Ideas
Explore the world's #1 largest database of ideas and innovations, with 433,068 inspiring examples.
Trend Reports
Discover why 1,165 brands rely on our AI-powered Trend Reports to get better, faster insights.
Newsletter
Join 336,141 subscribers who rely on our weekly newsletter to keep up with need-to-know trends and insights.
Consumer Insights
Uncover major shifts and emerging opportunities with our exclusive PRO research.
Trend Reports
Discover why 1,165 brands rely on our AI-powered Trend Reports to get better, faster insights.
Newsletter
Join 336,141 subscribers who rely on our weekly newsletter to keep up with need-to-know trends and insights.
Advisory & Services
Accelerate innovation and ignite disruptive thinking with our award-winning programs and research.
Trend Reports
Get fast, customized trend reports, presentations and deep dives 20x faster than traditional research.
Plans
Get started today with a free consultation, our self-serve tools, or a dedicated program.
Articles & Magazine
Get inspired with our 4,158 innovation strategy articles, keynote, videos and innovation tools.
Innovation Awards
Trend Hunter’s Innovation Strategy Awards recognize the best innovation tactics gathered from our interviews with some of the world's most notable business leaders, authors and change makers.
Advisory & Services
Accelerate innovation and ignite disruptive thinking with our award-winning programs and research.
Innovation Assessment
Enhance your innovation potential with a deeper understanding of your unique innovation archetype and how your organization benchmarks.
FuturistU
Prepare for the years ahead with 100+ lessons, tactics, tools and frameworks with our full learning database.
Innovation Books
Join 20,000,000 people getting better and faster with our New York Times Bestselling books and keynote videos.
Jeremy Gutsche
Ignite your event or virtual event with our CEO, a NY Times Bestselling Author and one of the top innovation keynote speakers.
Our Team of Speakers & Virtual Presenters
Inspire your group with our most popular speakers on innovation, trends, change and futurism.
Custom Training & Events
Bring the Future Festival experience directly to your team or co-hosted custom event.
Contact
Get in touch to learn more, ask a question or submit a tip.
About Us
Learn more about Trend Hunter and how we accelerate innovation.
Follow-Us
Join our 3,500,000 social media followers, on the cutting edge.
FAQ
Get answers to common questions about Trend Hunter.
Community
Stay on the cutting-edge with the help of the Trend Hunter community.
Team
Meet the team trusted by hundreds of leading businesses worldwide.
Jobs
Find opportunities to accelerate your career with the #1 Trend Firm.
News
Catch up on noteworthy Trend Hunter news and media mentions.
Join
Build a portfolio and put your trend-spotting abilities to the test.
Advertising
Supercharge your marketing by partnering with Trend Hunter.
Portfolio
Visit your public portfolio and browse your past articles.
Add a Trend
Write up an article and showcase your trend-spotting skills.
My Trends
Edit your articles and see how they stack up on the leaderboards.
Settings
Edit your profile, connect your social media accounts, and more.
Add a trend, customize your dashboard, or track topics.
Future Festival
Innovation Events
Join the world's top innovators at our in person events.
Free Webinars
During COVID-19, learn to innovate through chaos, navigate the new normal and maintain work culture from home.
Custom Training & Events
Bring the Future Festival experience directly to your team or co-hosted custom event.
Search our database of 433,068 cutting edge ideas.
FuturistU > Innovation & Change > Ability to Change > Module 7 / 7

Ease of Inaction

Instructor: Jeremy Gutsche
In this module, Jeremy discusses the ease of inaction, a concept that looks at how even the smartest and most innovative minds can fall victim to stability & consistency. Smart people do not intentionally resist change or adaptation, but we get so caught up with everything that needs to be done that we become less proactive about ideas that are different, are not in our department, or are not our greatest concern. A multitude of factors make it easier for us to lack urgency, and if you can address those factors, you can spark the action you need to create the future.

