The Art of Manliness

The Art and Science of Getting Unstuck

May 17, 2023

Adam Alter, a social psychologist and marketing professor, delves into the universal feeling of being stuck. He reveals that even the most successful individuals have faced periods of stagnation. Adam discusses the 'goal gradient effect' and the illusion of the creative cliff, highlighting how accepting one's stuckness is often the first step toward progress. He shares practical tactics to get unstuck, such as conducting a friction audit and balancing exploration with exploitation, encouraging listeners to embrace failure as a pathway to growth.

46:38

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Adam Alter

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Quick takeaways

Feeling stuck is a common experience; mindset shifts help escape it.

Breaking goals into smaller parts minimizes motivation lulls and plateaus.

Learning from others and combining ideas can lead to breakthroughs and success.

Deep dives

The inevitability of getting stuck and the importance of mindset shifts

Feeling stuck is a universal human experience faced by even the most successful individuals. Social psychologist Adam Alter explains that getting stuck is inevitable in life and explores the mindset shifts and practices needed to escape it. He discusses the factors that contribute to getting stuck, such as the goal gradient effect and the creative cliff illusion. He advises on dealing with the emotional aspects of feeling stuck, including the importance of radical acceptance and failing well. Furthermore, he emphasizes the significance of exploration and exploitation in finding breakthroughs and highlights the necessity of taking action to get unstuck.

Reduce Friction

01:40

Mitigating the Goal Gradient Effect: Shrink the Middle

00:45

Manufacturing Luck and Radical Acceptance

00:58

Exploration vs. Digging Deep: A Look at Human Decision Making

01:46

Intro

2min

Getting Unstuck: Strategies for Progress

17min

Embracing Failure for Growth

6min

Tantalizing Flavors and Memorable Experiences

3min

Strategies for Getting Unstuck: Embracing Change and Removing Obstacles

4min

Navigating Creativity: Exploration and Exploitation

18min

Concluding Reflections and Resources for Further Exploration

2min

Do you feel stuck in life — that you aren’t making progress in a relationship, job, or goal and you don’t know how to fix the problem and move forward? Well, perhaps you can take a little solace in the fact that it’s a universal human experience, even amongst history’s highest achievers. Indeed, when Adam Alter, a social psychologist and professor of marketing, looked at the lives of successful actors, musicians, writers, filmmakers, and entrepreneurs, he found that they all had passed through times in their lives and careers when they felt totally stuck.

Today on the show, Adam, who’s the author of Anatomy of a Breakthrough: How to Get Unstuck When It Matters Most, explains why getting stuck is an inevitability in life, as well as mindset shifts and practices to escape from stuckness. We first talk about what contributes to getting stuck, including the goal gradient effect, and how the illusion of the creative cliff can keep you from seeing that you may end up doing your best work later in life. We then talk about dealing with the emotional angst of feeling stuck, and how it can be better to initially accept your stuckness than kick against the pricks. From there, we turn to some tactics for getting unstuck, including doing a friction audit and copying the work of others. In my favorite part of the conversation, we discuss the importance of recognizing when to move from exploring to exploiting, and vice versa. We end our conversation with why the mantra for getting unstuck is “action over all.”

Resources Related to the Podcast

Connect with Adam Alter

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The Art of Manliness

The Art and Science of Getting Unstuck

Episode guests

Podcast summary created with Snipd AI

Quick takeaways

Deep dives

The inevitability of getting stuck and the importance of mindset shifts

Shrinking the middle and coping with the plateau effect

Learning from others and the significance of copying

The role of action in getting unstuck

Recognizing the difference between exploration and exploitation

Reduce Friction

Mitigating the Goal Gradient Effect: Shrink the Middle

Manufacturing Luck and Radical Acceptance

Exploration vs. Digging Deep: A Look at Human Decision Making

Resources Related to the Podcast

Connect with Adam Alter

Remember Everything You Learn from Podcasts