Don’t Miss Important Messages: Trust Your System, Not Your Memory
In today’s global work environment, email and instant messages are the lifeblood of collaboration. On any given day, you might check them from your laptop, tablet, or mobile device — between meetings, during a commute, or while making coffee.
You might glance at a message, instantly understand what’s being asked of you, and think, “I’ll handle this later.” But then the day speeds up. More notifications arrive. By the time you remember that message, it’s buried deep under a growing pile of unread items.
It’s not a question of carelessness — it’s a question of cognitive limits. Our short-term memory can only hold a handful of items at once, and only briefly. As psychologist George A. Miller described in his classic paper, “The Magical Number Seven, Plus or Minus Two,” our minds can typically manage only about five to nine discrete pieces of information at any given time. That means even a single distraction can overwrite what we just read or planned to do. Unless we capture a message somewhere external, it simply fades.
That’s why the discipline of checking messages isn’t enough. You can read every email and still miss something important if it never makes the leap from your mind into a reliable system that remembers for you.
The Discipline of Daily Processing
The antidote to missed messages isn’t another app or reminder — it’s consistent discipline.
Make checking your emails and messages a non-negotiable part of your morning routine.
This isn’t to say you should only check messages in the morning. Of course, you’ll read and respond to them throughout the day — as part of your normal workflow.
The purpose of the morning routine is different: it’s your fail-safe. It’s the daily checkpoint that catches anything you may have missed, forgotten, or left hanging amid the rush of the previous day.
Sometimes you’ll be confident that you’ve already captured every new task or follow-up — but do the drill anyway. You’ll be surprised how often a message, a quick chat, or a small promise slips through unnoticed. Our memory is far less reliable than we’d like to believe.
The keyword here is process, not respond.
You don’t need to execute every task immediately. The goal is to recognize, decide, and record each actionable message into your trusted system — your to-do list, task manager, or follow-up tracker.
If something takes less than two minutes, feel free to complete it right away. But for everything else, your mission is simple: get it out of your head and into your system.
Please note, when you do this every day, you’re only processing messages from the last 24 hours. Most apps even label them as “yesterday”, making it easy to spot and clear anything that arrived since your last check. It’s a light lift — a daily reset that keeps your system current and trustworthy.
The Trap: Don’t Run With the First “Important” Task
During this message review, you’ll often come across a task that feels urgent, exciting, or personally meaningful. The temptation is to drop everything and start on it immediately.
Resist that urge.
When you dive into one task before finishing your review, the rest of your messages remain unprocessed — which means hidden risks and unfinished requests still lurk in your inbox. You lose visibility before you’ve even begun.
Treat this step like triage: finish the scan, then decide what truly deserves your attention next.
This simple act separates reactive busyness from intentional productivity.
Conclusion: Trust Your System, Not Your Memory
Our minds aren’t built to hold dozens of digital threads at once. Important messages slip not because we’re inattentive, but because we rely on a system — short-term memory — that isn’t made for this world of endless input.
True productivity comes from trusting your system, not your memory. When you build the daily habit of message processing, you’re not just tidying your inbox — you’re designing reliability into your day.
It’s a quiet form of professionalism: ensuring that nothing meaningful depends on chance or recall.
And the result?
Peace of mind, clearer focus, and the confidence that every message — and every responsibility — is exactly where it should be.
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The Counterintuitive Truth About Time Management
At first glance, certain uses of time look unproductive. But if you zoom out, they often turn out to be among the wisest investments you can make.
Breaks That Push You Forward
Consider breaks. Stepping back from a problem can feel like stalling. Yet how many times has clarity struck you after a pause—a walk, a cup of tea, even a shower? The act of stepping away often reveals the direction that sheer persistence could not. This connects right back to our opening idea: what looks like lost time is often a smart investment in disguise.
The same is true at work. Frequent restorative breaks—drinking water, strolling a bit, stretching at your desk—are not distractions. They reduce stress, give your body a metabolic nudge, and sustain the very focus you depend on for deep work.
As Edwin C. Bliss rightly put it:
“Anything that contributes to health is good time management.”
Sprinting at breakneck speed can feel productive in the moment, but if it leads to burnout, illness, or lifestyle diseases, your multi‑year output collapses. Investing in health—through pauses, movement, sleep, and nutrition—may look like a time cost today, yet over a larger time frame it becomes a compounding productivity asset.
People: The Most “Unproductive” Yet Most Valuable Use of Time
Another area where this counterintuitive principle shines is in relationships. Spending time with people doesn’t always feel efficient. The activity might not advance your goals, and conversations may drift away from work altogether. Yet, people are almost always a good use of time.
