Great Work Is the Work That Matters Most To You
👋 Hi, I'm Dr. Amanda Crowell.
I'm a cognitive psychologist and the author of Great Work. I study one of the most frustrating contradictions in human behavior: why we resist doing the very things that matter most to us.
Procrastination. Perfectionism. Overthinking. Avoidance. Delaying. Self-sabotage.
These are all familiar ways we get in our own way. And they have something important in common: they replace productive failure (where you do it badly, but get better over time) with defensive failure (the failure of doing nothing, which gets you nowhere).
The more we understand what's driving this resistance, the more freedom we have to do the work that matters most to us.
What Is Resistance?
Why We Sabotage the Work That Matters Most
You know what matters to you. You may even know exactly what you need to do next.
So why do you keep putting it off?
The answer lies in the psychology of resistance.
From procrastination and perfectionism to the competing commitments that keep us stuck, understanding resistance can change how we approach our Great Work.
Where Would You Like To Begin?
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Read the Book
Discover the stories, science, and strategies behind the Great Work Method.
👉 Explore the BookTry the Journal
Bring your Great Work to life with a simple, productive daily practice.
👉 Explore the Journal -
Take a quiz
Learn exactly why you resist promoting your Great Work
👉 Take the quizExplore the Great Work Visibility Lab
Build visibility for your Great Work without relying on constant posting or performative promotion.
👉 Learn About the Lab -
Join a Class
Focused workshops that examine one meaningful dimension of Great Work in depth.
👉 See Upcoming ClassesBook Amanda to Speak
Talks and workshops that help audiences think differently about meaningful work, motivation, and sustainable visibility.
👉 Explore Speaking TopicsConsider Coaching
Thoughtful, high-level support for people navigating their Great Work, building visibility, and trying to do the work that matters most without sacrificing everything else.
👉 Learn About Coaching
ABOUT DR. AMANDA CROWELL
I help people discover, do, and share their Great Work without sacrificing everything else.
I'm a cognitive psychologist, author of Great Work, and a TEDx speaker with almost two million views. I teach at the Hunter College School of Education in New York City, and my work focuses on understanding what helps people pursue the work that matters most to them, overcome the psychological barriers that get in their way, and make a meaningful contribution to the world.
My work has been featured in The Wall Street Journal, NPR, Al Jazeera, and Thrive Global.
Through books, keynotes, classes, and programs, I help people figure out what their Great Work is, make time and space to do it, and connect with the people who can help them bring it into the world.
THE CATALYST BLOG
Ideas To Support Your
Great Work Journey
“What happens when clarity meets consistency:
I read this book during a week I was feeling discouraged about how long it was taking to make progress on one of my big goals. The author does a great job of identifying many of the ways we hold ourselves back, and I love her model for how to break your vision into 90 day goals, a weekly task, and daily to dos. Lo and behold, before I had finished the book, one of my little actions had led to a big breakthrough!”