One of the most helpful pieces of reading for me on this topic is Paul Graham's How to Get Startup Ideas: http://www.paulgraham.com/startupideas.html http://www

One of the most helpful pieces of reading for me on this topic is Paul Graham's How to Get Startup Ideas: http://www.paulgraham.com/startupideas.html http://www.paulgraham.com/startupideas.html ... specifically "Live in the future, then build what's missing." This perspective has helped me filter ideas that were likely derivative and fleeting to ones that might really matter and be challenging/fulfilling to solve over the long run.