I’ve experienced this firsthand during my evening walks. For years, I’ve used them to push forward my reading habit—listening to audiobooks on Kindle and Audible while walking or on the treadmill. But many times, my daughter, my wife, or even one of my neighbor friends joins me. When they do, I don’t hesitate to pause the audio. The chats we share may not move my reading list forward, but they strengthen bonds that matter far more in the long run. Just like health, relationships demand steady, ongoing investment.
The Bigger Picture
Here’s the real counterintuitive twist: many people equate setting up a formal time management system with squeezing in more work. It’s not. When you manage your time appropriately, you gain control over your work. That control gives you the freedom to pace yourself, reduce stress, and remain flexible enough to seize serendipitous opportunities when they arise.
Breaks and people may look like inefficiencies on the surface. In truth, they’re pillars of sustainable productivity. Time management, at its best, isn’t about doing more. It’s about living better by having control on our time usage.
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(Originally published in Times of India on September 27, 2025)
The Quiet Enemy That Steals Your Time and Peace
Every great story needs a hero and a villain. In Greek mythology, Hercules fought the Hydra. In the tale of David and Goliath, the shepherd boy faced the giant. In the Indian epic Ramayana, Ram battled Ravan. And in the beloved film Sholay—which recently completed 50 years, yet remains iconic—Jai and Veeru stood against Gabbar Singh.
In our own lives, people often miss the most dramatic truth: each of us is the hero of our own epic. No boss, no superior, not even a god takes that role—it belongs to us. We chase goals, uphold values, and strive toward milestones. Along the way, we battle many antagonists—deadlines, distractions, and doubt. Yet there’s one villain we all share, no matter who we are or where we live. It doesn’t roar like Gabbar Singh. It doesn’t wield ten heads like Ravan. It creeps in quietly, everywhere. That villain is ENTROPY.
In physics, entropy is the natural tendency of systems to move from order to disorder. Left unchecked, your clean desk gathers dust, your files scatter, and your inbox overflows.
Think of an ice cube: stop feeding energy to keep it frozen, and it melts. The lesson is simple—only effort and energy can hold disorder at bay. As Stephen Hawking explained:
The increase of disorder or entropy is what distinguishes the past from the future, giving a direction to time.
Entropy isn’t something you invite. It sneaks in, and only deliberate action keeps it from pulling everything toward chaos.
Let’s see how Entropy Shows Up in Daily Life
- A freshly cleaned kitchen turns messy in days.
- Your phone storage, once spacious, mysteriously fills up.
- Social media feeds grow noisy, no matter how carefully you curate them.
Entropy is the invisible hand that nudges life toward clutter. Unlike Gabbar Singh, it doesn’t announce itself—it whispers. And slowly, disorder begins to feel like the default.
We can’t eliminate entropy—it’s woven into the fabric of the universe. But we can resist it. The trick is not to wait until disorder grows colossal, demanding back-breaking clean-ups. Instead, we build systems where the smart bare minimum effort keeps things organized. A few seconds spent filing a document today can save hours of hunting tomorrow. A simple habit of clearing your inbox daily prevents the crushing overload that otherwise builds up and buries important information somewhere deep down, away from our eyesight.
Every act of cleaning, sorting, or organizing is a rebellion. It’s our way of declaring: “I choose order over disorder.”
Being organized is more than a tidy desk. It’s about clarity, calm, and conserving energy. It’s about designing systems that keep entropy in check with the least friction possible—so your life runs smoothly without requiring heroic effort each time.
Let’s pause and think, why Be Organized? Because order gives us superpowers:
- Save Time – Less searching, more doing.
- Reduce Stress – Order brings calm.
- Boost Productivity – With a fully functional work environment, energy isn’t wasted on chaos.
- Conserve Resources – Fewer duplicates, cleaner storage, less waste.
Organization is how we push back against entropy. With the right systems, the key is consistent effort—small and steady—that turns staying organized into a manageable trickle, preventing the tidal wave of disorder that otherwise makes things non-functional and demands colossal clean-ups.
Entropy may be a universal law, but it doesn’t get the final word. Every small act of organization—decluttering a drawer, taming your inbox, structuring your files—is a heroic act.
So the next time you tidy up, remember: you’re not just cleaning. You’re designing a system where minimal effort holds back maximum chaos. Think of some key common spaces that can be organized:
You’re proving that order, clarity, and progress are worth the investment.
Multitasking: Misunderstood and Underrated
Multitasking. The word itself often sparks frowns. Distraction, half-done work, and errors have given it a bad reputation. But here’s the twist: what people usually condemn isn’t multitasking at all—it’s what many call multi-focusing.
