I want to make a short-form video on the tension between being good at writing and being good at speaking. In this interaction, I want to develop a concrete argument (something that goes beyond the observation that these things are in tension with one another) and a "so what" that highlights why this observation is meaningful.
Example Starting Points
One of the most common questions we get about Scaffold is, What should I interact with it about?
The real answer (which we're sure may frustrate you) is, it depends. You have to look inwards to figure out the parts of your life that could benefit most from critical thinking.
But for your inspiration, we've captured below a list of Example Starting Points, drawn from our and our friends' interactions with Scaffold.
I want to think through what it will mean for my start-up project to "succeed." I've already thought a lot about this issue, and have determined that I'm okay with it not blowing up. But I still do hope that the work is recognized. I just want to make sure that I have a clear sense of what I want, so that I can take steps towards getting there in the month and a half or so that I can fully dedicate myself to this endeavor.
Whether or not to increase or decrease risk in our fixed income portfolios.
I'm debating whether to move to a new apartment. I've already weighed the basic pros and cons (rent, space, location), but I want to look deeper at what this move actually represents in a bigger way. Help me think through this — I want to unpack the friction between the effort of moving and the real daily impact on my quality of life (in terms of what the apartment could enable in terms of lifestyle) so I can land on a clear, decisive criteria for whether uprooting myself and the cost is actually worth it right now.
I've been wanting to make a move out of investment banking and into a new buy-side or investment role for a while, ideally in climate investing. However, the current market has very limited open positions in the climate space. I want to evaluate the trade-off between holding out in IB until a direct climate role opens up versus transitioning now into a broader, adjacent investment role that might build relevant skills faster. Help me establish clear criteria (I'm thinking things like entrenchment, skill overlap/transferability, and burnout) to decide whether waiting or taking a stepping-stone move puts me in a stronger position long-term.
I want to think through a situation at work that is emotionally charged and somewhat complicated. I want to understand why it is making me feel this way and what my best approach moving forward could be. After understanding my feelings, it would be helpful to parse out the emotions from my approach to the situation moving forward.
Is it worthwhile to explore and tell stories about wars that are long over — especially if the country and survivors are ostensibly long past it?
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