I’ll never forget the week I tried to become the most productive version of myself. Lists, routines, and self-imposed goals—the whole package. But instead of feeling accomplished, I found myself exhausted, scrolling through social media, comparing my tangled sense of progress to everyone else’s highlight reel. That was when I stumbled upon the idea of 'tiny experiments'—a way of thinking that prizes curiosity over achievement, and learning over proving. This post isn’t about having it all figured out; it’s about asking better questions, letting go of perfection, and maybe, finally, finding a little breathing room inside our racing minds.
Why Productivity Makes Us Miserable (And What You Can Do Instead)
Modern life bombards us with information, routines, and endless tasks—yet our brains haven’t kept pace. Every day, we face a flood of news, notifications, and to-do lists. In an effort to maximize productivity and keep up with a rapidly changing world, we try to build systems, stick to routines, and power through long lists of tasks. But this constant push often leads to cognitive overload and mental fatigue.
One major reason for this overload is our instinct to hoard information. We believe that if we just learn more, we’ll finally feel in control. But our brains are fundamentally the same as they were thousands of years ago—they’re not built for this level of constant input. On top of that, social media acts as a giant scoreboard. As I see it,
“We’re all staring at a giant leaderboard with social media where we can see how other people are progressing.”
This endless comparison accelerates cognitive fatigue and reduces our satisfaction with our own progress. We start to question ourselves: Am I doing enough? Am I moving fast enough? Am I ambitious enough?
Enter the maximalist brain: the belief that every effort must be the biggest, most ambitious version possible. If we want to exercise, we decide we must go to the gym every day. If we want to write, we aim to finish a book. If we want to start a project, it has to become a startup. This all-or-nothing mindset is a recipe for overwhelm and burnout. Instead of making steady progress, we often abandon projects entirely because the pressure becomes too much.
Chasing maximalism in all areas of life is a fast track to burnout. The more we try to maximize productivity, the more we risk our mental health. Recognizing these patterns is the first step toward burnout prevention and reclaiming a sense of curiosity and experimentation in our daily lives.
Pulling the Brakes: From Burnout to Tiny Experiments
For years, I followed the familiar linear path: do well in school, land a great job, climb the corporate ladder. From the outside, it looked like success. But inside, I felt empty—bored and burned out. Even after leaving my job at Google, I found myself repeating the same pattern. I started a startup, thinking this would finally bring fulfillment. It didn’t. As I reflected, I realized,
'I decided to start a startup and again I didn't find happiness there by following this idea of success that everyone around me was following.'
This failure, though painful, became a catalyst for my mindset transformation. Without a clear script to follow, I finally asked myself: What am I actually curious about? What would I explore if I forgot about traditional definitions of success? For the first time, I let curiosity—not external validation—guide my next steps.
I returned to my lifelong fascination with the brain and enrolled in graduate studies in neuroscience. But instead of setting grand goals, I embraced tiny experiments: small, achievable actions driven by genuine interest. Each week, I picked a neuroscience topic and wrote about it in a public newsletter. This simple experiment—learning in public—helped me reconnect with motivation and pleasure in my work.
- Tiny experiments don’t require grand plans or lifelong commitments—just a willingness to try, reflect, and iterate.
- They offer a practical path to burnout prevention by making curiosity actionable and sustainable.
- Writing a weekly newsletter became my way to transform burnout into a curiosity driven life.
Research shows that failure can spark true change if it invites introspection. When we turn curiosity into action through tiny experiments, we revitalize our personal growth and motivation. My story is just one example of how shifting from external scripts to curiosity-driven exploration can change everything.
Meet Your Mindsets: Cynical, Escapist, Perfectionist, and the Experimenter
When it comes to mindset transformation, the first step is recognizing the mental habits that hold us back. I’ve learned—especially during stressful times like grad school—that our mindsets are not set in stone. In fact, they’re surprisingly fluid, shifting with our routines, stress levels, and even the people around us. Mapping my own mindset shifts, I noticed how perfectionism and cynicism often showed up together, especially when decision fatigue set in.
There are three main mindsets that can sabotage our happiness and progress:
- Cynical Mindset: This is where both curiosity and ambition are low. We lose interest in growth, often dismissing or mocking others’ enthusiasm. Cynicism can lead to doomscrolling, negative news cycles, and a sense of being stuck in survival mode.
- Escapist Mindset: Here, curiosity remains high, but ambition drops. We dream, plan, and imagine, but rarely act. It’s easy to get lost in binge-watching, retail therapy, or endless vacation planning—anything to escape real responsibilities.
- Perfectionist Mindset: High ambition, low curiosity. We chase goals relentlessly, hoping achievement will bring happiness. This often leads to overworking, toxic productivity, and self-criticism, all in an effort to avoid uncertainty.
It helps to picture these on a 4x4 curiosity-ambition matrix. The good news? These mindsets are not fixed personality traits. They change with our circumstances, triggers, and even our mental health routines. Awareness is the first step before any mindset shift is possible. As research shows, self-awareness creates the opportunity for real change in how we approach goals and setbacks.
There’s a fourth option: the Experimental Mindset. When curiosity and ambition align, we create space for growth, improvisation, and fun. Experimenting with mindsets means you’re not stuck with any label forever. As I remind myself:
"Being aware of your mindsets is the difference between living a conscious life... and going where you actually want to go."
