In a good mood? Today, I felt really inspired to start tracking my mood.  I've observed trends like: Journals to record your daily mood Happiness/gratitude diaries Mindfulness/wellness/meditation apps But what I wanted was a simple way to just try to track my mood. A life experiment of sorts, to hopefully make myself feel happier.  I went on a Google-binge to track down the best mood-trackers on the App Store, and found a few that looked pretty good: Mr Mood Mr Mood is a really cheerful and colourful app. I was really psyched about downloading it, but then I...

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The Element of Surprise The element of surprise is one SUPER IMPORTANT element that you unfortunately can't find on the Periodic Table of Elements (...perhaps I should create a "Life Version" of the Periodic Table of Elements). It's not surprise that people love surprises!  I signed up for Paul Jarvis' Sunday Dispatch newsletter today, and got a pleasant surprise when I was redirected to the confirmation page. Most newsletters give you a boring screen with a standard line that says "You've signed up for newsletter XXX." Paul's confirmation page says much much more. In fact, you get a...

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What's the problem? Every business solution starts from the problem. The BIGGEST problem is literally the problem. Allison Arieff talks about the problem plaguing businesses that are solving all the wrong problems. Does your business solve a problem people actually have? ...

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Tone of Voice I see brands as people. And your brand should have a personality. The tone of voice is very important in telling the world what your brand is like. I stumbled upon Clockwork, a cool Singaporean startup that provides co-working spaces, which has absolutely nailed its tone of voice. It's young, hip, witty - and a little snarky and sarcastic. Spot on for the millennials that they are targeting. Their FAQ is brilliant. ...

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Minimalism: another boring product wealthy people can buy Stumbled upon an interesting article against minimalism. I personally like minimalism and simplicity, so this is a very intriguing alternative viewpoint. Given that the minimalist aesthetic is currently all the rage right now, the author's anti-minimalism something worth considering! ...

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The Future of Jobs I was watching Perspectives on Channel News Asia last night, and the episode was on Disruption – The New Norm. A panellist mentioned that there was a shift in the job market: Past: muscle jobs Present: brain jobs Future: ? The question is - what will be the future of jobs?  Personally, I believe that what will be needed in the future is this - heart jobs. The transition will go from muscle to brain to heart, which arguably, is the most important organ of the body that keeps the whole thing running. ...

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The unexpected benefit of celebrating failure Astro Teller, the head of X (formerly Google X) shares about the unexpected and unconventional approach they have at the moonshot factory: Breaking things, instead of building things  Proving you're wrong, instead of proving you're right Doing the hardest part of the problem first, instead of doing the easiest Thinking about how to kill your project, instead of how to keep your project alive Making failure safe, instead of dangerous Rewarding failure, instead of successes Crazy ideas, instead of sensible ideas At X, people try their best to fail. They receive applause,...

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Marketing is no joke. Here's a round-up of some ingenious and hilarious 2017 April Fools' pranks by companies. Mcdonalds' Micro Mac Mcdonalds' created the Micro Mac - for when you're only a tiny bit hungry. Awesome video: IKEA's Bïgland Ikea is turning Småland into Bïgland for adults, complete with a bar, massage center and arbitration station. Burger King's Whopper Toothpaste For Whopper-breath. Really amazing ad as well: Chegg's Chugg Energy Drink Chegg created an energy drink for college students. Its ingredients include Ground Up Unicorn Horns, A Crap Ton of Caffeine, and Soooooo Much Sugar.  RPA's Cinemá Vertécal...

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Inspiring Business Concepts Here's a list of some of my favourites business concepts that I stumbled upon on the Internet: Sen Sound An organisation that aims to transform sound experience in hospitals. They have several projects, including: My Last Sound: create a "sound will" for dying patients, to play them the last sound that they wish to hear at the end of their life Tranquility Room: create an immersive relaxation space, filled with soothing ambient sound, dim light and aromatherapy Small Acts of Goodness The Small Act of Goodness website each morning sends an e-mail to subscribers, giving them...

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5 Chairs Exercise The 5 Chairs Exercise is a design-thinking challenge that teaches empathy and designing for human needs. Pass out story cards, one per person. Story cards are based on 5 users: Grandpa: Grandpa is an old man who is achy and grouchy. He has trouble getting around, so he walks with a cane. He also has difficulty getting into and out of his chair. He sits in his chair most of the day. Jack: Jack is a high schooler who spends 8 hours a day in class. Most of the time, Ralph has to sit in uncomfortable chairs,...

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Refugee Education Challenge How might we improve education and expand learning opportunities for refugees around the world? ...

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Healthy Lives Challenge How might we use technology to inspire all socioeconomic and multicultural groups to lead healthier lives? Help us develop a set of solutions that use technology to improve health, in particular among the growing Hispanic population in the U.S, 30% of which suffers from diabetes and 75% of which are overweight or obese.  In this challenge, we recognize that young people are the largest influencers of a community’s health future. That’s where the technology piece comes in. If we’re going to make big change in people’s lifestyles, it has to be easy and play into...

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Urban Resilience Challenge How might urban slum communities become more resilient to the effects of climate change? Let's develop solutions that support communities as they adapt and transform to meet the challenges of climate change - from mounting pressures, like population growth and rising sea levels, to unexpected events like severe storms and heat waves. ...

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Higher Ed Challenge How might we reimagine the cost of college in the U.S. and how it's paid for? Introduce us to new ways that students, schools, institutions and governments could help pay for college – and tell us your story about affording your own education. Solutions should be: Affordable  Nontraditional (can look to international examples) Inspire action (get students actively involved beyond mere awareness) Lead to graduating Consider scale (transferable to large number of students) Are human-centered (empathy) ...

