THURSDAY TOOLKIT
Ideas to Thrive
Small shifts, big momentum.
Today: a habit from a Toyota factory floor for annoyances that won't stay fixed, a tool that keeps your fix running, and a study on what ChatGPT does and doesn't teach. About 3 minutes.
THE IDEA
Why the same problem keeps coming back
For a while I kept running out of printer ink the night before something was due. Each time I fixed it: drove out, bought ink, printed the thing. Each time it felt solved, and a few weeks later it happened again.
Taiichi Ohno, who built the Toyota Production System, had a habit for this. When a machine stopped, he asked "why?" five times. In his own example, a fuse blew because the machine was overloaded. It was overloaded because a bearing wasn't lubricated, because the pump wasn't working, because metal scrap had got into it, since nobody had fitted a strainer.
Replacing the fuse would have fixed the day. Fitting a strainer fixed the machine.
My ink problem, a few whys later: I only ever looked at the ink when I needed it. The fix was an Amazon subscription that fills up on the first of each month.
Try this tonight
Pick one annoyance that has happened three or more times
Ask "why?" until the answer is something you can change ahead of time
Turn that answer into a recurring check or a simple rule
200 Ways To Make Money With AI
Turns out, AI is good for more than writing emails and generating LinkedIn posts. This guide is packed with 200+ actionable ways to build income with AI.
Inside you'll discover:
200 curated AI income ideas for beginners and pros alike
Easy-to-start opportunities you can launch this week
Real world applications for today’s top AI tools
AI powered business models built for today’s economy
Creative ways to turn trends into revenue
AI is changing how people work and how people earn, far beyond the simple “write me an email” prompt. Discover the possibilities and download the free guide to start cashing in today.
THE TOOL
Keep the fix running after you forget it
A recurring check only works if something reminds you. In Todoist you can type "Check printer ink every 1st" and it repeats on its own.
Affiliate disclosure: if you upgrade to a paid Todoist plan through this link, I may earn a commission.
THE STUDY
If ChatGPT helps you do the work, are you learning the skill?
A randomized trial tested this on 487 management consultants. Those given ChatGPT and training scored higher on three data science tasks outside their skill set. Then came technical questions without ChatGPT, and they did no better than the group without it. (Nature Human Behaviour, Oct 2026. Read the team's free write-up)
My take: If you want to keep a skill, try the task once with the tool turned off.
Fine print: One profession and one kind of task, and the research team included BCG staff. It doesn't show that AI can never teach you anything.
THING I MADE
When several problems feed each other
Five whys works well for one broken thing. When several things feed each other, the Systems Thinking Workbook helps: you pick one problem that keeps returning, find the loop behind it, and end with a one-page version you can keep.
WATCH THIS
Tuesday's video: why the smartest people are often the hardest to follow (~23 min). Watch on YouTube
Ansh
Creator, Ideas To Thrive