warikoo Wanderings

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10 HABITS THAT WORKED WONDERS FOR ME

I am not a big fan of goals or targets. Because the first goal/target I had in my life (to become a space scientist at NASA) went for a toss. I dropped out of my PhD and came back to India, with no direction whatsoever.
More importantly, with no basis to come up with another goal or target.

So I did something crazy.
I asked myself "is there a way to live life without goals/targets/plans? And if yes, then how?"
I found my answer in habits.

Habits that will take you FAR farther than any goal or target you could have set for yourself.

Here are 10 habits that have worked wonderfully for me, through the years.

Habit 1:
Read everyday
I read 30-45 mins everyday. Only non-fiction. No specific topic. Anything that intrigues me.
How it has helped me is to connect the dots from multiple fields, personalities, experiences.
I remember how Stoic Philosophy helped me design the investment approach for nearbuy and how Charlie Chaplin's biography helped me make better video content.

Habit 2:
Meditate everyday
I meditate for 30 mins everyday.
Non-guided (a bell every 10 minutes)
Started with @Headspace; use @calm today
It is hard to describe how immensely helpful meditation has been.
I am more aware, out of habit now.
The minute I am distracted, I realize I am.
I do not feel the need to control my emotions anymore. I am simply aware of them.

Habit 3:
Workout 6 days/week
I play tennis for 6 days a week and lift weights 5 days a week.
This was a journey I started rather late in life, at the age of 32. Haven't looked back since then.
Working out has taught me not just self discipline and self respect, it has also contributed the most to my growth as a leader.
Studying about the body made me realize how organizations should also be developed the same way.

Habit 4:
Sleep for 7-8 hours in a day
I sleep at 930pm everyday (except Friday) and sleep for 7 hours.
And then try to sleep for another hour during the afternoon.
Sleeping well is perhaps the single biggest determinant of physical and mental energy.
It is ridiculous how easy it is to gain that energy and how many of us still waste this natural cure to so many problems!

Habit 5:
Read ALL my emails
I get ~3,000 emails a week marked to me.
And I read all of them. I reply to less than 5% though.
I treat my emails as my opportunity creator. I have hired my best folks, because of cold emails sent to me.
I have collaborated with the smartest, most capable people I know, and all of it started with a random email.

Habit 6:
Meet someone new every week
For the past 5 years, I have met someone new every week.
Earlier it used to be in office.
Now happens through Zoom.
I decide spontaneously. An interesting email. An intriguing tweet. An article that caught my fancy. I just seek their time.
People have amazing stories, amazing experiences, amazing things to share.
It is like reading a book a week, in less than 30 minutes.
Most of these conversations, I walk away with something that I need to think upon, work upon, improve upon.

Habit 7:
TV for less than 2 hours a week
We cut our cable connection 6 years back.
And even on Netflix, YouTube and other OTTs, my time per week is less than 2 hours.
I do not commit to any series. Only movies. (My last 2 series were Succession and Scam - both worth it!)

Less TV means less numbing of my senses, less chances of being seduced to not sleep on time, less time consuming.
And that means more time feeling alive, more chances of sticking to my schedule and more time thinking.

Habit 8:
Thinking in questions
Back in college we used to play a fun game. We will all speak ONLY in questions. No sentences. Only questions allowed.
I still play that game in my head. Every day!
Asking questions allows to dig deeper. It helps me pause, helps me reflect.

Courage doesn’t happen when you have all the answers. It happens when you are ready to face the questions you have been avoiding your whole life.
― Shannon L. Alder

Habit 9:
Resisting the obvious
Whenever in a complex situation, I ask myself, "If I were to take an opinion poll on what should I do, what would be the majority response?"
And then I will encourage myself to not make that choice. Instead, think of the non-obvious path.
This is a magical habit. It compounds magnificently to the point where it becomes second nature.
And when it does, it set you up for outcomes that most of the world will not witness for themselves.