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Water and Sanitation Challenge How might we use market-based approaches to expand water and sanitation solutions among low income households in India? The vast majority of the Indian population lives on less than US$5 a day. Think of this as a design constraint when designing water and sanitation solutions. We believe we can think beyond charity and better leverage the funds of households and capacities of markets to innovate and offer low-cost effective solutions. Solutions that involve financial tools such as micro loans, installment payments, vendor financing, loan guarantees and other base of pyramid approaches are ones we...

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Health Threats Challenge How might we combat health threats like Zika, SARS, Ebola and Malaria in bold, imaginative ways? Our goal is to develop solutions that tackle a number of critical issues related to preventing, detecting and responding to the spread of Zika and future health threats. Solutions should focus on: Personal, Household and Community Protection (Common techniques, like mosquito repellent, require frequent reapplication and emit unpleasant odors. Many homes also lack screens. Urban communities have challenges eliminating (or covering) standing water. An even bigger challenge with the mosquitoes that transmit Zika is that they can live in urban...

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Financial Longevity Challenge How might we create financial services that support the dreams and obligations of those 50 and older? We’ll be focusing on financial products and services for those 50 and older, coupled with the impact that successful financial management has on our communities. As this age group works toward financial security, we’re interested to see and hear how improving the financial health of those over 50 may also benefit our communities as a whole. For this Challenge, we see credit unions with their member centric missions as a key lever in our search for solutions. Credit...

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Bridgebuilder Challenge How might we address urgent global challenges at the intersections of peace, prosperity, and planet in radically new ways? Solutions should: Work at the intersection (bridge across peace, prosperity, and planet and address the complex global challenges at the intersection of these issue areas in radical new ways) Collaborate across divides (born from or encourage collaboration?) Focus on Process and Infrastructure (focus on processes instead of resources) ...

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Fall Prevention Challenge How might we enable older adults to live their best possible life by preventing falls? Solutions should focus on: Health and wellbeing (How can your solution improve or maintain quality of life for caregivers and their loved ones?) Affordability (How can your solution be accessible for everyone?) Natural integration (seamlessly fit into lifestyles; re-engineer current solutions/behaviors/tech)  Scale (transferable to a larger geographic region beyond local setting) ...

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Water Resilience Challenge How might we apply new technologies to make agriculture and water systems more resilient in the face of climate threats? Participants are encouraged to identify and understand the variables that affect water quality while developing innovative solutions to monitor, analyze and manage these complex systems. Water quality is determined by factors such as: Precipitation and water runoff Local agriculture practices / proximity Surrounding soil quality and type Water inflow/outflow Public use Local industries Design new solutions while incorporating cutting edge technology such as predictive data, IOT sensors, Low Power Wide Area Networks, and natural /...

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OpenIDEO OpenIDEO has some amazing briefs that you can challenge yourself with: How might we reduce stigma and increase opportunities for people with disabilities?  How might we reimagine the end-of-life experience for ourselves and our loved ones?  How might we apply new technologies to make agriculture and water systems more resilient in the face of climate threats? How might we enable older adults to live their best possible life by preventing falls? How might we address urgent global challenges at the intersections of peace, prosperity, and planet in radically new ways? How might we create financial services that...

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End of Life Challenge How might we reimagine the end-of-life experience for ourselves and our loved ones?  Solutions should: Reimagine dying (meaningful end of life experience) Go beyond tradition (ideas beyond the fearful or stifling images often associated with death; ways to preserve and honor cultural traditions while being modern and fresh; seek inspiration from outside our own backyards) Be uplifting and unique (retain lightheartedness and humour despite the serious issue; give users a smile on their face at the end of their life) Consider partnerships  Be human-centered (empathy) ...

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Disability and Inclusion Challenge How might we reduce stigma and increase opportunities for people with disabilities?  Solutions should focus on: Accessible Social Services (critical services like health services, education systems, the public spaces and transportation systems, and beyond) Economic Inclusion (support persons with a physical, psychosocial, and cognitive disabilities to find decent work, get hired, and thrive in the workforce with equal pay) Access to Context-Appropriate Products (accessible, affordable, usable, durable and maintainable physical/digital products to help persons with disabilities live independently) ...

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Blue Ocean Strategy is a brilliant business innovation strategy, explained in the book "Blue Ocean Strategy" by W. Chan Kim and Renée Mauborgne. Instead of competing in existing red oceans, businesses should create blue oceans - new, uncontested markets. We can innovate and differentiate by using the 4 Actions Framework: Which of the elements of the industry have to be eliminated? Which elements should be raised above the standard of industry? Which elements should be reduced below the standard of industry? Which elements should be created that industry has never offered? ...

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Lessons from Credit Karma Some nuggets of wisdom I picked up from First Round Review's article on Credit Karma: Talk to customers Reward your champions Run the Reddit Test Talk to customers Reward your champions Run the Reddit Test ...

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Evaluating values Three early day exercises by Credit Karma, adapted from the First Round Review: Survey your founding team to find out who you are, not who you want to be. Don’t copy the brands you love — use them to position your company more precisely. Put your branding “don’ts” upstream of your other priorities. 1. Survey your team Ask employees 3 questions: What personality traits do we all share? What words describe how we interact with each other? What beliefs are keeping us here, working on this idea? 2. Don't copy Draw 3 columns on a piece...

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BA Paper Challenge The Business Administration (BA) Paper is an international business plan writing competitions annually organised by Hong Kong Federation of Business Students. Here are some adapted past Case Challenges that you can try out for yourself: 2015: The Trend Forward Participants are expected to develop a new business model for a brand-new proposed startup based on the current or foreseeable trend. Participants are required to write a thorough business plan to explain how the business model will thrive in the new business environment and satisfy people’s needs in their daily life, with detailed plan of execution....

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