Skill ideation

Skill Ideation

Purpose

Generate skill ideas that solve real problems — not generic topics like "Time Management" or "Communication."

When to Activate

• "Give me skill ideas"
• "What skills should I build?"
• "Brainstorm skills about [topic]"
• "I want to create a skill for [situation]"
• User notices a gap that could be a skill

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The Problem with Generic Skills

❌ Bad Skill Idea	Why It Fails
Time Management	Too broad, Google handles it
Communication	Means everything, helps nothing
Productivity	Category, not skill
Leadership	10,000 books already exist

✅ Good Skill Idea	Why It Works
deadline-panic-recovery	Specific moment, actionable
saying-no-to-boss	Clear situation, real tension
first-week-at-job	Universal experience, time-bound
explaining-tech-to-parents	Specific audience, common need

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Generation Framework

Start with Problems, Not Categories

Don't ask: "What category should I make a skill for?"
Ask: "What do people consistently struggle with?"

5 Generation Methods

1. From Failure

What do people consistently screw up?

• first-apology-attempt
• feedback-delivery-fail
• meeting-that-should-be-email

2. From Moments

What 10-minute window needs help?

• waiting-for-interview
• receiving-bad-news
• 3am-anxiety-thoughts

3. From "Nobody Taught Me"

What did school skip?

• how-to-negotiate-rent
• reading-a-room
• when-to-quit

4. From Verbs (Not Nouns)

• Not "communication" → "saying no"
• Not "relationships" → "after the argument"
• Not "career" → "asking for a raise"

5. From Contrarian

What sounds wrong but is right?

• laziness-as-wisdom
• quitting-as-skill
• doing-nothing

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Quality Filters

Before proposing any idea, check:

Test	Question
Who	Specific person who needs this?
When	Clear trigger moment?
Gap	Google doesn't answer well?
Teachable	Can be conveyed in text?
Timeless	Still useful next year?
Narrow-Universal	Specific but common?

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Category Seed Bank

Use these as starting points, then go specific:

Life Moments

• Micro-Moments (3am thoughts, waiting room anxiety)
• Identity Transitions (first manager, new parent, retirement)
• Life Logistics (moving, negotiating, adulting)

Emotions & Psychology

• Personality Patterns (perfectionist, people-pleaser, overthinker)
• Body Wisdom (gut feelings, stress signals, energy patterns)
• Money Psychology (scarcity mindset, enough number, guilt)

Relationships

• Conflict & Repair (apologies, difficult conversations, boundaries)
• Power Dynamics (managing up, office politics, saying no)
• Dating & Connection (first dates, long-term maintenance, breakups)

Work & Career

• Job Search (interviews, negotiation, first week)
• Professional Skills (presentations, feedback, meetings)
• Freelancing & Side Hustles (pricing, clients, scope creep)

Creativity & Expression

• Creative Blocks (blank page, perfectionism, sharing work)
• Writing (emails, documentation, public content)
• Learning (skill acquisition, deliberate practice, plateaus)

Tech & Modern Life

• AI Interaction (prompting, verification, ethical use)
• Digital Wellness (screen time, notifications, boundaries)
• Remote Work (async communication, video fatigue, isolation)

Health & Wellbeing

• Mental Health (anxiety, depression, therapy prep)
• Physical (sleep, movement, nutrition basics)
• Mind-Body (stress signals, burnout recovery, energy)

Special Seasons

• Major Transitions (new job, marriage, divorce, loss)
• Age-Specific (quarter-life crisis, midlife, retirement)
• Cultural (expat life, coming out, immigrant experience)

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Output Format

When generating ideas, use:

Idea	One-Liner	Type
idea-name	What it solves	📚/🛠️/🧠/💡

Types:

• 📚 Understanding — Explains why
• 🛠️ Practice — Provides templates/methods
• 🧠 Mindset — Reframes thinking
• 💡 Permission — Validates an unpopular choice

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User Direction Following

Core principle: User gives a seed, agent diverges.

When user says "brainstorm about swimming":

❌ Don't: "Swimming isn't in my categories"

✅ Do: Explore directions:

• Swimming fear (psychological barrier)
• Pool etiquette (unwritten rules)
• Teaching kids to swim (parenting angle)
• Swimming meditation (mindfulness angle)
• Open water anxiety (specific fear)
• Swimming culture by country (cultural angle)

Follow their direction. Expand, don't limit.

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Anti-Patterns

❌ Don't	✅ Do Instead
Propose generic topics	Find the specific moment
List categories	List situations
Use nouns	Use verbs
Ignore user direction	Follow and expand
Propose things Google handles	Find the gaps

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Example Session

User: "Give me skill ideas about anxiety"

Response:

Idea	One-Liner	Type
3am-thought-spiral	What to do when your brain won't stop at night	🛠️ Practice
anxiety-before-call	The 5 minutes before an important phone call	🛠️ Practice
anxiety-vs-intuition	Is this fear or wisdom? How to tell	🧠 Mindset
first-panic-attack	What's happening and what to do	📚 Understanding
anxiety-at-parties	Surviving social events when you'd rather hide	🛠️ Practice
productive-anxiety	Using anxiety as fuel without burning out	🧠 Mindset
explaining-anxiety	How to tell someone who doesn't get it	🛠️ Practice
anxiety-medication-decision	When to consider it, how to think about it	💡 Permission

Note: Not "anxiety management" (too broad) but specific situations where anxiety appears.

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Response Principles

1. Specific > Generic — "saying no to your boss" beats "assertiveness"
2. Moment > Topic — "the morning after a fight" beats "relationships"
3. Follow user direction — Expand what they asked, don't redirect
4. Action > Theory — Skills should be usable, not just interesting
5. Gaps > Coverage — Find what doesn't exist, not what's popular