Mar 24, 2024
Why can’t I build this?
A collection of quickly generated product ideas & unsolicited concepts.
Blog
Hub
Recent
Innovation
You’re exhausted, but your mind won’t stop running.®
Content consumption becomes nearly impossible after a long, exhausting day. Yet, a good day at work throws you into this whirlwind of thoughts—random ideas and possibilities that never seemed feasible before. At the very least, it lets me stay true to my ever-old bio: "I spend most of my time thinking of product ideas I wish existed." I love this line because it perfectly captures what I genuinely, deeply enjoy.
It takes me back to my football training days. The coach always emphasized keeping the game alive—constantly moving, never standing still. The same goes for ideas. Once you’ve built momentum, stopping isn’t just difficult—it’s something you shouldn’t do.
Marinating good idea
I’ve never bought into the idea of generating quick ideas just to keep the momentum going. Never. Good ideas need time to marinate—they come from observation and connecting the dots. It’s an abstract thought, I know. Let’s break it down. Observation is a continuous process. For me, a 15-day cycle of observing and connecting the dots results in just 15 minutes of idea generation. That’s how it works—always. What about you? What’s your process? Lately, I’ve been making a conscious effort to observe more intentionally.
Here’s how:
I download apps deliberately. Every week, I install 2-3 new apps and simply explore. Seeing something fresh sparks new ways of thinking.
I try out different digital products & services. If I’ve always used Swiggy, I’ll switch to Zomato. A different approach, a different experience—why not?
I look for obvious moments of delight in everyday experiences. What makes me happy while using a product? What makes me smile? Those little signals matter
Generating Ideas
Enough talking—let’s dive in. I’m challenging myself to come up with 10 of the most RANDOM product ideas in the next 20 minutes. Feasible or not, practical or not, technical or not—who cares? The goal is to let ideas flow without overthinking. I start at 12:17 AM. Here we go:
Auto-journaling based on phone data – If you spent 3 hours at Resso Cafe, you’d get a prompt at the end of the day: “Hey, write something about your time at Resso Cafe.”
Reels but for nonfiction books – Imagine a quick, engaging reel summarizing Atomic Habits.
WhatsApp Rewind 2023 – What was your most used word? Who did you say I love you to the most? Whose profile did you check out the most? Who's chat did you open just to see if they were online? A year in review that reveals what (and who) occupied your mind.
A smarter email inbox – Sure, there are paid apps for this, but Gmail, please, step up. Better categorization should be standard.
Auto friendship check-ins on WhatsApp – If a friend hasn’t texted in a month, send an automatic nudge: “Hey Rohan, it’s been a while! Let’s catch up.”
Inshorts, but for saved articles – Have a 24-minute read sitting in your bookmarks? Get bite-sized daily summaries of it instead.
Spotify-style playlists, but for Swiggy/Zomato – Curate and share your go-to restaurants like you’d share a music playlist. Eatlists by Zomato or Swiggy.
A better screenshot manager – Organize screenshots by context: payments, saved articles, funny memes, or even arguments with friends.
YouTube with built-in transcription – Highlight parts of a video transcript, take notes, and capture insights seamlessly.
I couldn’t hit 10. But weirdly enough, this little exercise made me sleepy—probably a sign none of these ideas were that great. Or maybe… just maybe… great ideas never let you sleep so easily.
Mar 24, 2024
Why can’t I build this?
A collection of quickly generated product ideas & unsolicited concepts.
Blog
Hub
Recent
Innovation
You’re exhausted, but your mind won’t stop running.®
Content consumption becomes nearly impossible after a long, exhausting day. Yet, a good day at work throws you into this whirlwind of thoughts—random ideas and possibilities that never seemed feasible before. At the very least, it lets me stay true to my ever-old bio: "I spend most of my time thinking of product ideas I wish existed." I love this line because it perfectly captures what I genuinely, deeply enjoy.
It takes me back to my football training days. The coach always emphasized keeping the game alive—constantly moving, never standing still. The same goes for ideas. Once you’ve built momentum, stopping isn’t just difficult—it’s something you shouldn’t do.
Marinating good idea
I’ve never bought into the idea of generating quick ideas just to keep the momentum going. Never. Good ideas need time to marinate—they come from observation and connecting the dots. It’s an abstract thought, I know. Let’s break it down. Observation is a continuous process. For me, a 15-day cycle of observing and connecting the dots results in just 15 minutes of idea generation. That’s how it works—always. What about you? What’s your process? Lately, I’ve been making a conscious effort to observe more intentionally.
Here’s how:
I download apps deliberately. Every week, I install 2-3 new apps and simply explore. Seeing something fresh sparks new ways of thinking.
I try out different digital products & services. If I’ve always used Swiggy, I’ll switch to Zomato. A different approach, a different experience—why not?
