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 [...]
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 [...]
“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 [...]
In the first two parts of this series, we explored physical exercises and the art of restorative breaks. Part 1 focused on how to integrate static and dynamic stretches into a high-performance schedule, and Part 2 looked at how to rest without guilt or downtime regret. Now, let’s talk [...]
Get Up!: Why Your Chair is Killing You and What You Can Do About It by James A. Levine My rating: 3 of 5 stars We all know that sitting too much is bad—but few of us do anything about it. The first wake-up call for me came from [...]
A few days ago, my brother called me, wanting to postpone our weekend meeting — something we call बौद्धिक — an intellectual discussion the three of us brothers have been doing regularly around topics of shared interest. He had an important presentation at a conference, and suddenly—only one day [...]
“Perhaps the most difficult thing that a human being is called upon to face is long, concentrated thinking.” – Hugo Gernsback, inventor and science fiction pioneer, writing in the 1920s ...And that hasn't changed. Whether you're a software developer designing a complex system, a UX designer crafting a seamless [...]
There’s a curious story about someone trying to remember their to-do list using mnemonic techniques such as memory palaces. On face of it, it may look like some solution, but to me it's far removed from day-to-day practicality. The story appears in Moonwalking with Einstein, a thought-provoking book that [...]
Concerns about AI are everywhere today—fear of losing jobs, fear of losing creativity, and fear of becoming irrelevant. I often hear this question from friends, colleagues, and clients, and somehow I stay calm and assure them that nothing catastrophic will happen. These feelings are natural whenever a new, powerful [...]
A few years ago, I attended a gardening workshop by a horticulturist. The audience was full of enthusiastic plant parents, each with their own set of worries: “Should I water once a day or twice?”“Which direction should I keep my Jade plant?”“What fertilizer do you recommend for faster growth?” [...]