Rafa BarlezeScience applied to performance
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Applied science, with a reading path.

Habits and decisions in health and performance

Explore how environment, motivation and decision criteria influence consistency. A reading path for thinking about routines, interpreting results and recognizing when to maintain or reconsider a strategy.

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Selected reading

Athlete in front of the illuminated entrance to a track, between the shadow and the beginning of the action.Performance
Collection 08

Motivation is not willpower: what really makes someone act

A 2026 audit of dopamine, effort, autonomy, competence, and the conditions that transform intention into action.

11 min readRead analysis
Athlete ties his cleats in a locker room before dawn, beside pre-arranged hydration, food, and a notebook, while a golden line leads to the field.Performance
Collection 31

High performance starts before the decision

How to automate the predictable, preserve attention, reduce friction, and know when a routine must become a decision again.

12 min readRead analysis
Hand reaches for an already organized training bag alongside sneakers, water, keys and an elastic band, connected by a golden line.Performance
Collection 38

A habit must survive a bad day

Small actions matter when the environment reduces friction, the system records feedback, and the routine remains flexible enough not to automate error.

13 min readRead analysis
An athlete adjusts his shoelaces on a dark track as a golden line curves toward the horizon at dawn.Performance
Collection 36

Desire is not the same as enjoyment

Dopamine helps explain why the next goal calls so much. Performance improves when expectation, effort, feedback and presence come together again.

13 min readRead analysis
A lens on a dark surface reveals alternative paths branching from a golden line.Performance
Collection 39

Before changing the plan, improve the decision

Before changing your diet or training, assess the evidence, outcomes, and experience of following the plan. Criteria for keeping or adjusting your strategy.

10 min readRead analysis