[A rather reflective post, this Diwali week!]
Beyond the usual time management tips and hacks, of instilling atomic habits, and of getting things done – the world of James Clear, Tiago Forte and David Allen and similar purveyors of ‘smart productivity’ advice – lies the more rarified world of ‘wisdom productivity’. This is the world of Oliver Burkeman and ‘Four Thousand Weeks’, of Celeste Hadlee and ‘Do Nothing’. …
There are 3 parts to this essay, a longer one on what I enjoyed reading (across books and podcast transcripts) this year, as well two shorter ones on what I enjoyed listening (music) and watching (web series).
Book reading is a competitive sport for some. Some want to read 52 books, one for every week. Some are more ambitious, going for 100 books. There was a time when I …
Link to podcast + transcript.
Sajith: Peter Attia is a well-known longevity and wellness guru; has a popular podcast The Drive, covering these topics. Recently, he published Outlive, a how to book giving advice on living to 100+ years. The podcast gives you a quick overview of his thinking and perspectives on this topic. Some excellent advice here that can be readily implemented including 1) the importance of primary …
I appeared on Ravishankar Iyer’s Story Rules Podcast in June ’22. Typically, The Story Rules Podcast doesn’t publish transcripts. I requested Ravi for the transcript as I thought it would make it accessible to a wider audience. Ravi shared it promptly but I got busy, and this sat in my ‘To Do’ folder for proofreading and review, for a long long while. I finally got down to it earlier today, …
“There are two ways to make money in business: You can unbundle, or you can bundle.” – Jim Barksdale, cofounder of Netscape
Unbundling / (re)bundling is a powerful framework to rethink any topic or entity from first principles. It also helps us visualize what opportunities could be unlocked.
I have explored bundling / unbundling of human creation previously suggesting possible opportunities. In this essay, I will explore how unbundling / …
“There are two ways to make money in business: You can unbundle, or you can bundle.” – Jim Barksdale, cofounder of Netscape
As frameworks for identifying opportunities in startupland go, unbundling / (re)bundling is amongst the most seminal ones out there. Here is an example of how it works.
Visualize a product that helps you read (for a fee) any magazine / newspaper story – effectively you have unbundled or …
The title of this piece is of course a play on The Peace of Westphalia, the name for the two treaties signed in 1648 between various delegations representing the micronations and provinces of Europe. The Peace of Westphalia brought into being the concept of the sovereign nation state. One that has a monopoly on state violence and …
I joined Amit Varma on his acclaimed The Seen & The Unseen podcast to talk about venture valuations, the VC playbook, the evolving media sector, my productivity hacks + stack, and lots more.
It is long podcast (Amit’s signature style) but certainly the most interesting + important one I have done. Do give it a listen! Link below. (The wonderful illustration that appears on the Seen Unseen page is by …
I heard from a friend who is attending the present batch at ISB Mohali that they have all moved to campus. Classes had begun in May’20 but were online. So, this is the surprise; he tells me that classes are still online (at least for a bit). But they are all staying on campus now, and hence all the interactions are in person, socially distanced or not I dont know. …
What if liquor and other sin goods had to be purchased with a different currency called B(ad) Rupee?
Similarly the government could depute other goods – some not desirable (say imports) or those that cause environmental damage or have negative consequences, such as fuel – to be purchased solely via B rupees.
There could be a small tax or fee to convert A rupees (or rupees; those to be spent …