Author: SG

Day 37 of the lockdown

Day 37 of the lockdown.
Day 43 otherwise.


Day 43. Weird sa din. I don’t know if I want to call it a good one. Or a disastrous one. So much happened in the world that is important to me (of course there is this grandness in which I am not even a speck of dust on the infinite timeline that we don’t know about). So, lemme try and talk about those. You know, like dear diary. 
So, here we are…
Since the lockdown started, I have subjected myself to lo-carb food. That means I was eating a lot of pastels – eggs, paneer, tofu, dahi, and other things like that. The premise was that I don’t want to come out of the lockdown looking like a 50-year-old version of me. You know how big an ageist I am. No? 
So I tried to eat “well” and it was well till it lasted. I could’ve gone longer but I was losing motivation with each passing day – I mean I had stopped losing weight and I was actually feeling lazy and lethargic all the time. May be it because that damned AC would not work and I won’t get good sleep? 
Anyhow, so at a whim, last night I decided that I would do a 3-day water-only fast. And it went well for exactly 4 hours after I woke up. And I ended up ordering a Gobhi Parantha. And Rajma Chawal. And yes I ate all of that in like one go. Of course along with re-runs of Taarak Bhai. And I write this, around midnight, I have had this bread-omelet and there is a Maggi that is waiting for me to gobble it up. 
No, I can’t say I felt great about all the carbs that I stuffed myself with. No, I can’t say I feel shitty from the inside (now that my gut is lined up with gully ka tel and I don’t know what quality of rice / Rajma). It’s just a fact worth noting. 
The point of this longish rant? 
40 days of clean eating does NOT help you lose weight! 
At least, it did not help me. 
So that. 
The other that happened today was that the Podium went live on Apple Podcasts. Check it out here. AD and I have been at it since Dec last year. And it finally took so much effort and energy and money to finally get it up. Now the plan is to ramp it up. This is all the more special because after C4E this is the thing where I am attaching my name to. I mean I am as attached to TRS and PPP as Shiks and Prak are attached respectively (and like all the other entrepreneurs I partner with). But Podium is where my whims and my ideas about things will be pushed. The success or failure of the Podium will be my doing. And AD’s. But he is generally supportive of what I do. So that! Oh, thanks are in order for the young team at Podium that is making this happen. 
The other thing that I have been doing lately is that every day at around 6, I take this mini-break from whatever I am doing. Get myself a coffee and something to munch on and sit at this window and stare blankly at the calmness around. And think about things that I cant recall. Matlab meditative trance ;P
Of course, this would be shortlived. Once the lockdown is lifted, the quiet road would turn into this mini-highway where everyone (even the ones without cars) is honking and all that. 
But I like this idea of a quiet moment in the middle of the day. Years ago Guru would tell me that he takes a break every day to go see the sunset from the nearest beach (he lived in Goa back then and I would go all the way there to meet him). Inspired by him, I promise that will find a place where I could have a quiet moment away from humdrum. Around the sunset. And pause. I guess this is why people smoke? A friend says they don’t. I say, they do! What do you think? Do lemme know. I’d love to prove a point to her. 
The last thing that I want to write about is Irrfan. The actor. Though I was not a fan per se and I can’t say I have seen his work but I do remember bits and pieces of Namesake and a lot of things from Haasil. He passed away today and like any celebrity, he got the entire world grieving. And like someone said on twitter, his passing on seems very very personal to a large large number of people. It seems everyone I know has lost a close friend, a confidant at work, a role model that they looked up to, an epitome of talent, and a product of disciplined hard work. I don’t think a lot of people induce such deep reactions from as many people as Irrfan did. And not one has had any trace of negativity! Says a lot about the man!  
I don’t know what I could say that’s not been said already. I hope he rests in peace and the ones missing him find closure. 
Brings me to another point. The inevitability of it all. And the shortness of time. And the lesson that I take from each such incident. He was 54 and he apparently had a lot of time up ahead and he was doing great work. And yet he is gone. To never come back. Reinforces that in this random and unpredictable life, the time to do things is now. Patience and “in due time” is not for me. I can not slack! I know this is not the kindest thing to say but I sincerely hope I am reminded of this rude fact often. So that I stop slacking. And do some great work that inspires others to chase their greatness. What else is the meaning of life otherwise? 
Phew! And that’s it for the day! 