Individuals today are so busy, whether it be related to work or our personal lives, and it becomes very easy to deprioritize new ideas or opportunities; this busyness can impact any sense of urgency to take action or pursue something different. Jeremy reveals tactics for how to overcome the ease of inaction and strategies to prevent your competitiors from moving more quickly than you.
Workshop Questions:
1. What tactics, symbols, or workshops could you implement to make change happen?
2. If you were to imagine five years from today, what five factors could realistically lead your company to become less relevant? What could lead to success? Based on that exercise, what are the three most important areas for you to focus on?
3. If you created a gambling fund, what are five initiatives currently on hold that you would put in action?
Get Trend Hunter Dashboard

Insights by Trend Hunter AI

Custom Workflow
Personalized prioritization apps enable more inclusive and effective work styles
Trend - Apps and services that aid in summarizing, prioritizing, and organizing work tasks in personalized ways are more popular than ever in the post-pandemic workplace. Not only does this custom approach to workflow give more flexibility, but is more inclusive of different work styles and needs.
Workshop Question - How can your organization maximize output without dictating how and when work is completed?
5.1
Score
Popularity
Activity
Freshness
Patterns
Megatrends
Connected Canes
Brands are offering high-tech walking canes to help seniors "age in place"
Trend - To tackle senior mobility challenges, various "age tech" startups have opted to reinvent one of humankind's first walking aids: the cane. These reimagined canes boast sleek contemporary designs and feature high-tech elements such as built-in sensors, biometric activity trackers, and cell data.
Workshop Question - How could your brand utilize new technology to better support senior demographics?
8.3
Score
Popularity
Activity
Freshness
Patterns
Megatrends
Customized Makeup
Cosmetic brands make customized formulas and tools more accessible
Trend - Some brands are making personalization in beauty more accessible with formulas and tools that can be customized to consumers' color or application preferences. These customizable formulas are easy to access and more affordable than personalized beauty typically allows.
Workshop Question - How could your brand add an element of customization into its product/service?
5.8
Score
Popularity
Activity
Freshness
Patterns
Megatrends
Reformed Routine
Social changes are influencing consumers to slow down and reassess their lives
Trend - More consumers in North America are adapting their priorities and routines to better align with their own happiness. This can involve consumers renouncing needlessly fast-paced lifestyles, quitting jobs in place of alternative opportunities, and generally focusing on their own happiness.
Workshop Question - How could your brand better align itself with its customers' or employees' values?
4.8
Score
Popularity
Activity
Freshness
Patterns
Megatrends
Accessible Snack
More brands in food retail prioritize accessible packaging
Trend - Accessible packaging and branding has become a priority for some brands in the food industry. Now, more businesses are designing food packaging that's easily accessed by people with disabilities--with everything from the incorporation of braille to easier-to-open lids.
Workshop Question - How could your brand be more accessible for underserved communities?
6.3
Score
Popularity
Activity
Freshness
Patterns
Megatrends
Eco Banking
Finance apps allow users to make eco-friendly decisions
Trend - Banking and sales apps are allowing consumers to be more sustainable by offering features that have a positive impact on the environment. These include everything from clothing resale functions to making eco-conscious investments.
Workshop Question - How is your brand empowering sustainability?
4.7
Score
Popularity
Activity
Freshness
Patterns
Megatrends
Kid-Friendly Adaptation
Toys and products for children are made adaptable to grow with them
Trend - Adaptable products that are able to "grow" or change in function as children grow up are increasingly popular. Products in this space include everything from high chairs with multiple functions to cribs that can turn into desks.
Workshop Question - How is your brand prioritizing cost accessibility for its customers?
7.5
Score
Popularity
Activity
Freshness
Patterns
Megatrends
Accessible Vaccination
Branded offerings and features aim to make COVID-19 vaccines accessible
Trend - Vaccine hesitancy and inaccessibility have been issues in different parts of North America, and so some brands are making the process more accessible with offerings like appointment information, transportation, and work accommodations to encourage people to get vaccinated.
Workshop Question - How is your brand prioritizing vaccine accessibility for its customers or employees?
3.3
Score
Popularity
Activity
Freshness
Patterns
Megatrends
Modular Work
Home office systems with modular designs make spatial adaptation easier
Trend - Modular home office systems are becoming more popular as working from home has become the norm since COVID-19 was declared a pandemic. These systems allow for consumers to build offices at home in ways that are simple and spatially functional.
Workshop Question - How is your brand catering to the long-term changes brought on by the pandemic?
6
Score
Popularity
Activity
Freshness
Patterns
Megatrends
WFH Culture
Brands replicate office culture from home for their employees
Trend - In order to keep employees engaged as many companies enter a year of work-from-home setups, many are trying to replicate in-office rituals virtually. These include everything from coffee breaks to chat rooms that are mapped out to look like offices.
Workshop Question - How is your brand keeping employees engaged?
5.6
Score
Popularity
Activity
Freshness
Patterns
Megatrends