Tips You Missed On Successfully Starting Something New - with Dr. Amanda Crowell
Productivity Gladiator
Balancing Education and Action
This chapter examines the tension between formal education and taking proactive steps towards new ventures. It highlights the value of starting small and experimenting to gain experience, arguing that hands-on learning often eclipses traditional training in creative and professional development.
Dr. Amanda Crowell, a cognitive psychologist and author of "Great Work", shares powerful insights on successfully starting something new. From overcoming mental blocks to having honest conversations about bandwidth, she provides a refreshing perspective on thriving at work without sacrificing everything else. Her relatable personal journey adds depth to this must-listen conversation on productivity and meaningful work.
See the full details and links on the episode's page: https://www.productivitygladiator.com/episodes/tips-you-missed-on-successfully-starting-something-new-with-dr-amanda-crowell
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Links to References In This Episode
Amanda’s Book: “Great Work”
Amanda’s TEDx Talk: Three reasons you aren’t doing what you say you will do
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Episode Digest
Whether it's taking on a new project at work, learning a language, or starting a passion career on the side, embarking on something new can be both exciting and daunting. Our minds can play tricks on us, creating mental blocks that prevent us from even trying. In this insightful conversation, we explore strategies for successfully navigating those roadblocks and setting yourself up for a smoother journey.
One of the biggest obstacles to starting something new is the fixed mindset of "people like me don't do things like this."
We tell ourselves stories about how others will judge us or that we'll somehow be rejected if we step out of our current roles. As Dr. Crowell shares, "The stories we tell each other and ourselves about what people will say about us when we change keep us locked in our current situation more than almost anything else."
To overcome this belonging block, she recommends having open conversations - both with yourself and others. If you find yourself hiding your intentions, that's a red flag that you're worried about potential backlash. Getting it out in the open can reveal that most people don't actually care that much about your personal endeavors.
Another common mindset trap is the belief that "I can't do this."
We imagine scenarios where everything would have to perfectly align for us to succeed at this new thing. The reality is that this fixed mindset of inability becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy - why would you persevere if you've already decided it's impossible? Acknowledging self-limiting beliefs is key.
The antidote? As Dr. Crowell puts it, "Start much smaller than people think is reasonable." Rather than attempting your "magnum opus" out of the gate, begin with bite-sized, manageable actions. Don’t start by writing a book. Write a blog post first, then another one, then another one. Take one small step, observe that it wasn't as difficult as anticipated, and then ask "what do I do now?" Focusing on the emergent, Next Smart Step prevents you from becoming paralyzed by the enormity of the overall goal.
Don’t start by writing a book. Write a blog post first, then another one, then another one. Take one small step…
Of course, starting something new extends beyond just your own mental game. In a work context, organizations and managers play a vital role in setting you up for success. Wise leaders are “humanitarian managers” that recognize that their employees are human beings with complicated emotions, not just output machines. They create an environment of psychological safety by framing new initiative as a "beta" and explicitly stating that mistakes will happen. As Dr. Crowell notes, "If a manager can hold that and protect their people so that when their boss looks down, they look like rock stars - that's the magic."
They also facilitate team-level mental contrasting by proactively discussing potential roadblocks and establishing protocols for dealing with them. This normalizes the inevitable learning curves and prevents surprises from derailing progress.
“We can do this new thing, but not at the current level of work. What existing priorities should we let go of?”
However, even the most supportive environment can still breed burnout if boundaries aren't established. A critical conversation that often gets missed: "We can do this new thing, but not at the current level of work. What existing priorities should we let go of?" As Dr. Crowell emphasizes, trying to operate at a 100% workload is unsustainable - you must preserve bandwidth for unplanned emergencies. When managers and employees lack the courage to have this dialogue, the result is overwork, mistakes, and potential health crises.
Ultimately, successfully starting something new requires developing particular skills beyond just gathering information. You must learn to identify mental roadblocks, ask purposeful questions, assemble an emerging knowledge base, and proactively communicate boundaries.
By reframing our self-talk, setting reasonable expectations, and fostering open conversations, we can overcome procrastination and self-sabotage. So whether your "new thing" is personal or professional, approach it with self-compassion, start small, and surround yourself with supportive voices. As Dr. Crowell advises:
"Let that feeling of 'I can't do this anymore' be your breaking point. Don’t go to the hospital to realize that was it, that was the breaking point."
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Today’s Guest
Dr. Amanda Crowell
Coach & Author on Productivity and Great Work
Dr. Amanda Crowell is a cognitive psychologist, speaker, podcaster, author of Great Work, and the creator of the Great Work Journals. Amanda's TEDx talk: Three Reasons You Aren’t Doing What You Say You Will Do has received more than a million views and has been featured on TED's Ideas blog and TED Shorts. Her ideas have also been featured on NPR, Al Jazeera, The Wall Street Journal, Quartz, and Thrive Global. Amanda lives in New Jersey with her husband, two adorable kids, and a remarkable newfiepoo named Ruthie. She spends her days educating future teachers, coaching accidental entrepreneurs, and speaking about how to make progress on Great Work to colleges and corporate teams.
Website & Podcast: amandacrowell.com
Book: amazon.com/Great-Work-Amanda-J-Crowell/dp/1737374196
IG: @aj_crowell
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/dr-amanda-crowell-51188130/
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