Previous posts in the lockdown series are – Day 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 10, 11, 19, 30, 32, 34, 35

PS: Here’s another short sentence for you 😉 

Day 35 of Lockdown

Day 35 of the lockdown.

Day 41 otherwise.
Hello, world!

The dark clouds that shrouded me yesterday? They seem to have dispelled! Yay to that! 
So, as I get about my day, I am listening to this concert by Shantanu Moitra where he is talking about his journey through the Himalayas and his lessons there. Each piece of music has been composed by his time there. I am thinking, it is SUCH a great idea. I mean as an individual, he took it upon himself to go discover himself. At places that are tough to live. Especially if you are not from there. And while he did that, he heard stories from people, got inspired by their simplicity, and then came back to create music. And then of course, he shared it with whoever he could. Via concerts etc. And I have to tell you, it IS BRILLIANT. Do listen to it. Thanks, JS for sharing it with me.

I think that is what keeps me sane. Inspiring stories from people that do things that are unexpected. As someone said, “koshish karne wale ki kabhi haar nahi hoti“

On the same note, I think this lockdown is a brilliant opportunity to think and discover and identify what inspires you. And what inspires me is the ability to help others figure what they want!

And here’s an offer. In case you would want to use me as a bouncing board to crack what is it that you want to chase, I am happy to volunteer. Drop me an email with answers to these three questions…

  • 1. If you had all the money what would you do? 
  • 2. What was your favorite thing to do as a kid? 
  • 3. Who do your friends compare you to?
So that’s about it! Let whoop some ass! 

Previous posts in the lockdown series are – Day 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 10, 11, 19, 30, 32, 34

Day 34 of the lockdown

Day 34 of the lockdown.
Day 40 otherwise.

I feel spaced out. Not overwhelmed. But spaced out. You know where I want to be alone and do nothing? Not even watch shit on Netflix. Mood swing? May be. May be not. I don’t know. It’s one of those phases, those days when I don’t want to do anything. Eat a lot and sleep. And wake up after hours.

Nah, not that bad. If I am able to write this stream of thoughts, things are not that bad. I’ve had worse phases where I don’t even want to put my hands to use – you know, figuratively and metaphorically. Right now, I am doing enough to belt this out! 
I don’t really know what’s wrong. I mean I am still the same, that I was a few hours ago (aka yesterday). I am still eating the same. I am still wasting time like I was – I have long given up on the idea of being the man and stop being a boy. I think the lack of action and lack of opportunities to do things at scale is what is affecting me. I am guessing. Can never be sure. 
Lemme think and figure how the day was.
9ish – Woke up, not the usual time (got late in sleeping yesterday). Puttered around the house, fixed a coffee, spoke to a friend, to my parents. 
945 – Logged into a session on screenwriting with Anjum Rajabali. WHAT A SESSION IT WAS! Took reams of notes. Was distracted for a large part of it – there were so many ideas, so many themes that he touched up that I don’t know where to start! I wish I could be like him someday. Had three Diet Cokes while listening to the sessions! Wait! Is that fucking my head? That I am not like him? We’d come back to this. 
Had three Diet Cokes while listening to the sessions! 
330ish – Class got over and a friend needed some help with tech. The MOST frustrating hour of the day. I, of course, could not figure out the tech. Ended up getting pissed at the inability. Note 2. I think I don’t like getting into the nitty-gritty of things. I am a big picture guy. And in words of a friend, the world does NOT need any big-picture kinds no more. I will have to think hard and get down to execution. 
6 – 7 – Saw a couple of my friends do live sessions with some interesting folks. Did some logistical things alongside. While seeing those sessions, realized that all this talk of events and talks moving online? I think it’s a fad and it will pass. The richness of seeing someone talk live is the same as watching a pre-recorded video on youtube or something. Worse, while it’s beaming live, I can’t really pause it or take breaks. I think this events and conferences and talks happening online and streaming live is a bibble and will burst soon! But of course, I have been wrong in the past – I famously said that why would people want touch phones to type when a BB Bold has the best keypad in the world? Let’s see how it pans out. 
8 – Here I am. Writing this. 
So, in all, it was a pretty ok day. 
I ate “healthy” – at least my version of that (almost no sugar, no potatoes, no maida, no dairy. And a lot of fat, some protein, and some carbs. Though I am most probably going to order in a pizza soon). I did have 2-3 coffees and 3 Diet Coke cans. But I ate ok.

