A neuroscience-based mindset for problem solving, AI as a writing crutch, and the digital divide

Bach was a prolific composer–he finished new pieces almost weekly.

• Psychology – It’s common to think that geniuses are full of good ideas all the time and that they constantly produce the highest quality thoughts. The key to their creative abilities may be that they understand that you need to work through lesser ideas to get to the greater ones. Quantity of ideas over a stringent quality leads to breakthroughs and develops your ability to create even more of them.

• Technology – We tend to assume that most people around us have a similar experience with technology. In reality, there is a massive digital divide (defined as unequal access to digital technology and the Internet). This interactive map shows the percentage of households without smartphones, tablets, or computers at the county and census tract levels. It’s fascinating to see how different access levels can be, even miles apart.
  
• Marketing – Movement marketing is about defining a cause that your startup or product stands for, clearly articulating a problem in that space, and attacking the status quo. This makes it easier to build natural momentum, gut-check business decisions, and ensure that your company will be viewed as the solution to the issue at hand. Note: The linked article was written four years ago, so keep that in mind!
• Marketing – Knowing when your website or brand is mentioned online on sites like Reddit can be a great way to keep a pulse on user sentiment and jump into organic conversations. F5Bot is a free service that lets you sign up for keywords to listen to and get email alerts when people write posts/comments that include them on Reddit, HackerNews, and Lobsters (this one was new to us :D).
• Leadership – It can be crucial to approach problems with the right mindset, especially in leadership. An executive coach developed neuroscience-based tools to help leaders unlock their creativity by moving from a scarcity mindset to an abundance mindset. Fun fact: We recently used some of these techniques when brainstorming big business decisions, and they completely changed how we approached the conversation.
• Artificial Intelligence – AI is changing how we write, especially in the academic world. One teacher argues that it has become a crutch for students and that relying on it to perform work without having a solid writing foundation skips the discomfort necessary for actual cognitive growth.
• Tech Industry – The end of zero-percent interest rates and cheap distribution channels has created a ripple effect in the tech industry: It’s harder to get funding and reach customers, and power in the job market has shifted towards employers, with fewer jobs available overall. New grads and early career engineers are having a more challenging time breaking into the market, and those in it are less likely to make career moves.