If you would like to support the Little Challenges project, you can do so by pre-ordering the book here. Huge thanks to all those who have pre-ordered the book so far!

TABLE OF CONTENTS (first draft)

A note to the reader

Introduction: Meeting 'The Coach'

CHAPTER 1  - The problem with being human

CHAPTER 2  - When life's just a bit too hard: skills for impossible days

• Distress tolerance

• Brain-dumping

• ‘The Coach’

• How control works

CHAPTER 3  - Escaping the quicksand: skills for getting unstuck

• Today vs to-do lists

• The next right step

• The power of ten

• Switching off and on again

CHAPTER 4  - "Who am I anyway?": skills for self-awareness

• Heroes and villains

• Pattern spotting

• The big energy give-away

• On thinking

CHAPTER 5  - "AAAAAAARGH!": skills for resilience

• Three little words

• Voluntary discomfort

• The joy of not-doing

• Accepting what is

CHAPTER 6  - Smoothing the path: skills for making life a little easier

• Naming emotions

• The routine safety net

• Funambulism

• Boring but important

CHAPTER 7  - The social animal: skills for being with others

• Letting you be you and me be me

• Embracing selfishness

• Thinking styles

• Beyond codependency

CHAPTER 8  - Less is more: skills for simple clarity

• Conscious social media

• Decluttering

• Bright line rules

• Ways to create mental space

CHAPTER 9  - Delight: skills for enjoying life more

• Telling new stories

• Dismantling 'shoulds'

• Negative visualisation

• Meaning over happiness

CHAPTER 10  - Steady progress: skills for growth

• The mistake diary

• Non-linear progress

• Habit-building

• Beyond the personal

CHAPTER 11  - Future flourishing: skills for getting the best out of yourself

• The Dilbert Principle

• Choice architecture

• Deciding what you want

• Pre-programming

Conclusion: The most important thing....

Acknowledgements

Suggestions for further reading

Reference notes

BACK COVER COPY (first draft)

• Do you feel overwhelmed by things to do and people who need you?

• Do you struggle to find time and energy for the things you love?

• Do you ever find yourself wishing you could just run away from it all?

Little Challenges contains over 40 practical ways to help you feel better, get more done and start enjoying life. Based on ideas from neuroscience, behavioural psychology and philosophy, this book will help you understand yourself better and offer simple, gentle steps towards the life you want.

After a dramatic midlife breakdown, Katie Elliott realised that she couldn’t go on living as she had. She started studying to find out why some people thrive whilst others struggle. A few months later, having experimented using everything she learned, she found herself diagnosis- and medication-free for the first time in her adult life. More than that, she was happier, fitter and more productive than ever before.

In Little Challenges, Katie shares the simple writing technique which saved her life, along with all of the information and ideas that helped her to start thriving.

………………...

If you would like to support the Little Challenges project, you can do so by pre-ordering the book here. Thank you!