LinkedIn Posts

Five years ago, I cut down my stress by 50% in one move: I banned WhatsApp for official work. Before that, we were using WhatsApp at our startup, and over the years, I had created dozens of WhatsApp groups. Soon, I was mindlessly checking and responding to messages...

A few years ago, when I used to go running in the University Stadium in Trivandrum, I would often see a former Chief Minister doing his daily walk. And he was in his early nineties. I have seen many Kerala politicians extremely active in their 80s. So much so that...

For some people (especially entrepreneurs), work-life balance has become a toxic phrase -- symbolizing sloth, not taking responsibility, and doing the minimum necessary work. For others, it is a war cry against corporate slavery -- intolerable work conditions, long...

Every time you innocuously glance at your WhatsApp or Instagram, you are building a habit. Every gratifying action builds a habit -- no exceptions. I had already known this from psychology. But the Buddhist meditation master (Nyanaponika Thera) says: "Repeated...

Big organizations can't compete with startups having 1% of their resources. Not because they have too few people (or resources), but because they have too many. When you have lots of people, first, you stack them up in a hierarchy. Now, each person has to manage their...

When I do focus sprints, I have found that the key to productivity is taking frequent and generous breaks. Here is what works for me. 1. Since I typically do 25-minute focus sprints, I generally take 3 short breaks (5 minutes each) followed by one long break (15...

Even the most hardcore procrastinator forgets to procrastinate when a family member falls ill. They run around like crazy to provide the best possible care. What destroys their procrastination? A sense of purpose -- because they care about their family, they discover...

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 seriously. E.g.,...

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...

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...

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...

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 messages 2. Spending...