Ness Labs Interview on Personal Experiments
Hey there,
A few months back, I chatted with the brilliant minds at Ness Labs about personal experiments. As Anne-Laure Le Cunff, the community's founder, gears up to publish a book on this topic, I decided to revisit and share that conversation here.
It captures what I've been trying to convey: the power of clear direction, decisive action, and continuous growth — with personal experiments as the driving force.
Since that interview, I've run another experiment building on the first one. This led to the decision to launch an AI Bootcamp for Leaders, Change Makers, and Self-Innovators soon.
I've been talking to people who still fear AI or haven't realized that combining their human skills with AI makes a difference. I want to help fix that, and I'm partnering up with two great allies to make it happen.
I'll keep you posted on this new adventure.
Stay strong, Gus
Create 3 GPTs in 30 days • Gustavo da Cunha Pimenta
Gus is a product leader and an adaptability mentor with two decades of experience who finds his true passion in helping people grow and organizing gatherings with people from different walks of life. He describes himself as adaptable and neurodivergent, viewing his role across various organizations as the "generalist in residence" who helps others adapt to change.
Currently, Gus splits his time between two ventures: Liminal Pepper, where he collaborates with early-stage startups as a "founder-as-a-service" or Fractional CPO, and Fixed to Flow, where he empowers individuals to amplify their adaptability. He particularly focuses on helping people aged 30-50 who are seeking new career paths.
Gus embraces radical diversity and leverages knowledge from different worlds, attributing his adaptability to his neurodiversity and experiences coping with a world not designed for people like him. "My life path has been shaped by a wide range of professional and personal experiences, enabling me to embrace an approach rooted in radical diversity," he explains.
In his free time, Gus enjoys spending time with friends and family, meeting new people, and organizing what he calls "cozy sessions" - small dinners to discuss big topics. His diverse interests also include dancing, cooking, reading, hiking, and indulging in spicy food.
In this community case study, we explore one of his experiments, what he learned, and the advice he has to share with others who would like to run their own tiny experiments.
PACT: What tiny experiment did you run?
I love how you phrase it--making a pact with myself. I've been doing those for quite a while, but this one was different. It had different layers and revealed itself as a box of surprises still unfolding.
I publicly shared my experiment intentions from the start but also had other objectives in mind. Let's start with the first.
I committed to creating the following custom ChatGPTs in 30 days:
Thinking Partner: An AI partner to brainstorm, strategize, and integrate new insights into my thought process, offering fresh perspectives and creative problem-solving.
Personalized Copywriter: An AI copywriter that mirrors my writing style and works as a companion, not a replacement, in my writing process.
Adaptability Partner: A public AI assistant that helps people improve their adaptability to change.
Why did I decide to build these custom ChatGPTs? On the first layer, I had the following objectives:
I use AI daily for multiple tasks but wanted to be more intentional and objective.
At Liminal Pepper and Fixed to Flow, creating AI Assistants for clients makes more and more sense now, alongside the other tools and frameworks I use.
Finally, I wanted to develop a structure I could replicate in other areas of my life and share with others.
These desired outcomes would make the experiment pay off, but I had something more on my mind… Be in builder mode again and build in public.
I had ended my one-year "tour of duty" as Chief Product Officer at Cannavigia, a Swiss startup in the cannabis industry that works with businesses and governments. Leading a team is captivating, but when growing one, you usually manage it instead of doing the work. I wanted to smell the trenches again.
Whenever I build something in public, I learn exponentially, nurture stronger connections, reflect more, and integrate valuable lessons into my life. Launching a project like Fixed to Flow opened that door again, and this experiment was the perfect fit. It was a genuine experiment and a systematic way to formalize and streamline practices I've long embraced.
ACT: How did you ensure you'd manage to show up consistently?
I've been building meaningful productivity systems for myself and others for a long time, so I can literally say I had a system in place. But more than a system, it embodies a life philosophy of aligning my flow compass with my actions.
Let me explain with this concrete example. As I mentioned in the interview introduction, one of my drivers is to help people grow and grow along with them. I'm creating Fixed to Flow to empower people to succeed by amplifying their adaptability. My word for this year is commit. One of my goals this year is to build and share tools for thought, like the Adaptability Partner. So, there's a flow from what moves me to what I'm doing. That makes everything easier, not to mention all the habits, routines, and rituals that are part of the system.
None of this is rocket science. Anne-Laure Le Cunff has shared similar principles for years at Ness Labs. That's what meaningful productivity is all about. You call it mindful productivity at Ness Labs, but we're on the same page.
Additionally, There were other factors at play in this case:
Committing to build in public created accountability.