The days are hot here and since the AC is not working, I have no other option but to bear it. Which is ok. I am ok to dress down and I am ok with the idea.

I learned a LOT of new things in the session. Which is great! Doesn’t happen quite often since the lockdown happened. 

I had a lot of idle time – which I don’t like.
I did a lot of time pass – which I like.
I did a lot of procrastination – which I don’t like.
I did a lot of planning – which I like.

Also, while I was writing this, I realized that I like working with people and getting them to do things that they don’t want to. I mean inspiring them, motivating them, agreeing to go beyond their comfort zone. May be there is something there? Need to move towards that soon.

That’s about it, I guess. I mean I am still the same in my head. But at least, I wrote.

Hope tomorrow is better.

And with this, over and out.

Previous posts in the lockdown series are – Day 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 10, 11, 19, 30, 32

Day 32 of the lockdown

Day 32 of the lockdown.
Day 38 otherwise.

It is after a few days that I feel human myself again.

And what is this myself? Well, someone who’s up and about early (as I write this, its 8 AM. Been up since 7 and puttering around the house, and right now I am sipping on to my coffee (with coconut oil and turmeric)). I feel that there is a lot to be done and no not in an overwhelming manner – in a good way. I am generally hopeful about life and work and all that. I know times are hard and things are tough and it will not be easy – especially for mercenaries like me. But I am hopeful. As hopeful as I have ever been in my life. Like acche din are just around the corner, even though its been almost 40 years now.

Thing is, I don’t know what’s helped me get up on the right side of the bed. This is one of those “khush hoon main aaj khamkha” days. You know when you are singing for no reason. Remember that ad from Cadburys? And while we are at it, see this post from Mar 2015. 

I am still sleeping as much. Or as less. Depends on how you look at it. I am still staying up late. I am still anxious. I am still having all the coffee that I must not have. I am not getting enough physical exercise. I am clearly not getting enough Vitamin D. Bank balance is now as negative as the amount of hair I have on my head. But I am generally being myself today.

I am sure there are things that are working below the surface – I don’t know what those are and I want to identify those. Just that I have not done anything different yesterday compared to other days. Maybe I slept really well? Yesterday, there was this breeze that cooled the room a bit (my AC has conked off and I can’t get it fixed till we open the lockdown). May be I will get used to a life where I don’t need to AC to sleep? Fuck that would be amazing. It’s always been a big big goal in my life! Let’s see.

Apart from a tad better sleep, I am not sure what has changed. And anyway I sleep well on most days. There has to be something else at play. Need to figure out what that is. Maybe it will come to me?

That’s about it I guess. 

Chalo kaam kare! Have loads to do 🙂


Previous posts in the lockdown series are – Day 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 10, 11, 19, 30

Day 30 of the Lockdown

Day 30 of the lockdown.

Or this may be 31ist for all you care. Let’s carry on with whatever number. Day 36 otherwise.

Hello, blog, or whoever is reading this.

As I start writing this, it is 4:42 AM and I have just done the dishes. What an ungodly hour to do dishes. But I don’t know what else to do at this time. I am tired – physically, mentally, and emotionally. For some reason, I can’t get sleep (one reason is that the AC has conked off and the people I’ve taken it on rent from can’t fix, cos lockdown). Of course, I am trying hard to eat less and in moderation. But I am failing gloriously at that. I mean in the last 24 hours, I have had three full meals, each at least 1500 calories. How do I know? Well, after each meal, all I can do is doze off in whatever state I am at in (sitting, lying down, doing dishes, etc).

Anyhow. Now that I am on the computer. Lemme dump the thoughts in my head here. 
So, the thing is, when this lockdown was announced, I had decided that I will use this break to work on the next book, get fitter and I don’t know what all. I even wrote about it in my blog here. It was supposed to be three weeks and I was supposed to follow a schedule like a mule. Which I did. For a couple of days, I think. And then it was back to how I was before the lockdown. In a Brownian Motion. Drifting. Where life takes me. 
I think that’s how I am probably. Start with something that has a super large ask from me. Find a comfortable part, that is higher than the normal and almost always lower than the ask that I have identified for myself. But in effect, I end up doing more than what I would if I were a realist. 
And this break was supposed to separate boys from men. And I think I am clearly in the boys’ category. Do I even need to put all those lofty goals for myself then? Something to think about!

