You’ve packed your desk into a carry-on?
- Are you still working?
She takes off her headphones.
- Sorry, what was that?
- I envy people who can listen to music while working. I need peace and quiet.
He gently pats a massive pink suitcase.
- I will check in these bad boys through a parcel locker so we can travel light. I thought you still needed to roll up and pack your screen.
- I figured I didn't need a screen for a month of mostly talking to a computer. I'll put some display foil on the windows and use a projector to save my neck from spending every day using glasses.
- Nice! You've packed your desk into a carry-on? That's a plot twist. What are you working on?
She smiles, adjusting her hair.
- We're creating a datamap that aggregates many sources and types of anonymised data to answer questions. It's great, but it still needs a lot of work. This week, we're adding data from point-of-sale systems.
- Questions like, for example?
- Let's say you're ready to expand and want to open another bookstore. The data map can show you potential locations based on the concentration of transactions matching your store's profile, which proves that your target customers already shop in that area.
- Sweet.
- Or when you're young and can't decide where to party, you can see where everybody is tonight based on transaction frequency in selected types of places like clubs, bars and so on.
- And what if someone is going on workation?
- In that case, you can check what's happening in your neighbourhood.
She inputs an address on a thocky-sounding keyboard and covers her mouth in surprise.
- Oh no, a construction permit just popped out for a roadwork site on our street.
- There goes my peace and quiet.
She adds some more commands and sighs of relief.
- Don't worry. It's just random maintenance, and it should be over before we even land.
Hello Practical Futurists,
Welcome back from the future, where any window can become an extra screen for your productivity or entertainment.
Let's jump into our weekly practice, where we use futures thinking and product sci-fi to enhance your strategic imagination and prepare your leadership for the future.
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Start here to make the most of your time if this is your first
rodeoedition.
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Weekly Self-Reflection Prompts
Let's start by making products and services mentioned in the story a bit more relatable by grounding them in your personal life.
You can start with this quote for extra inspiration.
“The great secret about goals and visions is not the future they describe but the change in the present they engender.”
― David Allen
Personal life reflection prompts
What are 2 things that should have a portable version but currently don’t?
Would you be willing to check your checked luggage in a parcel locker near your apartment and collect it at the destination airport?
Which 2 windows in your current home have the best potential for covering with display foil?
When is a distraction-free environment the most important to you during your typical week?
Name 3 types of decisions a datamap would help with at your home.
Good job!
Let’s move on to the context of the industry, organisation, team, service, or product you are working with.
Professional life reflection prompts
What 3 improvements would you prioritise incorporating foldable screens into your current workspace or workplace?
Having easy and reliable access to what kind of real-time information would change the game for your industry?
What is the single piece of equipment that made you more productive or increased your comfort at work in the last five years?
In what 2 ways have you tried to optimise your working environment recently?
Would your organisation's easy access to much more useful data make your decisions easier or prolong the decision-making process?
What music genre would dominate if your team put together an office playlist?
What 2 strategies do you use to help accommodate conflicting workplace preferences in your team?
Name two workation destinations that could increase your team’s productivity. You did great!
You did great!
Feeling in the zone today?
Try the recommended follow-up story next:
This edition was written in Seoul. Next time you’re there, strategise your caffeine intake to make the most of the out-of-this-world cafe scene.
Have a great week, think bright and see you soon.
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