What is a Bom

Bom is the term we use to describe the questions the app will ask you about your progress toward specific goals. Whether positive or negative, Boms are what you will track to stay on course toward accomplishing your Action Plan. There are 8 different types of Boms (Bom-Types): Productives, UnProductives, Ratings, Deratings, Queries, Inquiries, Triggers and Tasks.

Productives (Bom-Type 1/8)

Productives are colored orange and are things you can do on a weekly basis to help you accomplish your goal. If I had a fitness goal, a Productive example could be, “How many times did I workout this week?” Productives are always written in the form of a question.

UnProductives (Bom-Type 2/8)

UnProductives are colored red and are things you are trying to avoid doing. UnProductives are things that may hinder you from accomplishing your goal. An example could be, “How many times did I bite my nails?” UnProductives are always written in the form of a question.

Ratings (Bom-Type 3/8)

Ratings are colored purple. Ratings are positive things that you can rate yourself on, on a scale from 1 - 10. A Rating example could be, “On a scale from 1 - 10, how much effort did I put into being optimistic?” Ratings are subjective so just give your best guesstimation. Over time your ability to rate yourself accurately will increase. Ratings are always written in the form of a question.

Deratings (Bom-Type 4/8)

Deratings are colored blue and like Ratings, they have you rate things on a scale from 1 - 10. The difference with Deratings is that they measure negative attributes not positive ones. An example of a Derating is, “On a scale from 1 - 10, how worried or stressed was I this week?” Deratings are always written in the form of a question.

Queries (Bom-Type 5/8)

Queries are colored pink and are simply open-ended questions that you will periodically ask yourself. An example of a Query question can be, “What was my biggest accomplishment this week?”

Inquiries (Bom-Type 6/8)

Inquiries are colored turquoise and are open-ended questions that your group members will respond to. You can use Inquiries to get advice and insights from other people who have a different perspective than you. When other users come to your profile to Send Joy, they can answer your Inquiry question. An example of an Inquiry could be, “What are some strategies you use to relax and enjoy yourself?”

Triggers (Bom-Type 7/8)

Triggers are colored brown and are two-part Boms. First it asks you how many times you encountered an initial trigger. Then it asks how many times you responded with a specific trigger response. Here is an example of a trigger, “How many times did someone do something that frustrated me?” And here is an example of a trigger response, “How many times did I put myself in their shoes and practice empathy?” Triggers are always written as two separate questions.

Tasks (Bom-Type 8/8)

Tasks are colored yellow and they are things you are trying to accomplish on a one-time basis. A Task example could be, “Write a list of twenty things I enjoy doing.”

What is an Action Plan

Accomplish Any Goal

Some people think that success is found by having the right solutions. We believe that success is found by having the right questions (Boms). Using Akwai, you can accomplish any goal you imagine by following these steps:

1. Decide on what goal you want to accomplish. Search the Akwai in-app marketplace for an Action Plan that corresponds with your goal (Note: you may need to work with an Architect or customer support to help you locate Action Plans). If we don’t have an Action Plan for your exact situation then start off with one that is similar and then customize it by modifying its Boms.

2. Use the Akwai social network normally. You will get accountability and encouragement as you are guided through your Action Plan. As an Akwai member you will repeat this 3-step cycle each week: (1) Update Goal/Action Plan, (2) Send Joy and (3) Get Feedback/Receive Joy…

3. The app automatically stores and produces insightful data about your progress. After a few weeks, you will have accumulated tons of information that you can look back on. Evaluate this data to modify your strategy, add/remove Boms, edit the structure of individual Boms and change the type of feedback/Joy you receive from group-members.

4. Continue using the Akwai social network with your updated strategy and Boms.

5. After some time you will either [a] have accomplished your goal or [b] accumulated new data and information about your progress. Use this information to modify your strategy, update Boms or choose different Action Plans. Being able to always have insightful data to study will allow you to keep tweaking your strategy until you accomplish ever goal you put your mind to.