Of course, a few good things have happened. 
Here’s a list.
A. Got the iPhone fixed. 
Got some number from the internet. Called the guy and even though he took almost double what it would’ve cost me on a regular day, the phone now works. And that means I can be a tad more functional.

But then, to be honest, I broke the phone on the 2nd day of the lockdown and I wasn’t really functional, or on the other end, hyper-productive when I did not have a good phone. 


It’s just a peace-of-mind thing that everything I want and need and wish for from a tech device is now back in my hands. You know, things like transferring money to others on Paytm? I’d have to call friends for that cos Paytm does not work from a desktop!
B. Met a couple of friends. 
They drove from Ghatkopar to here. Thing is, I was out of cash and there was no ATM in sight and I did not know how to operate. So, I asked them if they could. And voila. 
More than the cash, I think I am happy that I saw them.
Actually, no! I am not happy. Rather, I am pissed and angry that I saw them. Thing is, I wanted this lockdown to be pure. You know, sacrosanct. Where I don’t meet anyone and no one meets me. Except for the delivery guys and the building security. 

Plus I realized that I hate when my friends and family see the way I live. I have no guilt or shame about how I’ve designed by my life and how I live. I definitely do not give two hoots about whoever comes to my place. But then, there are friends that you want to show off to, when those people see you living in a shack, it breaks my heart. I guess I’ll never be comfortable going to (or calling people) houses, homes, pads, etc of other people. I know I am weird. 

C. Since I have been working for almost a month now, at home, on a chair and table. I don’t think I am ever going back to a coworking space. Unless, of course, I get it for free. Or if someone else is paying for it. 
Oh, I will have to get some office supplies (printer, paper, aircon that works, and other such things that makes it bearable to sit at a place for hours and dream). 
I’d save some money. Money that would become super paramount in the times to come. 
D. I finally put up this wall of post-its and paper where I would purportedly write shit about my next book. Purportedly. I am not sure. Let’s see. Also, see the point above about using the lockdown to do things. 
E. The best part is that because of COVID, I think the events business will take a large hit. I wrote about it here. And as a result my pivot to the next thing that I work on, to make ends meet, will get accelerated. 
No, I don’t have an idea what that next thing is. And I am chatting with people to understand what it could be. Let’s see what I close on. If you’ve read till here, you must know me well and have an interest in my success. Tell me what’s the next thing I could do? 
With that, over and out! Hope you are staying safe and sane! 

Previous posts in the lockdown series are – Day 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 10, 11, 19

Day 19 of 21daysOfLockdown

Day 19 of the lockdown.

Day 25 otherwise.

Been more than a week since I wrote. Even though I’ve had a lot to write about. And I did not have anything to write. Minutes have blurred into hours, hours into days and days into something that I can’t recall either the beginning of. Or the end of. Guess that’s how life essentially is. Time blurring into one continuous stream that we sort of stop noticing!

Anyhow. So when we got into the lockdown, I decided that I would come out of this healthier, happier and with a manuscript of my book. Ok, hyperbole. But I had decided that I would use the time to see if I am a boy or a man. And if the last 18 days are to be believed, am more of a boy than a man. And that’s a truth I need to live with, for the rest of my life. Unless I use the remainder of the time (another 18 days from here on) to get things done. In fact, I promised myself that in case lockdown extends in Mumbai, I would stop everything and focus on my book and shave my head off. So maybe, the book is what I’d work on for the next few days. 

Oh, I did shave my head today. A part of it at least. Whatever I could in sweltering heat of a stuffy, tiny room in my house. And if you are curious, I did a terrible job at it. To a point that I don’t think I’ll be able to show my face to anyone for a while. Thank God for the lockdown. I just need to say that I broke the camera of the computer to avoid the video calls!

So this is it. Nothing great or interesting to share. Just that I hadn’t written in a while and I had to.

What are you guys up to? Pray, do tell!

Previous posts in the series – 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7*, 8*, 9*, 10, 11, 12*, 13*, 14*, 15*, 16*, 17*, 18* 
*- the days I did not post

Hello April / Monthly Review – Feb and Mar 2020

Hi!

This is my bi-monthly (used to be once a month, but from now on, once in two months) report on what I am up to.

