Tuesday, February 26, 2019

Scratching My Own Itch - iPrompted

When I shutdown my last startup, all I wanted in this world was a cushy, corporate job. You know the kind. 20+ PTO days per year, plus company holidays, 401(k), cash bonus, maybe a little stock. I wouldn't have the ball, but I'd make a nice living and recover from 2.5 years of self-funding my dream. I was tired, defeated and just wanted a regular job.

So, that's what I did. Along the way, I got divorced and re-married. My wife is a fierce planner, list-maker extraordinaire, organized and efficient, whom I infected with the startup bug. She's currently the head of legal for Gitlab. Me, ADHD, jack of all trades, that gravitates towards Jeff Atwood's Top Three Things, currently managing Enterprise Information Protection at Best Buy. We have a blended family and between hers, mine and ours we have four children, from 14 (with ASD and ADHD) to almost 3. Needless to say, We're always running to or from somewhere.

My wife would describe me as well intentioned, but forgetful / oblivious at times and she's right. If she mentions something to me, the odds of me completing the task decreases at an exponential rate, after the initial request. Frustratingly, for the both of us, there are tasks that she has to remind me to do over, and over, and over and over. When her frustration gets big enough, it makes my top three and gets done. However, it's at a cost to our relationship.

It turns out I'm better suited to build a solution that solves this problem for millions than I am at solving it for myself. After all, if I could keep a calendar and make lists, I wouldn't be in this predicament in the first place.

So, I was telling a friend about my idea for a solution to my problem and he saw a lot of himself in my predicament and asked if he could build it with me. And that's what we did.

If my wife only had to ask me once, could technology make sure I get it done and then close the loop? Is there a tool that the organized people in our lives can leverage to make sure we get done what we need to? I want to make the most out of my time and not let down those around me, especially the ones that depend on me. I couldn't find something that scratched this itch in a way that resonated with me, so we built it.

Whether you are tired of dropping the ball or tired of having to remind someone in your life over and over again to do something, check out iPrompted and leave me your feedback in the comments.