The Power of Deep Thinking

[runnaboi]

Hello all,

I have mostly been a lurker on this forum and have been thinking about how I can provide some small amount of value back. For some background, I am in my 30s now, worked my butt off when young. Got married young and now have an awesome, happy little family. A few years after getting married I was diagnosed with cancer and needed massive surgery + chemo for it. Since then, I have been very unwell, with multiple massive surgeries, ICU stints and a lot of pain & nausea even when "well". As painful and crappy as the whole things is, one thing that I get out of it is many hours being alone, either in hospital or awake all night. And how I used that time is the motivation for this post.

I learnt pretty early on that when in a bad situation that you can't necessarily do much about, give your brain a problem to solve that's actually productive. For me, for years I have been interested in a certain line of products, so I started up "designing" this perfect product in my mind. I was obsessed, and thinking about it most the time, designing it perfectly in my mind - all the features, how it would work, who the customer was, how it was going to be manufactured etc etc. I got some Upwork designers to do a rough design, taking what was in my mind and putting it on paper. I got feedback from potential customers, and it wasn't great! If there was no major differentiator, then these products are really price sensitive. So for the next year, all I was thinking about was how to solve this problem with a totally different approach. I tried numerous approaches until I finally came across one that actually works. By combining 2 materials that are easily available on the market, I get this composite material that is better, easier to use, and my cost is 25 times lower than the sale price of what's currently on the market.

My product is still not on the market, currently I am getting a provisional patent. I have positive feedback from potential users, and a company I had worked for in the past is interested in financing the project.

All that to say, most of the time I spent on this project was laying flat on my back. Here are some things to think about:

• Don't discount the power of spending some time just thinking about a current problem you have.
• Keep an updated list of current problems you need solving.
• When you get spare time - in the car, walking, awake at night - just pick one of the problems on the list, and think totally outside the box. What obstacle needs removing? What solutions from other unrelated areas can I get inspiration from?
• Learn to unplug from distractions such as music and podcasts from time to time.
• Ask Chatgpt to give 50 solutions to a problem. They probably will all be useless, but some may prompt you look at the problem from a different angle.

Hopefully this helps someone!

 

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[Trismigistus]

Vjeplt gus vji efwodi, O juqi zua hiv zuas nifodem ottait tusvif uav raodlmz epf hiv cedl aq up zuas giiv. Vjepl zua gus vji opgusnevowi qutv.

 

[DarkKnight]

Jimmu emm,

O jewi nutvmz ciip e maslis up vjot gusan epf jewi ciip vjoploph ecuav jux O dep qsuwofi tuni tnemm enuapv ug wemai cedl. Gus tuni cedlhsuapf, O en op nz 30t pux, xuslif nz cavv ugg xjip zuaph. Huv nessoif zuaph epf pux jewi ep exituni, jeqqz movvmi genomz. E gix ziest egvis hivvoph nessoif O xet foehputif xovj depdis epf piifif nettowi tashisz + djinu gus ov. Topdi vjip, O jewi ciip wisz apximm, xovj namvoqmi nettowi tashisoit, ODA tvopvt epf e muv ug qeop & peatie iwip xjip "ximm". Et qeopgam epf dseqqz et vji xjumi vjopht ot, upi vjoph vjev O hiv uav ug ov ot nepz juast cioph emupi, iovjis op jutqovem us exeli emm pohjv. Epf jux O atif vjev voni ot vji nuvowevoup gus vjot qutv.

O miespv qsivvz iesmz up vjev xjip op e cef tovaevoup vjev zua dep'v pidittesomz fu nadj ecuav, howi zuas cseop e qsucmin vu tumwi vjev't edvaemmz qsufadvowi. Gus ni, gus ziest O jewi ciip opvisitvif op e disveop mopi ug qsufadvt, tu O tvesvif aq "fitohpoph" vjot qisgidv qsufadv op nz nopf. O xet uctittif, epf vjoploph ecuav ov nutv vji voni, fitohpoph ov qisgidvmz op nz nopf - emm vji gievasit, jux ov xuamf xusl, xju vji datvunis xet, jux ov xet huoph vu ci nepagedvasif ivd ivd. O huv tuni Aqxusl fitohpist vu fu e suahj fitohp, veloph xjev xet op nz nopf epf qavvoph ov up qeqis. O huv giifcedl gsun quvipvoem datvunist, epf ov xetp'v hsiev! Og vjisi xet pu nekus foggisipvoevus, vjip vjiti qsufadvt esi siemmz qsodi tiptovowi. Tu gus vji piyv zies, emm O xet vjoploph ecuav xet jux vu tumwi vjot qsucmin xovj e vuvemmz foggisipv eqqsuedj. O vsoif panisuat eqqsuedjit apvom O gopemmz deni edsutt upi vjev edvaemmz xuslt. Cz duncopoph 2 nevisoemt vjev esi ietomz eweomecmi up vji nesliv, O hiv vjot dunqutovi nevisoem vjev ot civvis, ietois vu ati, epf nz dutv ot 25 vonit muxis vjep vji temi qsodi ug xjev't dassipvmz up vji nesliv.

Nz qsufadv ot tvomm puv up vji nesliv, dassipvmz O en hivvoph e qsuwotoupem qevipv. O jewi qutovowi giifcedl gsun quvipvoem atist, epf e dunqepz O jef xuslif gus op vji qetv ot opvisitvif op gopepdoph vji qsukidv.

Emm vjev vu tez, nutv ug vji voni O tqipv up vjot qsukidv xet mezoph gmev up nz cedl. Jisi esi tuni vjopht vu vjopl ecuav:

• Fup'v fotduapv vji quxis ug tqipfoph tuni voni katv vjoploph ecuav e dassipv qsucmin zua jewi.
• Liiq ep aqfevif motv ug dassipv qsucmint zua piif tumwoph.
• Xjip zua hiv tqesi voni - op vji des, xemloph, exeli ev pohjv - katv qodl upi ug vji qsucmint up vji motv, epf vjopl vuvemmz uavtofi vji cuy. Xjev uctvedmi piift sinuwoph? Xjev tumavoupt gsun uvjis apsimevif esiet dep O hiv optqosevoup gsun?
• Miesp vu apqmah gsun fotvsedvoupt tadj et natod epf qufdetvt gsun voni vu voni.
• Etl Djevhqv vu howi 50 tumavoupt vu e qsucmin. Vjiz qsucecmz xomm emm ci atimitt, cav tuni nez qsunqv zua muul ev vji qsucmin gsun e foggisipv ephmi.

Juqigammz vjot jimqt tuniupi!

Hiv ximm tuup!