Trying to write an email while also solving a complex problem, or talking to someone on the phone or staying on a chat during a meeting, splits your attention and guarantees shallow work. Our brains can’t give deep focus to two demanding tasks at once.
The real story of multitasking is different—and far more useful.
Pairing a mental activity with a physical one often works beautifully.
- Listen to an audiobook while walking.
- Reflect on ideas during a workout.
- Stretch while on a routine call.
Even two light physical activities can complement each other—like cooking while listening to music or walking while sipping coffee.
In Get Up, Dr. James Levine introduces NEAT (Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis)—the everyday movements that keep us healthy. One of his key suggestions: after every meal, do a NEAT activity for 15 minutes. Why NEAT? Because it’s these small, consistent movements that prevent long sitting, keep metabolism active, and support overall well-being.
I tried it. After breakfast, I head to my balcony garden. I check on each plant, remove weeds, trim old leaves, water where needed, and sometimes spray neem oil to fight pests. What could have seemed like gardening chores — and risked becoming another task people tend to dislike and skip — turned into a perfect NEAT activity.
After lunch or dinner (I work from home), I switch to small organizing tasks around the house. At first glance, these look like little chores or “time fillers.” But when reframed as NEAT, they become energizing and purposeful.
Of course, on some busier days, I might not have the luxury of time and have to be at my desk; I don’t drop my NEAT commitment, and I use my under-desk elliptical while working.
One more example from my daily routine: I often keep the radio on while I work. The music soothes me and refreshes my mind subtly while I code, handle small reading, or do light writing. That’s good multitasking—mental work paired with a light sensory background.
But when I have to read or write something complex, I switch the radio off. That’s the moment it crosses into multi-focusing, where my brain would struggle to split attention.
This simple switch—knowing when multitasking helps and when it hurts—makes all the difference. This is multitasking done right.
A Practical Takeaway
Try a 7-day NEAT + multitasking experiment:
- After each meal, spend 10–15 minutes on a light physical task.
- Choose activities that matter to you—watering plants, tidying up.
- Or if you go to the office for work, arrange a task that can be done while walking, such as a discussion with a colleague or boss. Or simply do whatever, but do not use the chair for those 15 minutes
- Notice the lift in energy, focus, and satisfaction.
- Bad multitasking = multi-focusing (splitting mental bandwidth).
- Good multitasking = complementary activities (mind + body, or body + body).
Once you see the difference, multitasking transforms from a productivity villain into a secret weapon.
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Sweet Goals, Hidden Costs: A Better Way to Choose Commitments
There’s an old Indian proverb:
“Ghee dekha, par badga nahi dekha.”
You saw the ghee (clarified butter), but missed the cudgel waiting nearby. The image is of a cat spotting a pot of ghee and rushing to lick it, unaware of the cudgel placed close at hand, ready to strike. In folklore, it’s a warning: don’t rush to grab the sweet reward if you’re blind to the stick that comes with it.
In the context of time management, it becomes a useful filter. Every opportunity — a hobby, a project, a side hustle — comes with a cudgel: the hidden cost. The question is: are you saying yes to ghee with a cudgel or ghee with no cudgel
For years, I wanted to learn to sing. But it always felt like ghee with a cudgel — sweet but disruptive. It would have taken time away from swimming, writing, my day job, and my coaching practice. Holding back wasn’t procrastination; it was prudence in how I chose to use my time.
Recently, things shifted. Appearing as a guest on podcasts made me conscious of my voice. I wanted to sound more professional and address certain shortcomings. While exploring how, I discovered The Voice and the Actor by Cicely Berry. The book recommends singing as a way to develop breath control — the foundation of a strong, clear voice.
That was the turning point. Singing wasn’t just a hobby anymore. It became directly relevant to my coaching and public speaking. What once was ghee with a cudgel transformed into ghee with no cudgel.
And as I write this, the reality of the cudgel is right in front of me. I have a stage show just a few days away. I’ve already rehearsed my song dozens of times, and I know I’ll probably cross a hundred repetitions before the performance. It reminded me why I was right not to take up singing earlier, when it didn’t align with my rhythm. Now, the same effort feels purposeful because it directly strengthens my vocation.
Before saying yes to something new, run it through this filter:
- Is this ghee with a cudgel?
Sweet on the surface but disruptive to my rhythm. If yes, decline. - Is this ghee with no cudgel?
An effort that aligns naturally with my goals and strengthens my priorities. If yes, commit.
Time management isn’t about doing everything that looks tempting. It’s about choosing only those that align closely with your life goals and overall rhythm. That simple filter preserves your focus, protects your rhythm, and makes every “yes” sustainable.
