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Why “Retire Early” Is an Empty Fantasy
When I launched my first startup, on the way to my rented office in Mumbai's Bandra, I would see a house where two retired-looking men would be sitting, listening to vintage Goanese and English songs. Their faces had no joy, no expression. All they...
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Success is an event and so is a failure
After June 12th, when the UPSC Prelims exam results came out, I received a bunch of emails from people who did not qualify. Many were dejected and...
Rethinking Instant Response Culture
Employees responding instantly to your Slack messages is a fantastic thing. Just as the Rolls Royce is a fantastic car. There is only one problem --...
Completion Discipline
I am struggling. In fact, in my startup life, I have always struggled -- there is just too much to do and too little time. And to make things worse,...
25-Minute Focus: Feasible or Myth?
My friend Vinod Thomas recently told me that while I keep talking about doing 25-minute focus sprints (pomodoros), even focusing intensely for 5...
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Quit the Noise, Embrace Zen
Your sanity is under threat from the zillion WhatsApp groups that everyone seems to be a part of. These WhatsApp groups are for all and sundry -- folks from school, college, work, close relatives, distant relatives, extraterrestrials... and so on....
Rethinking the Billionaire Race
A while ago, I was talking to a friend who once led a top-tier Indian university. One day, a psychologically distressed student came to him and somberly said, "I am 25. At my age, Mark Zuckerberg was already a billionaire. And what have I achieved?...
Here’s how you break bad habits
Yesterday, I asked my colleagues -- "Which app do you find most distracting or addicted to?" And I heard a surprising answer: Swiggy. One team member candidly admitted that around 12:30 pm, when the Swiggy offers start pouring in, she can't help...
Goal-Driven Focus
If you want to have unwavering focus but have struggled to achieve it, this Buddhist story has an answer. Once a king gave one of his subjects a challenge. He said, "You have to walk around the palace carrying a bucket full of hot oil on your head,...