Work Culture Differences

While talking to someone who moved from India to Europe, I learned that in Europe, if the work ends at 6 pm, you can’t schedule a call at 7:30 pm — people are fiercely protective of their time. But on the flip side, people take their time commitments...

‘Focus Dens’ in Offices for Deep Work

Whenever I worked out of a client site at McKinsey, I used to look for a closed room where I could close the door and work with complete focus. I may sound like a misanthrope but I promise you — but it was worth it. 😃 I once took over a project that a two-member...

We don’t need long hours to be productive

Conventional wisdom states that, as an entrepreneur, I should be slogging 12-16 hours a day. Yet, on any given day, I never exceed 4-5 hours of real work. Of course, I work beyond that as well – e.g., on administrative work, emails, etc. But I don’t do long hours or...

Beat Decision Fatigue by Building Habits

Imagine this: Every morning, when you get up, you have to take these decisions: 1. Should I brush my teeth? 2. Should I take a shower? 3. Should I meditate or do some yoga? 4. Should I do some walking or running? Or maybe gymming? 5. Should I write a journal? Read a...

Leadership Is Not About Staying Busy

To get into and succeed in senior leadership roles, you can’t just solve the problems in front of you — you have to anticipate and solve problems even before they arise. But you can’t do that if you are: 1. Perpetually busy replying to emails and...