At my last job with a private equity firm, we had retreats at some really fancy hotels. At one of them, as part of the ‘evening service,’ the hotel staff would leave an array of small perfume bottles on the bed to help you sleep better. For sure, it felt like luxury....

On day 1 of my first job with the Indian Police Service – I was quite useless. I had some theoretical knowledge of law enforcement but I am pretty sure I was good for nothing. But people tolerated me and with time and exposure, I learned. The same thing happened at...

Should you choose success over health or the other way around? It is a false choice. No job should make us choose between health and success. Without health, there can't be any success. When we are in good health, we do better work. When we are relaxed, we think more...

Growing up in a strictly middle-class family, we did not have too much money. And it may seem like it put me at a disadvantage. It did not. In fact, I consider my upbringing my biggest luck. Not having money, I knew that whatever I wanted to do in life, I had to do it...

Yesterday, when I needed some medical advice for my dad, I called my friend Dr. Shankhabrata Bagchi, one of the best doctors I know. And yet, Bagchi has never practiced medicine – he joined the IPS right after his MBBS and was our batch topper. But such is his love...

When I left McKinsey to move back to India, I promised myself two things: 1. No more working late nights. 2. No more alarms – I would wake up when I had enough sleep. So when I joined a private equity fund in Mumbai, I wanted to make sure that they didn’t work late...

Here is an easy way to destroy your life. Start the day by checking WhatsApp, and then get sucked into a vortex of endlessly checking Facebook, Instagram, online news, Twitter, whatever... Keep repeating the cycle, and by evening, you will be a worn-out, empty shell....

Very few professions that look glamorous or exciting, are actually that. During my MBA, I thought McKinsey would be very glamorous. Big clients, global travel and fancy hotels, advising CEOs, yada yada. So here is a reality check. At 11 pm one night, one of my buddies...

If you ever find yourself stuck in a rut of laziness, low energy, and lack of direction, these five keystone habits will help you smash through it: 1) Regular workout: More than for physical fitness, exercise is a great medicine for mental well-being. Study after...

In 3 months, you can get ahead of almost everyone. Here is how: 1. Every day, for an hour, disconnect your phone from the internet. 2. Pick a learning goal or a task that requires focus. 3. For the next 50 minutes, keep a timer on. 4. While the timer ticks, work or...

When I quit my job with McKinsey in New York, I moved back to India. And there were many reasons for the move – personal and family. But there was one more reason: Though I loved it in the US and people were exceptionally kind and polite, somehow, I could never feel...

Here is a learning hack I have successfully tried, especially during my MBA exams. I would often wake up very early (e.g., 3 am), study for two hours or so, and then again sleep for an hour or two. I would then go write the exam, and invariably, those 2 hrs of early...

At my last job with a PE fund, one of my bosses (Victor Menezes) joined Citibank as a fresher, later became its global CEO, and retired as the Senior Vice Chairman of Citigroup – a financial services conglomerate. He retired so successful and rich that he donated a...

In 2009, when I had just joined a private equity fund, we were invited to the Oberoi hotel in Mumbai for a fancy presentation by a healthcare technology company (I am deliberately not naming it). The company tried to charm the investor community with its presentation...