Before anything else, I must say, the past few days will have to be among the MOST incredible days that I have ever seen. The entire world has come to a literal stop and everyone is suffering. You know, makes me feel lucky that I have had any major incidents, accidents or anything negative like that. The closest that I came to harm is 26/11 when I was still far away in Vashi playing pool with a few friends and terrorists were pummeling parts of South Mumbai. And when I compare myself to others that have been caught in Mumbai floods, communal riots (in Mumbai in the past and now more recently in Delhi), wild accidents and all that, I think I am really really lucky! Though this one may bring me to my knees. Let’s see. 

This year has been wretched, to say the least. I think this tweet from a GMMR fan account will sum this up…

2020 was directed by me.

— George RR Martin (@GRRM) March 18, 2020

I just hope you and your loved ones are safe, cared for and in comfort. If you can read this, you are among the privileged few that have access to a house, an internet connection and most importantly, the ability to read and comprehend what I am writing.

So, coming to the review for Feb and Mar and the plan for Apr and May (lol :)). To jog your memory, when I do a review, I track progress compared to my yearly goals, life plan and goals. And for the record, three large goals for 2020 are Book 2, a sub-5-hours marathon, a topline of 50 crores. 

Here’s the recap for Feb and Mar 2020.
I have sections for fails, wins, inbetweens, lessons, plan for Feb 2020 and a question.

#fails 

  1. Did a lot of things that did help me make some connections. But none of them were going to contribute to the large goals I have. So the lessons is, I need to pick my battles well!
  2. Did nothing on the sub-5 marathon goal. I did go for long walks but that’s that. With every passing month, I am realizing that I may have to drop the health goals altogether! 
  3. I was to write 25K words on #book2, had to train to be able to climb 100 flights and had to fix the C4E website. Did none of those 🙁

#wins

  1. Attended a concert by AR Rahman. While it does not serve any professional goals per se, on a personal level, it is a dream come true to have seen him live. Plus now that I have seen the setup of his concert, it is on my wishlist to do something like that. Assuming I remain in the events business after this COVID-19. 
  2. Along with AD, I published an article on one of the most respected business magazines (it was on my todo list since 2018). Read it at podm.in/ivm.
  3. Again, along with AD, I am making progress on my first podcast. And the article I talk about above, gave me the thrust required to get the podcast ready. We call it The Founder Thesis and the first few episodes are ready! If not for COVID-19, we would’ve released those by mid-April. In case you wish to listen to those, please lemme know and I will share. 
  4. My #aPicADay has reached 95+ days! Longest I have kept up with something! 

#inBetweens (these are neither wins / nor losses)

  1. I had a little more time this time than other times. And thus I attended a few open mics, at-home concerts, live shows and so on and so forth. I was enamored by the struggle that these performing artists put in. I wish I could do something about those. Any ideas?
  2. saurabhgarg.com has finally taken shape. Phew! I pestered a friend into teaching me the basics of Elementor and I hacked together a page. A page. Not a website. But after trying with multiple tech-teams and failing at it, I can finally send people to a website! 
#miscNotes / What did I learn this month?
I will also include things that the lockdown has taught me (though I would write a longer post would happen at some point in time).
  1. The most important thing has to be the lessons in deliberate practice. Lemme call it Riyaz. I wrote about it in detail here.
  2. Since we’ve gone in lockdown, I have started a few online courses (the ones that I never had the time for). This one, about learning how to learn stands out. Please consider doing it if you have the time. 
  3. I learned that while I am ok to cook and clean and all that, it ends up wasting a LOT of time. Like 5 hours a day. And then it drains you out of the energy – physical, mental and emotional. I did these for a few days and then found a restaurant that at a steep price is willing to deliver meals to me. So that’s cool. 
  4. I actually like this lockdown. I haven’t been able to step out since this happened but because I am on my own, I am pretty much a master of my time. I would love to maintain this life where I control my time. 
#inApr20
What do I plan to do in April?
I am not sure if we would get out of the lockdown and a lot depends on that.

My key work area is events and if lockdown extends another month, the events business is almost as good as gone. And that means I would be jobless and will have to think of an alternate career. And at a time when everything around me would be bad – slow economy, joblessness, too many talented people around that are vying for the same jobs. So, I am not sure how things would play. What do you think? 

But what I can do is, control things that I can control. Things like #book2! And the 25K words that I have planned since I was like a kid in diapers! Yeah, on it. 