I look for obvious moments of delight in everyday experiences. What makes me happy while using a product? What makes me smile? Those little signals matter
Generating Ideas
Enough talking—let’s dive in. I’m challenging myself to come up with 10 of the most RANDOM product ideas in the next 20 minutes. Feasible or not, practical or not, technical or not—who cares? The goal is to let ideas flow without overthinking. I start at 12:17 AM. Here we go:
Auto-journaling based on phone data – If you spent 3 hours at Resso Cafe, you’d get a prompt at the end of the day: “Hey, write something about your time at Resso Cafe.”
Reels but for nonfiction books – Imagine a quick, engaging reel summarizing Atomic Habits.
WhatsApp Rewind 2023 – What was your most used word? Who did you say I love you to the most? Whose profile did you check out the most? Who's chat did you open just to see if they were online? A year in review that reveals what (and who) occupied your mind.
A smarter email inbox – Sure, there are paid apps for this, but Gmail, please, step up. Better categorization should be standard.
Auto friendship check-ins on WhatsApp – If a friend hasn’t texted in a month, send an automatic nudge: “Hey Rohan, it’s been a while! Let’s catch up.”
Inshorts, but for saved articles – Have a 24-minute read sitting in your bookmarks? Get bite-sized daily summaries of it instead.
Spotify-style playlists, but for Swiggy/Zomato – Curate and share your go-to restaurants like you’d share a music playlist. Eatlists by Zomato or Swiggy.
A better screenshot manager – Organize screenshots by context: payments, saved articles, funny memes, or even arguments with friends.
YouTube with built-in transcription – Highlight parts of a video transcript, take notes, and capture insights seamlessly.
I couldn’t hit 10. But weirdly enough, this little exercise made me sleepy—probably a sign none of these ideas were that great. Or maybe… just maybe… great ideas never let you sleep so easily.
Mar 24, 2024
Why can’t I build this?
A collection of quickly generated product ideas & unsolicited concepts.
Blog
Hub
Recent
Innovation
You’re exhausted, but your mind won’t stop running.®
Content consumption becomes nearly impossible after a long, exhausting day. Yet, a good day at work throws you into this whirlwind of thoughts—random ideas and possibilities that never seemed feasible before. At the very least, it lets me stay true to my ever-old bio: "I spend most of my time thinking of product ideas I wish existed." I love this line because it perfectly captures what I genuinely, deeply enjoy.
It takes me back to my football training days. The coach always emphasized keeping the game alive—constantly moving, never standing still. The same goes for ideas. Once you’ve built momentum, stopping isn’t just difficult—it’s something you shouldn’t do.
Marinating good idea
I’ve never bought into the idea of generating quick ideas just to keep the momentum going. Never. Good ideas need time to marinate—they come from observation and connecting the dots. It’s an abstract thought, I know. Let’s break it down. Observation is a continuous process. For me, a 15-day cycle of observing and connecting the dots results in just 15 minutes of idea generation. That’s how it works—always. What about you? What’s your process? Lately, I’ve been making a conscious effort to observe more intentionally.
Here’s how:
I download apps deliberately. Every week, I install 2-3 new apps and simply explore. Seeing something fresh sparks new ways of thinking.
I try out different digital products & services. If I’ve always used Swiggy, I’ll switch to Zomato. A different approach, a different experience—why not?
I look for obvious moments of delight in everyday experiences. What makes me happy while using a product? What makes me smile? Those little signals matter
Generating Ideas
Enough talking—let’s dive in. I’m challenging myself to come up with 10 of the most RANDOM product ideas in the next 20 minutes. Feasible or not, practical or not, technical or not—who cares? The goal is to let ideas flow without overthinking. I start at 12:17 AM. Here we go:
Auto-journaling based on phone data – If you spent 3 hours at Resso Cafe, you’d get a prompt at the end of the day: “Hey, write something about your time at Resso Cafe.”
Reels but for nonfiction books – Imagine a quick, engaging reel summarizing Atomic Habits.
WhatsApp Rewind 2023 – What was your most used word? Who did you say I love you to the most? Whose profile did you check out the most? Who's chat did you open just to see if they were online? A year in review that reveals what (and who) occupied your mind.
A smarter email inbox – Sure, there are paid apps for this, but Gmail, please, step up. Better categorization should be standard.
Auto friendship check-ins on WhatsApp – If a friend hasn’t texted in a month, send an automatic nudge: “Hey Rohan, it’s been a while! Let’s catch up.”
Inshorts, but for saved articles – Have a 24-minute read sitting in your bookmarks? Get bite-sized daily summaries of it instead.
Spotify-style playlists, but for Swiggy/Zomato – Curate and share your go-to restaurants like you’d share a music playlist. Eatlists by Zomato or Swiggy.
A better screenshot manager – Organize screenshots by context: payments, saved articles, funny memes, or even arguments with friends.
YouTube with built-in transcription – Highlight parts of a video transcript, take notes, and capture insights seamlessly.
I couldn’t hit 10. But weirdly enough, this little exercise made me sleepy—probably a sign none of these ideas were that great. Or maybe… just maybe… great ideas never let you sleep so easily.