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(Originally published in Times of India on August 16, 2025)
What They Don’t Teach You About Managing Time — Until It’s Too Late
“If I had to do my education over again, and had any voice in the matter, I would not study facts at all. I would develop the power of concentration and detachment, and then with a perfect instrument I could collect facts at will.”
— Swami Vivekananda
Swami Vivekananda was emphasizing the importance of learning how to concentrate — a foundational ability that should be developed before diving into the pursuit of knowledge.
Inspired by that thought, I’d like to propose something similar:
Learn time management before you take on high-stakes, high-impact responsibilities. Before you lock horns with towering demands, equip yourself with the ability to manage your time, tasks, and energy well.
At some point in most careers, the demands start piling up. You’re doing more, achieving more, and being pulled in multiple directions. But quietly, something begins to give:
- Work responsibilities multiply
- Family and personal obligations intensify
- Your own health takes a backseat
- Time feels scarce, and balance slips away
And yet, amidst this growing complexity, we rarely pause to ask:
Do I have the system in place to carry this load?
Despite how essential time management is, it’s rarely treated as a core skill in formal education or professional training.
We’re trained in tools, platforms, domain knowledge, and even communication — but rarely in how to manage our time, attention, and energy effectively. This leaves many professionals to figure it out through trial and error — often after they’ve already hit overwhelm.
We often think of time management as a way to fit more into each day — to be faster, more efficient, more productive. But in truth, it’s about creating a system that clears mental space. A system that helps you organize. At first glance, being organized and managing time might seem like two separate skills. But at a deeper level, they are tightly connected.
Time is a limited resource — we all know that. And if we fail to use it judiciously, we risk disappointing our stakeholders, our teams, and ourselves. But here’s the catch: you can’t use time wisely unless you have a clear view of everything you’re expected to do.
That clear view — or inventory of commitments — is what being organized gives you. It includes both the work itself and the material needed to do it well.
Once you’ve organized these two core elements — your tasks and your material — you finally have a fair shot at making the best use of your time. Only then can you be truly productive and reduce the hidden stress that comes from chasing tasks in the dark.
But what exactly does “being organized” mean in practice?
It goes far beyond clearing your desk or sorting your inbox. It’s about bringing structure to the full range of things that pull on your attention — from daily to-dos to long-term goals, from digital files to mental clutter.
Here’s a comprehensive look at what can (and should) be organized:
🧩 What Can (and Should) Be Organized
🎯 Immediate Priorities (Present Focused)
- Daily to-dos
- Weekly and monthly planning
- Routines (daily, weekly, monthly, yearly, occasional)
- Project-specific actions
- Delegated tasks
- Calendar management
- Social media presence/scheduling
- High-value networking
🧠 Thinking Space (Mental Clarity)
- Ideas and insights
- Mind maps and brainstorming
- Journal of work done (daily log or reflections)
- Back-burner items (not urgent, but important someday)
🎯 Near-Term & Life Goals
- Job-related commitments and deliverables
- Health goals and habits
- Financial management (family budgeting, investments)
- Home environment tasks and improvements
- Spiritual practices
- Recreation and leisure (active planning)
🚀 Long-Term Direction
- Emerging responsibilities at work
- Career transition milestones
- Major life transition milestones (parenthood, retirement, relocation)
💻 Digital Life & Devices
- File folders (local and cloud-based)
- Email inbox and folders
- Browser bookmarks and reading list
- App and document shortcuts
- Smartphone gallery (photos, videos, screenshots)
- E-books, audiobooks
- YouTube videos or playlists of interest
- Family media (archival photos and videos)
📚 Reference & Knowledge Base
- Resume and career documents
- Personalized how-to guides and checklists
- Notes and action items from books
- Course notes and learnings
- Login credentials and password manager
- Personal Knowledge Management (PKM) system
- Organizational Knowledge Management (OKM) resources
💬 Communication Infrastructure
- Meeting agendas and preparation
- Meeting minutes and discussion notes
- Email and message templates
- Follow-up trackers
🏡 Personal Life & Physical Environment
- Hobbies and creative projects
- Bills, subscriptions, and renewals
- Shopping lists, travel plans
- Health checkups and medical appointments
- Fitness routines and progress tracking
- Physical space: desk, drawers, wardrobe, bookshelf
- Mnemonics and memory aids
- Reading list and watchlist
- Alarm and reminder setup
You don’t have to organize all of this at once. Start with just one area that’s causing you the most friction or distraction. Because the goal isn’t perfection — it’s clarity, control, and calm. This kind of organization doesn’t just help you “get things done” — it helps you think clearly, act intentionally, and stay calm under pressure.
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