Anne-Laure Le Cunff - How to Design Tiny Experiments Like a Scientist

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Mar 4, 2025

Anne-Laure Le Cunff, a neuroscientist and founder of Ness Labs, dives into the world of 'tiny experiments' and how they can innovate personal growth and creativity. She discusses redefining success from a learning perspective, where curiosity reigns supreme over conventional achievements. The power of fiction as a counterbalance to productivity culture is highlighted, alongside the importance of structured yet flexible note-taking archetypes. Anne-Laure's insights transform uncertainties into opportunities, making exploration a key to meaningful work.

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ANECDOTE

Finding Curiosity Through Uncertainty

Anne-Laure Le Cunff started writing online after leaving Google and experiencing startup failure.
This period of uncertainty led her to reconnect with her curiosity about the brain.

INSIGHT

The Generation Effect

Writing about an idea in your own words enhances understanding and memory, known as the generation effect.
This is a powerful learning tool, encouraging deeper engagement with ideas.

ADVICE

Designing Effective Experiments

Design experiments by defining a clear action and duration.
Le Cunff's experiment of writing 100 articles in 100 weekdays helped her discover her writing preferences.

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Anne Laure Le Cunff is a neuroscientist, entrepreneur, and the founder of Ness Labs. She is the author of the book “Tiny Experiments,” a transformative guide to rethinking your approach to goals, creativity, and life itself. In this episode, we talk about redefining success, the importance of curiosity and the power of “Tiny Experiments” and much more!

In this podcast, Nick and Anne-Laure discuss topics such as:

The Generation Effect & Writing Online – Why writing in your own words enhances memory and understanding.
100 Articles in 100 Days – How setting a clear action and duration creates powerful learning loops.
Redefining Success – The difference between conventional success and a scientist’s approach, where learning something new is never a failure.
Reconnecting with Curiosity – How getting lost can be a gift that leads you to your most meaningful work.
Fiction vs. Nonfiction – Why reading fiction can be an antidote to toxic productivity.
Architects, Gardeners, and Librarians – The note-taking archetypes that help structure and grow ideas.
Digital Gardening & Idea Evolution – How ideas take on a life of their own when shared.
The Book: Tiny Experiments – A Gardener’s Approach – Why small, intentional experiments can lead to big breakthroughs.
Examples of Tiny Experiments – Practical ways to apply this mindset in writing, creativity, relationships, and personal projects.
Tiny Experiments for Agency & Control – How structured experiments give you a greater sense of direction and confidence in uncertain times.

If you’re interested in how small, intentional actions can reshape your thinking and creative process, this episode is packed with insights you won’t want to miss.

You can pre-order Anne-Laure Le Cunff's new book, ‘Tiny Experiments’, here: https://nesslabs.com/book?utm_campaign=podtour&utm_source=linkingyourthinking

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