The vision behind Map is that in the future everyone will have a coach in their pocket.
Consider this: the smartphone in your pocket already accesses virtually everything you care about.
Your bank data, health records, communications, heart rate, sleep data, workouts, notes, to-dos, goals...
So, why do these apps operate in silos?
Why doesn't the data integrate into something more meaningful?
And why do fitness apps require you to be your own coach?
It seems inevitable that in the future, these apps will be deeply integrated.
Your real-time data will directly contribute to achieving your goals, a process that currently relies heavily on mental effort.
If you have a fitness goal, you likely juggle multiple apps: one for tracking your weights and personal records, another for logging runs or lifts, a third to monitor your weight with a smart scale, a fourth for tracking your nutritional intake, a fifth to ensure you're drinking enough water, and a sixth to track your sleep and recovery.
All separate. All introducing unnecessary friction.
This is bound to change.
In the not-too-distant future, everyone will have a coach in their pocket — a coach to drive you to become the best version of yourself, equipped with full context of your goals to help you achieve them faster.
How to Have a Lens for the Future
Consider self-driving cars: a concept that seems somewhat normal today.
Yet, your grandparents find the idea wild.
Fast forward. Our grandchildren will view manual driving as ancient.
Start looking at the world and ask yourself, will this be looked at as old school soon?
Adopting this perspective changes the way you see the world.
Keep a note on your phone labeled "What Sucks" and jot down any frustrations you encounter throughout your day.
Often, the best inventors are the lazy — they're motivated to simplify or eliminate the tasks they dislike.
Take the inventor of the dishwasher.
Faced with the boring task of washing dishes, they designed a single-purpose, highly specialized robot to do it instead.
Embrace laziness as a catalyst for solving problems.
This approach led to the creation of Map and was also the genesis of the first startup I worked on.
Accomplishing Goals Alone is Hard
Tackling goals solo is tough.
Dont just listen to me.
Consider a study in the Journal of Clinical Psychology:
8% of individuals who set New Year's resolutions see them through to fruition.
The challenge isn't just setting goals.
Its also maintaining the drive and a coherent plan over time.
Accountability can't be overstated.
According to research from the American Society of Training and Development, committing your goals to another person boosts your chances of success to 65%.
If you schedule regular check-ins, odds increase to 95%.
Modern life complicates matters further.
1/4 of Americans feel time-starved. Unable to complete daily tasks.
Overwhelm sidetracks people from personal achievement.
We're convinced everyone stands to gain by having a coach in their pocket.
Myself and a handful of talented engineers are making fantastic progress on this vision.
We plan to roll this out to users this week.