I’ve decided to take on a new challenge to develop my creativity and problem solving skills. Every morning, I’ll spend ten minutes brainstorming a project or task that’s out of my comfort zone to complete in the evening. This could be anything, such as a simple DIY project, learning a new skill, playing piano, or practicing yoga. The process of generating a problem and implementing a solution will help me practice setting and fulfilling my own goals. Every evening, I’ll report back on how the challenge went and what I learned, and I’ll also reflect on how I’d like to proceed with that challenge. I’ll discuss my thought process and the criteria for the challenge as well, such as a problem statement and necessary attributes for the design.

Today’s challenge was to develop a way to keep my wonderful cat Brisket from destroying and unraveling the toilet paper roll every morning. The roll needed to be protected from her teeth and claws while still being easily accessible by humans and allowing for easy replacement. I decided to start with a simple cardboard sheath with a slot for the paper to come out. Before developing a protector that allows for easy roll replacement, I wanted to test the concept with Brisket to make sure the protective sheath worked. I present to you… the Brisket Blocker v1.0! It’s made from a cereal box and tape, along with an X-ACTO cut slot for the paper. The roll spools easily but should be protected from Brisket, although only the test tomorrow morning will tell!