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One thing I've found helpful is to keep a notebook (either online or physical) with every interesting idea, unsolved problem, or irritating deficiency that I no
by neilc 19y ago
One thing I've found helpful is to keep a notebook (either online or physical) with every interesting idea, unsolved problem, or irritating deficiency that I notice. Once you get into the habit of thinking "how could I improve this?" or "why does this suck so much?", I've found that I've begun to notice an abundance of potential problems to tackle. There's a big difference between just thinking idly about something, and taking the steps to write it down.
- dangoldin 19y agoI do the same thing. Make sure to ALWAYS write down anything you've thought of - you may think that you'll remember it but you may find yourself trying to think of that idea again. Writing things down also causes some additional thinking to go on so that may give you even more ideas.
- samratjp 19y agoNice advice about the notes. Best way to find problems is pains - find a big pain (if you have pain, that's all you can think about - think tooth aches, punctured tires - "burning" problems) for your customers and deliver a tylenol, not a vitamin (let's face it, we all know we need vitamins, but the effects are hard to see immediately anyways, so make a tylenol!)
- andr 19y agoMoleskine FTW!
- donw 19y agoExcellent advice! I second the recommendation for a Moleskine; they are very well-built, have a pocket in the back, and because they're a little more expensive, you tend to pay attention to them more -- and not leave them on the counter at Starbucks. Also, when you identify a problem, spend a few moments thinking about why that problem exists, and jot down your ideas. Finding the obstacles is the key to figuring out how to scratch that itch.