***
So, that’s about it for the update. As always, thank you for your time and attention.

Over and out! 
09 04 2020

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PREVIOUS UPDATES are here…
2019 – Aug, Sep, Oct, Nov, Dec
2020 – Annual Goals, Jan, Feb-Mar (this post)
Thank you for your patience. It is not an easy task to survive these long emails! 
Lemme end this with the best photo that I clicked in the last two months

10 things I’d do differently if I could be a teenager again

One of my mentors asked me to do this today.

List down 10 things u would do differently for yourself, if you could start again from being a teenager.

So, here’s my answer.
And in order of what I would take if I could.

  1. I would invest. Whatever little amount I could. When I was a teenager, I would have got pennies for pocket money but I would invest. By now, in 20 years, thanks to compounding, it would be a substantial sum. Maybe enough to allow me to not work on the day of writing this. 
  2. Start a business asap. I did do those comic stalls and renting my video games and all that but I would do more. The kinds that start giving me some capital so I could invest it and build a compounding machine. 
  3. I would spend more time with my parents and family – after all in the future, time would get scarce, how so ever hard I may try.
  4. I would make better friends. The ones that I can count on when I need them. And the ones that I could learn from (and not just the ones that lived in the proximity). Most people I call friends are merely there because it was convenient for them and for me. And in the long run, in the time of adversity, convenience runs out. 
  5. Related, I would go to a better college and get a better education. I did go to fairly good colleges but I think I got lucky. Thing is, I was so so so unaware about life and career when I was a teenager that I just went with the flow and drifted wherever life took me. And the pattern has stayed with me! I would take the conscious call to go to the best educational institution that I could.
  6. I would learn how to code. I was good exceptional at it in college but I lost the plot once I started with my MBA. I would do this to be able to be more independent of others. Of course, back then I would not have known that code will rule the world!
  7. I would travel more. The thing is, I am lucky to have travel far and wide and now that I have been literally home for the last year or so, I want to go out more. And if I look at a longer-term, whatever little I know, I learned because I could travel so much! So, travel more.
  8. I would learn a musical instrument. No reason. 
  9. I would take care of my fitness. I am reasonably ok for my age (probably not?) but I would want to be fitter so that I can do more. Plus I enjoyed sports as a kid. That went for a toss when I went for my MBA and then subsequent work life.
  10. I’ll get more active in the community. In the sense that I would want to be more active in the world that has given me everything that I have. If not for the community, then what? 
That’s about it. 
You? 

Day 11 of 21daysOfLockdown

Day 11 of the lockdown.

Day 16 otherwise.

So today, I finally decided to stop cooking at home. Even though it is super risky to order in, I still want to go ahead and do it. My theory is that these restaurants have been operational for a while now and that means they are taking care of the safety requirements in terms of food and all. Plus the amount of time and mental trauma it takes to cook, clean, cook, clean twice a day is not something that I can’t handle. I have learned enough to be able to do it if there is an absolute need. But for the time being, I am happy to order. The only trouble is that most restaurants that you can order from are cutting corners (at least the ones I have been ordering from) and sending in smaller portions. And I think it’s ok. I want to judge but lemme take a step towards stoicism. 
The food situation is thus sorted. I need to reduce the amounts I eat so that I can actually lose some weight without working out – who doesn’t want that? Apart from that, I also want to (and will work on) my sleep. For starters, I plan to sleep at 930 PM till the time lockdown is lifted. I mean if I cant do this at this time, when would I do? In terms of headspace, thanks to Naval’s 60-day meditation challenge, I have been thinking hard about things. Harder than I’ve ever thought. And on things that are important. And has made me realize things that I never knew about myself. For example, today I realized that I am no longer a details person. I like to think and execute the macro and want someone else to do the dirty work. Of course, no ships were built by people that did not do the dirty work themselves but if that’s a tradeoff I have to make, I will! At the age I am at, while I do want to learn new things and upskill myself, I do not want to undo what I have.
If I do these three (not waste time on chores, sleep well and think deeper), I think I should be ok. I will have enough time to be able to do things that I have planned to do in this break. This IS a break! I mean most of us are getting paid while we are at home. If you can read this, you for sure are. It may be less, it may have reduced a bit, it may be under a threat but as of today, you are getting paid. And all that you have is today! Not yesterday, not tomorrow. Yes, learn from the past and plan for the future. But live in today. 
Anyhow. So that’s that. Today was day 11. We are at more than the halfway mark. If we survived for this long, we can do whatever is left. As always, please take care, be good! 
See you guys soon! 

