approach. Le Cunff’s prescription here gets as close to and beyond anything I’ve encountered on the topic. Recommend.