The Process
The Partially Human Process
At the end of each post, you will find an experiment based on the Partially Human Process. The process is our action-oriented, data-driven method of iterating our way to insight and a good life.
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1. PAY ATTENTION “What are things like right now?”
Bring awareness to the current situation by gathering objective and subjective data.
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2. GET CURIOUS “What matters to me about this situation?”
Take a closer look at the situation through an open-minded, dispassionate lens, questioning your assumptions and beliefs to gain a deeper understanding of reality and also what is driving and motivating you.
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3. GET CREATIVE “What can I do differently?”
Generate ideas about how you could move closer toward a situation that is more closely aligned with your goals, values, and the life you want.
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4. TAKE ACTION “What’s achievable? What’s the first step?”
Look at the ideas you generated and choose 1-2 things to do that would make a difference. Aim for tasks that are lower effort and higher impact: what’s the easiest, simplest way you can make a difference?
And then get moving! Experiment! Play around! Take small, consistent steps toward your goals.
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5. GAIN INSIGHT “What did I learn? Now what?”
Use that fancy monkey brain of yours to figure out whether your experiment is working and what you want to do now that you have a better understanding of the situation. Self-experimentation is about continuous learning and making decisions based on the evidence of how things work in our own lives. It’s an ongoing cycle of refining and reflecting.
Different things will resonate with different people, so don’t worry if something isn’t landing for you—simply try something else until you find what works. Sometimes it might feel like you are haphazardly stumbling around in the dark, sometimes it might feel like you’ve discovered some big secret to life, either way—just keep exploring, learning, and tinkering.
The Mindset
The mindset you bring to the process is critical. We ask that you approach each experiment with:
CURIOSITY: Cultivating a genuine interest in understanding the truth of reality—unflinchingly seeing all the guts and glory of life—opens the door to new worlds and possibilities. This requires an open-mind willing to question everything.
PLAYFULNESS: Showing up with a light-hearted spirit unlocks creativity and growth, and it makes it easier to stick with things because you’re enjoying the journey. These experiments are not something for you to clench your butt cheeks about! There’s no test. No one is grading you. This is not an emergency. Please have fun.
COMPASSION: Learning and experimenting are vulnerable acts; they assume that we don’t know everything and are not already perfect. There’s a tendency to shy away from those truths, avoiding things that reveal our ignorance or expose our faults. To evolve, we need to hold seemingly contradictory notions in our mind: that we are already worthy, valuable, and complete AND that we can and must continuously grow and improve.
One Step at a Time
We recommend that you only focus on one experiment at a time, playing around with the ideas and practices for a couple of weeks before moving on to something else. Make one small thing better. And then another. And then another. Just keep taking steps, day-by-day, toward a good life.
Share Your Insights and Results
Let us know how it goes. Leave comments on the site or on social media to share with other fancy monkeys what you learn and what works for you.