startup ideation and the quantum state

Ideating startup ideas is sort of living in a quantum state. You need to live in the future, being able to see what’s going to happen. But you also need to live in the current state, and see what is missing today.

You always have to live in these two states, which is extremely hard. If you get stuck in one specific state too much, you’re in a problem – if you live too much in the future, you become not practical. You lose focus with the execution plan, and basically just float around in imagination. If you live too much in today, you don’t have a north star.

There are a few tricks that you can pull on your mind to balance yourself out between these two states. The trick to be in today’s state is being very active and participating in related activities. If you want to build an onchain commerce protocol on the blockchain, you need to use any commerce platform you can put your hands on. You need to experience this in a highly attentive mode, really sucking in every bit of the onchain commerce experience. You see what are the pain points, and you experience them with your hands. That will keep you grounded to what is real. That will keep you grounded on how many problems exist. That will show you how hard it is to build something meaningful. You will have to ask meaningful questions, like what is the go-to-market strategy? what are the pain points? how do I solve something meaningful tomorrow morning?

Being in the future is different. It is less obvious how to trick yourself into it, and there are fewer out-of-the-box solutions to inspire yourself to see the future. I like to read books and take walks, and when I do these two things enough, I feel myself transcending to the future quantum state. The kind of books I read are about technology or science fiction. I like books by deep thinkers. So in the case of building something onchain, “Read Write Own” by Chris Dixon is an example of a book that can inspire you (although it doesn’t have to necessarily be on the subject you are building in). These books will help you see the big picture and connect it to your story.

I also like to take long walks or jog. These activities stimulate my brain, and combined with reading deeply, it balances living in the current state and help me transcend to the future state.

So in summary, you will need to balance yourself in the quantum state of today and the future. Being in today’s state is being active. Being in the future is getting inspiration and letting your mind wander. Combining both is the way to navigate the idea maze.