Anatomy of Achievement

10 | Attention Is Currency & You're Spending It Without Thinking

In this lab, we audit your attentional budget: what it actually costs your brain to switch tasks, how companies like Meta are monetising your focus for profit, why you can't access creativity if you've lost the ability to be bored, and what the science says about taking it back. We cover switching costs, the attention economy, dopamine, cognitive load, and why 47 seconds is the number that should scare you.In this lab, we run a full audit of your attentional budget: what it actually costs your brain to switch tasks, how companies like Meta are monetising your focus for profit, why you can't access creativity if you've lost the ability to be bored, and what the science says about taking it back. We cover switching costs, the attention economy, dopamine, cognitive load, and why 47 seconds is the number that should scare you.

9 | The Neuroscience of Deliberate Practice: Why Working Hard Isn't Enough

In this lab, we put you under the microscope—are you actually working hard?

8 | What Elite Performers Do Differently When They Practice

In this prelab, we prepare to ask the most heinous question a high-achiever can be asked, “are you actually working hard?”.

7 | Is Ambition Becoming a Dirty Word? The Psychology of Why Success Makes People Uncomfortable

In this lab, inspired by the substack ‘is having a boyfriend embarrassing?’, we discuss what constitutes healthy ambition, why unhealthy ambition can feel heavy,  and how we discern between them so that our approach to achievement is sustainable. The host also says “daddy” more times than are socially acceptable for a 20-minute episode.

6 | Why the People Closest to You Don't Support Your Ambitions (The Psychology of Tall Poppy Syndrome)

In this lab, we dissect the vexing paradox that strangers find it easier to support your goals and ambitions more than some of your nearest and dearest.