How to Run Your Own Tiny Experiment (Without Turning It Into Another Goal)
Running tiny experiments is a powerful way to escape mental fatigue, decision fatigue, and burnout. Instead of setting another big goal, you can adopt the scientific method: observe, question, try, reflect, and repeat. Here’s how I approach it using what I call a PCT experiment—Purposeful, Continuous, and Trackable.
- Purposeful: Pick something you genuinely care about. Your experiment should have meaning for you, even if it’s small.
- Continuous: Decide on a specific action and a set duration. For example, “I’ll try this for two weeks.” Like a scientist, you commit to collecting all the data before making any judgments.
- Trackable: Keep tracking simple. Did you do the action—yes or no? No complicated metrics needed.
Remember: a tiny experiment is not a habit, a KPI, or a New Year’s resolution. You’re not promising to do this forever. You’re just testing to see what happens. This approach helps prevent perfectionism and burnout by keeping things small and manageable.
After your experiment, review both external results (metrics, outcomes) and internal signals (feelings, satisfaction). Both matter. Short, structured trials offer a risk-free way to test new habits or interests. Sometimes, you’ll find the external results are good, but the internal experience is draining. That’s valuable data too.
Wild Card: My Failed YouTube Experiment
For example, I once ran an experiment to see if I wanted to be a YouTuber. I committed to publishing one video a week for a year. The external data looked great—I gained subscribers and received collaboration requests. But internally, I dreaded every step. I felt anxious and procrastinated before filming. As I reflected, I realized the process was emotionally draining, even though the channel was “successful.”
Even though the YouTube channel was fairly successful in such a short amount of time, I decided to stop.
The key is to learn, not just win. You’re free to pause, pivot, or persist—no grand failure or success required.
Embracing Curiosity: Life Beyond Goals and Habits
Living a curiosity driven life means giving yourself permission to run tiny experiments in every area, rather than locking into rigid goals or habits. Instead of assuming a friend’s running routine will work for me, I can try my own experiment: maybe I’ll run three times a week for three weeks and see how I feel. If it doesn’t fit, I might try dancing or walking instead. This approach applies everywhere—at work, I might send an internal newsletter each week for six weeks, sharing the most interesting links I find. In relationships, I could set aside Sundays to message a friend I haven’t spoken to in a while. For mental health routines, I might walk for 20 minutes daily for 20 days, then reflect on the impact.
What makes this experimental mindset powerful is that I’m not committing forever—I’m just exploring. I give myself permission to not know, to try, and to learn, intentionally. This is a creative act and a conscious rebellion against living on autopilot. Neuroscientific research shows that making curiosity a habit (ironically, by experimenting) boosts engagement, satisfaction, and resilience. It’s also a proven tool for burnout prevention, since novelty and exploration keep life fresh and energizing.
Imagine curiosity as a mischievous sidekick, always hiding my car keys until I agree to explore a new route to work. That playful nudge is what keeps me adaptable and open to new possibilities. As I experiment, I’m not just collecting data—I’m building a life that’s truly my own, not one shaped by others’ expectations.
Curiosity keeps you adaptable and nimble in an everchanging world. It ensures that you stay open to new possibilities and frankly it just makes life more fun.
Curiosity isn’t just a nice add-on; it’s central to living intentionally. By treating every area of life as a space for tiny experiments, I stay nimble, joyful, and ready for whatever comes next.
FAQ: The Tiny Experiment Mindset in Real Life
Adopting the tiny experiment mindset often brings up practical questions, especially if you’re used to rigid goals or routines. I’ve found that embracing experimentation is a powerful antidote to decision fatigue and mental fatigue. Here are some of the most common concerns I hear, along with my perspective as both a neuroscientist and a fellow experimenter.
What if I start an experiment and hate it halfway through? The beauty of tiny experiments is that you’re never locked in. If you find yourself dreading the process or feeling drained, it’s not a failure—it’s valuable data. Pause, pivot, or stop altogether. There’s no shame in changing direction; learning what doesn’t fit is just as important as discovering what does. This approach removes the pressure and guilt that often come with traditional goal-setting. Remember, every outcome—positive or negative—teaches you something about yourself.
How do I know if an experiment’s working? I recommend balancing external results (like feedback or measurable progress) with your internal experience (energy, enjoyment, stress). Sometimes, an experiment might look successful on paper but feel wrong inside. Both types of data matter. If you’re energized and curious, that’s a sign to keep going. If you’re consistently drained or anxious, it might be time to reflect and adjust. The point isn’t perfection; it’s honest observation and ongoing reflection.
Can experiments replace habits or goals? Not exactly. Tiny experiments are tools for discovery, not long-term structure. They help you figure out which habits or goals are truly worth keeping. Once you’ve learned what works for you, you can turn those insights into sustainable routines. Experiments reduce mental fatigue by making change feel lighter and less intimidating. In a world obsessed with outcomes, giving yourself permission to experiment—and even to “fail”—is a radical act of self-kindness and curiosity.
Ultimately, the tiny experiment mindset is about progress, not perfection. Embrace uncertainty, reflect often, and let curiosity lead the way.
TL;DR: If you’re overwhelmed by the chase for achievement, try shifting to an experimental mindset: run small, curiosity-based experiments, pay attention to both external results and internal feelings, and redefine your relationship with goals. There’s more freedom—and fun—on the other side.
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