Rejoining Ness Labs during the same period allowed me to discuss the experiment with like-minded people. I started the conversation on a channel dedicated to personal experiments, had a fantastic call with Trevor Lohrbeer (who knows much more than me about building custom ChatGPTs), and ended on a monthly call to discuss personal experiments with Anne and other community members. In fact, it was Anne's article on creating a thinking partner that catalyzed my experiment. It was full circle.
AI is a rabbit hole. You only realize its impact and how fast this revolution will be once you start playing with it.
Regarding disruptions, I started getting pulled into the experiment and spent tons of time learning more about AI. More than the technicalities, I was focused on improving the "abstraction layer" between AI and me. But it was time well spent.
In the startup world, we run experiments and invest as we see traction. This experiment was similar. As I invested more time in AI, I saw exponential improvements in my productivity.
REACT: How did you reflect on your progress and course correct when needed?
Reflection is one of the pillars of the Growth Flywheel I created some time ago.
The flywheel consists of four interconnected vectors: experimentation, diversity, reflection, and integration:
Experimentation fuels personal growth.
Diversity prevents repetitive optimization.
Reflection helps us learn the lessons from the experiments.
Integration allows us to incorporate the lessons in the way we act.
The concept applies to both kids and adults. But in a different way.
Kids are experimentation machines. Diversity is also very appealing to them. But sometimes, it takes years for proper reflection and integration. That's a beautiful part of life; they find what they love by doing countless experiments until something sticks with them.
Adults tend to run much fewer personal experiments. They focus more on committing to what they currently do--whether they love it or not. They have not only less time but also more responsibilities in life. But often, when they decide to try something new, they go "all in" from one day to the next. There is no need for that in most cases; there are many ways to keep trying new things as an adult.
Three examples:
Before starting your podcast, consider guest appearing or co-hosting on existing podcasts. This will help you understand the work involved and if you enjoy it.
Before moving to a new country, live there for a month or two. This trial period can give you a realistic perspective on daily life, culture, and potential challenges.
If you're considering a career change, such as opening a restaurant, ask a restaurant owner if you could shadow them for a week. You might even work in a restaurant for a while.
We should embrace more uncertainty, like happy scientists with an experimental mindset. No need to stop dreaming or make thoughtless radical moves. We can sense and respond to new opportunities as we go.
IMPACT: What was the result of your experiment?
The experiment's impact is still unfolding, but it already produced mind-blowing effects.
Starting with my commitment, I built three ChatGPTs and a fourth one for Fixed to Flow. The funny thing is that that assistant, which wasn't part of the plan, is probably the one I use the most.
I've noticed big changes in how I use AI. I'm more intentional and in control of the abstraction layers between me and the different models. I discovered a few tools now part of my toolbox - highlighting Poe, which allows me to interact with the main models in the same interface.
On the social level, building in public is a game changer. I loved the accountability, the connections I made, the feeling of being on a collective journey, the business leads, and being interviewed by Ness Labs, the community around meaningful productivity I respect the most.
I also learned how to help others better run personal experiments. As a Notion Ambassador, I immediately started working on a Notion template for it. The template is currently in its testing phase, with some Ness Labs members actively using it.
Last but not least, with each personal experiment, we learn more about how powerful this approach is. But this time, I decided to use my favorite reflection tool to make the most out of it, writing, and I'm also working on an article about the topic.
As I answer these questions, I'm exchanging emails with the builders of one of my favorite AI tools. The effects are still unfolding.
These effects are more about showing up every day and progress than anything else.
What advice would you give to someone who is curious about running their first tiny experiment?
My first advice for curious minds is not to start with an experiment like the one I've shared.
Ideally, you build your "experimenter muscle" first, start trusting the system, and then aim higher. But before addressing the operational side, let's focus on the big picture.
There are two approaches to running personal experiments: top-down and bottom-up. Both offer valuable lessons.
The bottom-up is straightforward. You notice something you want to improve, so you formulate a hypothesis and test it.
The top-down approach requires clarity about your life goals before picking experiments that help you reach them.
Here's practical advice for both approaches:
Start small to gain momentum and build your experimenter muscle.
Draft a plan outlining your hypothesis, process, and timeline.
Block time in your calendar for your experiment.
Embrace accountability by sharing updates in public or having an accountability buddy.
Document your journey with observations, insights, and reflections.
Reflect, analyze, review findings, and extract key learnings.
Integrate the learnings into your life.
I can't end this interview without playing devil's advocate for a moment…
If you're reading this, chances are you're a lifelong learner who sees personal growth as integral to being alive. But I'd like to ask you to cut yourself some slack.
Don't get caught up in the process. Enjoy the present moment. The world is full of happy people who couldn't care less about most topics I shared today.
Please run personal experiments and reach out to me so we can geek about them. But do it because it genuinely resonates with you--not because I or anyone else says so.