Here is an easy tip for building focus and reclaiming your time. Whenever you are working, keep your phone outside your arm’s reach. To grab your phone, you should have to get up. Here is why this works. We check our apps to escape boredom and frustration. And when we...

During my MBA, I saw some people who would go to any length to hide which companies they were interviewing with for a job. Their fear was that others would also apply for the same job and wreck their chances. Of course, one could probably argue that since the number...

Last year, during one of our bootcamps, a participant shared that her company had installed a software on the company laptop to track whether they were actively working or not. Apparently, if they did not move the mouse every few minutes, the software would assume...

During my training at the National Police Academy, I noticed these photos of National Security Guard commandos (‘black cat ’ commandos) shooting at small circular cardboard targets held by their colleagues. If they missed their aim even by a few inches, the bullet...

I joined my first job (Indian Police Service) in my early twenties and was among the younger officers. I joined my second job (McKinsey) in my mid-thirties and was among the older lot in my batch. Does it mean I was successful the first time and a failure the second...

A guest speaker at Wharton told us – ‘Every time you open your mouth, your earn or burn market share.’ In today’s world, articulation is like oxygen – you need it to survive. - Persuading your boss to give you a raise is articulation. - The debates and discussions at...

When preparing for my Civil Services interview, I did so many mock interviews that when I went for the real one, it was a cakewalk – there was no curveball the interviewers could throw that I was not prepared for. And I aced that interview. Similarly, when I prepared...

If you call my colleague Nisha on her phone, you will hear a ticking sound in the background. That is the secret of her insane productivity – I have never seen a person get more work done. Here is what she does: 1. From morning till late afternoon, she only works in...

Habit formation happens in 21 days? WRONG. If you understand the science behind it, you can build any habit. And here it is. For a drug like cocaine, some people can get hooked in just one dose – others may take longer but still, it can be less than 21 days. On the...

In 2017, one day at around midnight, my colleague Nisha called me in panic. Virtually in tears, she said that our e-learning app had stopped working. At that time, I was running my previous startup, ConceptOwl. When I asked what happened, she said, “It is all gone....

The problem with Netflix binge is not that it is ‘wrong’ – it is about how you feel AFTER the binge. If someone feels great even after a 6-hour binge, maybe, they should do more of it. I may not agree with their choice, but it is not for me to judge. However, very...

A few months after I was posted as Trivandrum Police Commissioner, one senior DIG (Deputy Inspector General of Police) pulled me aside and said, “You are too quiet. Not much is heard about you.” “Look at these other police chiefs who are always making news. You should...

During my BTech days, when my classmates aiming for a Master’s or PhD in the US were slogging hard, the aimless folks like me were taking it easy. I remember often pitying those people, and occasionally, even making fun of them. But very soon, the tables were turned....

At McKinsey, the skill I needed the most was not maths. In fact, the most advanced maths I ever used was multiple regression. Surprisingly, even more than ‘problem-solving’, the skill I used the most was 'articulation' - writing, explaining, and crafting persuasive...

When I was in school, I believed that the ‘real life’ would start in college – school was just a prep for it. But during college, I felt that real life will start once I begin working. When I took up my first job in the Indian Police Service (IPS), I got so busy that...