Habit 10:
Sharing what I know, everyday!
I have been writing a blog since 2005
I have been posting on YouTube every week since 2016
I have been posting on Instagram every day since 2018
I have been sharing what I have learnt, as a process (which doesn't feel like a process to me).
Sharing has made me connect with people that I would have never met otherwise.
Sharing it with absolute transparency has also made me extremely comfortable with who I am.
While I crave for other people's feedback, I don't care about their judgment.

Most of these habits were insanely hard to follow, when I started.
But they have yielded results that I could not have imagined or planned for, when I started! And that's the beauty of habits.

They lead you to destinations you could not have decided for yourself.
They create opportunities that would seem impossible early on.
They make you comfortably equipped with uncertainty.

Don't set goals.
Set habits.
The habits will make you achieve much higher goals than you could have set for yourself.

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BOOK I AM READING THIS WEEK

I am still reading (and fascinated by):
​The Network State: How To Start a New Country​
It is a bit repetitive, but I think its needed because the topic at hand is so complex and counterintuitive. Rebellious even, I would argue.

A book that I am about to start today is
​The Carbon Almanac​
This is by one of my favorite writers, Seth Godin. And is on the topic of climate change, where Seth argues that we do not need more marketing, or explanation. We need action. And we has compiled a list of action items that normal people like you and I can undertake in our life, to help prevent further damage to our home.

I asked all of you for the name of my second book. Most of you wrote back that it is "Get shit done", which is close, but not the right answer :))

My book DO EPIC SHIT is now available in Hindi, Marathi and Tamil.
Of course, also in English :)
190,000+ copies sold.
3 more languages coming up! (Including Portuguese)

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QUOTES TO SHARE

Procrastination is an emotional issue. Not a time issue!
​​(Share on Twitter)​​

You are expecting things too soon from yourself. Give yourself time to take things step by step.
​​(Share on Twitter)​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

A truly happy person will never troll anyone.
​​(Share on Twitter)​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

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RESPONSES TO LAST WEEK'S QUESTION

Last week I asked you:

What do you use YouTube for, mostly?

1. Listening to songs
2. Information (news, how to videos, etc.)
3. Education (courses, tutorials, etc.)
4. Entertainment (movies/streaming/comedy, etc.)
5. Health/Food/Beauty/Wellness
6. Religion/Spirituality
7. Don't watch YouTube

Here are the responses:

Observations:

• Most young folks use YT for education, while older ones use it for information
• YT is not a dominant entertainment platform (I think OTTs take over here)
• Heath/Food/Wellness use for the platform increases with age (understandably so)
• Younger generation listens to music on Spotify/Gaana/Saavn - older folks use YT
• Almost everyone, watches YT :))

My response?
I use YT predominantly for information

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PICTURE OF THE WEEK

Was in Bangalore last week for a talk at GE India. 1000+ attendees online and offline - terrific energy, gorgeous campus and what amazing weather in Bangalore!!
I love in-person talks. The feeling is completely different.

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QUESTION OF THE WEEK

According to you, which are the top 3 sections of this newsletter?

1. Main topic
2. Book I am reading
3. Quotes
4. Survey results
5. Picture of the week
6. Survey question
7. Content I posted last week
8. Kasam of the week (haha)

​​Click here to let me know your answer (anonymously)​​​​​

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CONTENT I SHARED THIS WEEK

Podcast:​
Title of episode: I wish I was told this
​Spotify, Amazon Music, Google Podcast, Apple Podcast, JioSaavn, Gaana or YouTube.

YouTube:​
Systematic Withdrawal Plan - explained.
​You can watch it here.​

Instagram:​
Rakhi special :))
​You can watch it here.​

Twitter:​
20 things I wish we were told in our 20s
​You can read it here.​

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You can, of course, always write to me by simply replying to this newsletter.

I love reading all your emails, even though I may not be able to reply to them all.
Yes! I READ ALL MY EMAILS. ALL OF THEM.
​​​(Mangoes ek saal baad aayenge uske dukh ki kasam)

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