ConsistencyMotivation is unreliable
Waiting to feel motivated is a bad plan — but the fix isn't more willpower. What the research on habits, self-control and...
The Cairn Practice
The Practice
Notes on the mind behind performance — the psychology and research we’re reading, the journals we make, and conversations with people worth listening to.
Psychology
Self-compassion isn't soft
After a bad session most of us reach for the inner critic, sure it keeps our standards high. The research says it does the opposite — and that being decent to yourself is what...
Consistency
IdentityWho are you when you're not training?
A strong athletic identity is rocket fuel — and, the research warns, a single point of failure. On building a self that...
PerformanceNerves aren't the enemy
The racing heart before you start isn't a malfunction — it's your body mobilising. What the research on arousal, reappraisal and "challenge...
Getting startedWhy writing it down works
We train the body to the decimal and leave the mind to chance. A look at why reflection actually works — and...