I thought about using the first 36 days to raise money on my Patreon page, but then I decided that I’ll let people find it organically and instead focus on the startup. What I’m planning on doing is a “deep dive” into all of the tools, apps, websites, groups, services, etc. that exist for people with bipolar. I’ll also create clear documentation for the things I hacked together on my own so that someone else could create the same kind of monitoring and safety net.

Even though I’ll be working on the Being Bipolar Org website, it’s still ultimately focused on the for-profit company. I’ll be both creating resources and doing due diligence in the bipolar space.

Deliverables:

• Personal protocol and systems thoroughly documented
• List of organizations in English speaking countries which focus on bipolar disorder with short reviews
• List of apps specifically for people with bipolar disorder with accompanying reviews
• List of (private) services specifically for people with bipolar disorder with short reviews
• List of blogs and social media influencers who focus on bipolar disorder with short reviews
• List of online and offline groups
• List of published studies that I find interesting with short reviews
• Statistics about people with bipolar by region
• Personal check-in on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter
• Daily short YouTube video recapping what I’ve done
• Weekly summary video posted to Patreon

Working Style:

I’ve found that I’m most effective working in short focused bursts with break times in between. In order to manage this, I use the Pomodoro technique (25 minutes of focus with breaks). My target number of cycles will be 8 (approximately 4 hours of focused work). You can track my progress here. If I hit my target that will be a total of 432 focus hours dedicated to organizing the world’s information about bipolar disorder.

Timeline:

This will run from January 1st, 2019 to April 21st, 2019. Afterward, I’ll reflect and refocus. There is a possibility that the Founder Institute Taipei will relaunch during this cycle. If that is the case I will adjust the focus from Being Bipolar Org to Being Bipolar Inc.

108 Day Goal:

My goal is to leave no bipolar rock left unturned for the regions that I research. I’ll most likely begin with Taiwan and Wisconsin and then spiral out from Wisconsin to neighboring states until all 50 are covered. If I get through all 50 states then I’ll venture into Europe. Europe might come up on my radar early because of some of the unorthodox treatments that happen in certain regions.

Big Goal:

I want every person with bipolar connected via a single app so they can leverage peer support, friends and family support, and professional support in a way that reduces the number of hospital visits, suicide attempts and suicides, and takes away unnecessary suffering and burden which can result from being the sole/primary support person for someone with bipolar.

Closing:

Building this company I want to build seems daunting but… kind of “easy” to me. While I don’t know exactly what my best next step is day to day, I know that I’m going to connect with mentors and advisors who will help me determine how to best spend my time. There are also countless resources available for people, like myself, who want to abuse themselves with trying to start a company.

The reason I say it will be somewhat “easy” is that my “first focus love” was becoming a martial arts master. There weren’t any manuals to follow for that one. I had to go with my gut for 30 years. Just last year being a master was made official. This bipolar company is my new “focus love”. Three year or 30 years, I will see this through to completion. Or… in my new FDT (Flow and Dream Time), 9 cycles or 90 cycles…

I’m not doing this for riches, fame, or glory (there are vastly easier ways to achieve those). I’m in this to solve a complex problem which has plagued me for over 20 years and then create a scalable solution for the millions of people out there who face a similar struggle.