12 Favorite Problems: A Practical Framework for Discovering Your Purpose
I recently attended a great cohort based writing course named ‘Write of Passage’, where one of the assignments students are given is to list down their 12 Favorite Problems which they want to solve or fix. This exercise of thinking and writing down your 12 Favorite Problems is inspired by the ‘12 Favorite Problems’ habit developed by physicist, Richard Feynman.
I was not aware about it prior to the course. So was curious to find out. Once I attended the classes and had discussion with my fellow classmates, I realized it's a good framework to adopt and has 2 great benefits.
First, writing your interests as a dozen questions will help you clarify what you’re truly after and help making better decisions. Second, by keeping a list of problems, you can decide what you want to read, watch or listen and converge towards the ideas/interests/ passions/values more aligned with yourself. This framework can work as a system of filters and turn consumption into contribution. I have done many iterations of the problems I have or want to solve. I think it took me a bit longer to write this. The first few drafts were slightly different problems and were more macro or too broad. So I revisited and dig deeper to refine my list and asked myself again. Now it looks something like below. Some things might change over time but I think its a good place to start.
For those who wish to try, remember to keep the questions not too broad and not too specific. And they need to come from what your interests, curiosities or passions truly are. Or things bothering you about the world in general. These are problems you often think about, which could be related to any of your deepest interests, skills, and passions. These are problems that inspire you and captivate you, ones that go beyond the scope of day-to-day problems. Write these down. Make them specific enough to be actionable, yet broad enough to think about them for years to come. To give you an idea:
“What is the meaning of life?” = Too broad
“What is the weather going to be like tomorrow?” = Too specific, and useless in the grand scheme of things.
“How can I surround myself with optimistic, curious, and supportive people who give me energy?” = This is the realm you want to be in.
The questions aren’t perfect, and probably you will change some of them over time. And that's fine too. But they serve as a way to focus your energies in the most effective directions, and get closer to your true purpose than ever before.
For more on Richard Feynman’s 12 Problems habit, Here is a good summary.
After thoughtful reflection I've come up with my version of the 12 Problems. Here they are:
What are the best ideas and frameworks to keep reinventing myself, both personally and professionally? How to continuously pivot to become a better version of myself?
How to create a robust system for lifelong learning? How to prioritize personal growth and build habit systems to learn anything fast?
How to find and share stories, lessons and wisdom from technology evolution, technology innovation, disruption and game changing products & services to help individuals and businesses today and in future?
How to leverage and channelize my passion for cinema and storytelling to serve people? How can I use it to create better human connections and a better world while still entertaining people? How new technologies can reshape the ideas of entertainment and storytelling and help people reflect about human connections and empathize more with others?
How to become a better writer on my favorite topics : personal development, creativity, technology products, innovation, disruption, strategy, behavioral economics and cinema/storytelling? How to share and teach others?
How to see the patterns of science and arts in everything? How to write about intersection of science and arts in things I care about?
How to practice authentic leadership? How to lead with empathy while still achieving better business outcomes?
How to prioritize my time between my health, my family, friends, my work and hobbies? How to improve in all relationships?
How to find valuable lessons from History, Psychology and Philosophy to learn and grow? How to find patterns and stories in history that will help me understand the world better? How to make history interesting, engaging and accessible to more people?
How to better notice the world around me? How to be more aware and more present in everyday life? How to remain in awe and curious about the world? How can I surround my myself with curious and optimistic people?
How to manage money better? How to learn more about investing and make better investment decisions?
How to travel better? How to travel to all continents and gain rich life experiences?
