Essays from the Weekend

Image from Sports Illustrated I’ve never gotten into the world of sports (aside from must-watch high profile games/competitions like the Olympics) but athletes have always been fascinating to me. The way they train every day with such discipline, the way they push themselves and then take care of themselves when they recover after a game. The way they arrive at the game dressed so well and then on the court or on the field in their headphones, getting into their mental space to perform. The way they have pre-game and post-game rituals. The way they hire and rely on sports psychologists. They know the secrets to peak physical performance and peak rest. Makes one think — should we train like athletes for the daily things that we have to perform well, i.e. our corporate jobs? Glad to have stumbled across these articles today: Headspace’s Mindfulness and the Corporate Athlete of Today and Harvard Business Review’s The Making of a Corporate Athlete .  Sharing some of my notes so that I...

All you need for a home gym For general health, doctors tell us that one needs: (a) 30 minutes of cardio at least 5 times a week and (b) 2 to 3 times of strength training in a week. I wanted to establish a mindless, frictionless routine of getting the requisite cardio and strength sessions done in a week. My fitness goal will always and forever just be general health - no “gains” targets, no gimmicks, no fitness cults (though I would love to go back to group workouts with friends just for fun, like spinning and Lagree, when the circumstances allow). The 30-minute cardio requirement is a no-brainer thanks to my Apple watch (my best exercise motivator!). I just run for exactly 30 minutes when I wake up in the morning. Another thing already in my system is that most afternoons, I take a yoga class  from my favorite yoga teacher which helps with stress and anxiety and physical symmetry. The challenge for me is getting a consistent strength training regimen in. I think it’s essential in...

Hi there! I wasn’t able to write this past weekend. I was too enthralled with where I was. Practically in a rainforest. I love looking at wild birds and there were many different birds where I went. I saw a hornbill (at least I think that’s what it’s called, it has a horn on its bill), lots of crows, a couple of mysterious blue birds. The whole weekend, I felt like I was in a Murakami novel. Many parked cars but no people around. Stray cats everywhere. Weird trees all around. Deserted, run-down, 60s style buildings. I’ll be writing about this place soon. It’s just on Airbnb. I just want to keep it to myself for a little while. There’s a fun video series on Youtube by GQ called 10 Things, where famous people like Shawn Mendes, Finneas, and Trixie Mattel list show and tell their 10 essentials. Here’s Dan Levy, whom I like: Noone asked me, but if I were to share my ten essentials: 1. Phone case wallet. A gamechanger. I used to worry about bringing my phone and my wallet all the time. Wit...

Two weeks ago, this book came out of my baul .  It was time. I've been hearing people talk about The Artist's Way by Julia Cameron for years. Mostly in connection to morning routines.  I used to be obsessed with operationalizing the optimal morning routine, and productivity gurus on the Internet mostly recommended: meditation, exercise, and Morning Pages.  Morning Pages is an exercise where you freely write three pages of longhand in the morning, every day. Write about anything, stream of consciousness, whatever you like. As long as it's three pages.  This is supposed to help unblock your thoughts, to get you started on your day with a clear mind, as you already unleashed all the issues and blocking thoughts out on the page first thing in the morning.  People recommending this cited The Artist's Way.   So I was doing Morning Pages for some time now even if I haven't read the book, I can't go without regularly doing that. It's therapeutic. Most times I ...