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Calm productivity
Productivity is not (and should not be) about extracting the most out of your life. We are not toothpaste tubes to be squeezed till the last drop. Joyful, calm productivity is about three things: A deliberate life: Working on things that matter --...
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The Rewards of Sacrifice
In my last job as a private equity investor, I came across many Indian entrepreneurs whose parents set up the business from scratch. I remember one...
The value of being at the bottom
The most valuable lesson I learned at McKinsey was NOT making presentations or structured thinking, as valuable as they were. The best lesson was...
What is meaningful writing?
I was once talking to a lawyer, who was a partner at a law firm in London. I asked him, 'How challenging is it to be a good lawyer?' He said,...
The power of communication beyond accents
During my MBA, McKinsey once visited our campus for a pre-placement talk. One of their consultants who addressed us was a South American with a very...
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Flow and happiness through work
3 years ago, I experienced one of the happiest days of my life. And in case you are wondering what life-changing thing happened that day, the answer is -- nothing. All I was doing was teaching finance to a new class of investment bankers at...
Never underestimate any task
During my stint with the Indian Police Service, I handled a ton of riots, violent mobs, and civil disturbances. When you keep doing that day-in and day-out, naturally, the whole routine becomes quite familiar. Despite that, I would try to never...
Letting Go of Unhelpful Worrying: A Practical Guide
Is a 20 kg rucksack too heavy? Probably yes, but only if you carry it on your back. If you put it down, it has no weight at all. The same goes for our worries. We often carry way too much burden in our heads. Why not put them down? But this sounds...
Random chance
Once, during my stint with McKinsey, an HR recruiter from the New York office once asked me if I could help shortlist a few resumes for interviews. The applicants were all from top B-Schools (Harvard, Columbia, MIT, Wharton, etc.) and every resume...