Previous posts in the series – 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7*, 8*, 9*, 10
* – the days I did not post

Day 10 of 21daysOfLockdown

Day 10 of the lockdown.Day 15.

15 days now since I have been indoors. Except for the two grocery runs I made. And except the occasional walk that I go for around my building. One time I ever walked up 12 stories – you know, was trying to get fitter. But then that shall remain a distant dream.

So, the 10th day. I think I am beginning to accept that lockdown is not a bad idea, after all. I mean I am fairly sorted in the head even though I am alone. I am enjoying this solitude. I do miss company once in a while but those times I am ok with video calls. Etc etc. 
But then, like everything good, there are a few bads that I am worried about. Lemme make a list of things that are concerning me.
Today, I ran out of groceries. But then I found a restaurant that is willing to deliver at this time. So that is sorted. 
My internet connection is getting slower by the day. Apparently, everyone is streaming shit on Netflix and Youporn and all that. I know tons of friends that bough subscription to multiple streaming services – I mean how many times can you watch the same shows over and over again? In fact, the other day I read a tweet where a gentleman predicted that in about 12-18 months, there would be a glut of content on Netflix cos nothing new is getting made. Coming back to the Internet, this is something that I can clearly not do anything about. So, fuck this! 
Work is surprisingly going good. I mean I don’t really have a lot to work on – thanks to a general lull in the business environment. But whatever little I have, I am getting a lot more done. At this stage, I can only hope that things will improve. And I hope things improve fast – before I am out of money (which I already am – just that I wish I don’t run out of my credit line).
Fitness is not being up to the mark. But then there is no place to showcase the fitness. Except for all the jhaadu and dishes that I do. And then I don’t really have anyone to show the great job that I am doing with jhaadu. 
In terms of life philosophy and other such things, I think I need a fresh start. You know, reset life. Start afresh. Like in the Fast Car. 
Anyhow. Glad to have finally written something after 3 days. Need to get other things back on track after I took that ill-timed sabbatical a few days ago. 
Over and out!

Previous posts in the series – 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7*, 8*, 9*
* – the days I did not post

Day 6 of 21daysOfLockdown

Day 6.
Day 11.

Today was day 6. And like most things human, life seems to have come to that point where I have accepted this as a new reality. It took me all of 11 days. To start getting comfortable with the idea of being alone, enjoying my own company and accepting that I will have to do the dishes, come what may. And while I was not sure about the idea, in the beginning, I am starting to see the benefit (the kitchen would not stink when I go to get myself that glass of water. 
Apart from that, today as well, like the last 2, 3 days, I could start work only after it was 1 PM. And then before I could list out the things that I was supposed to work on, it was lunchtime. And before I knew it, it was time for the siesta. And before I knew it, I had seen 5 episodes of Blacklist. And before I knew it, it was the time to go to bed! Where I am, writing this. 
If I were to talk about good things, I did the second day of Naval’s 60 minutes a day for 60 days meditation challenge. It was tough today. Hopefully, it will get easier with time. Oh, I also started OMAD today (I ate some 1500 calories today, in one go) and I hope to continue to do so tomorrow. I did resist the temptation to have coke multiple times during the day. And I did not have coffee or peanut butter. Guess who’s being a good boy! 
Of course, I did not work. Not on the website, not on the guitar, not on reading, not on my second book. And this has to change. Will try to do it from tomorrow. 
Wish me luck! 

Previous posts in the series – 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

Day 5 of 21daysOfLockdown

Day 5.

Day 10. 

Not the best of the days, even though I started it off brilliantly. And I did catch up with a few friends from the past that clearly I’ve grown over, now that I met them on a video call, forced by the Covid-19 crisis.

All was ok, in fact, I took a break yesterday only when I did nothing but watch TV and fed myself crap – figuratively and in reality. Today was supposed to be the day I got back to work. And I did. To be honest. Right in the morning. I started with work and I don’t know where I lost it.

As I write this, I am plonked in front of the TV, binging on some stupid content that I would not remember tomorrow and I don’t know how to not do it. At this hour I was supposed to be out walking, or climbing the steps or something.

I think the inability to meet people at a Starbucks is eating away at my heart and head and all that.

I guess once I sleep it off, I will be ok.

This is it for the day. While you’re here, see this 10-minute video.

See you tomorrow!

Previous posts in the series – 1, 2, 3, 4