Opinions

  • In Defense of Routine: Why Novelty is Overrated

    You can’t get by life by being novel. Life is routine. When I was younger, I was under the impression (like most young kids these days!) that, to enrich your life, you have to keep doing unique things. Now? Now I am tired of novelty. Yes, I do enjoy travel, food, and walking tightropes between skyscrapers, but it is just to complement my routine, my systems of life. You cannot get through life meaningfully by not doing the routine stuff.

  • Things I’ve Learned About the World So Far

    Formal education has been designed in such a way to make you serve for life. From an early age, the system instills certain values and routines that prepare individuals to fit into predetermined roles within society. This structure often emphasizes conformity and obedience, encouraging lifelong dedication rather than independent thinking.

    The world is now designed to keep you sicker, poorer, and more vulnerable in many ways. Systems and structures often work against individual well-being and financial stability, making it harder for people to thrive. And it is only going to get worse.

    No matter how much you advise people, they are never going to follow your advice until they themselves go through the journey you have been through, so you might as well try a little less. Just be their yoda when they are at that crossroads. We’re all so unique that it’s silly to even assume we’d want the same thing, the same journey.

  • The One Habit to Keep Every Day for the Rest of Your Life

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    If there is one habit you should perform every single day for the rest of your life, which one should it be?

    Exercise.

    Exercise isn’t just about fitness, as millions still believe. It’s what many would call an “anchor habit”.

    Here are the core reasons why exercise is that one habit:

    The obvious reasons:

    • Prevents chronic diseases
    • Increases healthspan and lifespan: Consistent exercise ensures that, at 70 or 80, you still have the functional independence to move freely and avoid falls.
    • Better sleep: Helps you fall asleep faster and reach deeper, restorative sleep stages. This, in turn, dictates your energy levels for the next day.
    • Cognitive sharpness: Movement increases blood flow to the brain, which improves focus, memory, and even creativity. It’s often the best “problem-solving” tool we have.

    The less-obvious reasons:

    • Naturally regulates your mood, keeps you “happier”: Exercise triggers the release of hormones – endorphins, dopamine, and serotonin – they fight against daily stress, anxiety, and the “burnout” of modern life.
    • More energy throughout the day: It seems counterintuitive, but spending energy on exercise actually trains your body to be more efficient at producing energy, so you feel less “drained” by your daily tasks.

    The least-obvious reasons:

    • You eat better: Yes, even if you are addicted to junk food.
    • The best of them all – You get better at doing harder things: It builds self-efficacy—the belief that you can commit to something difficult and see it through.

  • One, Two, or More? – How Many Bank Accounts Do You Really Need?

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    From my personal experience and based on insights from others, you need bank accounts for the following:

    1. Salary or income: Your primary account for your salary or business income. From this, your money should flow into the following accounts automatically:
      • Fixed costs: Rent, utilities, and insurance. I would also include your gym & yoga subscription here.
      • Investments: This is not necessary, but I would personally like a separate “statement” for all my mutual fund and stock transactions. When you have a separate account for mutual funds and stock transactions, your bank statement becomes a clean, dedicated ledger of your wealth-building journey. It separates your “spending” self from your “investing” self.
      • Emergency funds: This is the most important account for your peace of mind. The Golden Rule: Do not link this account to UPI or any debit cards. One, for security reasons, and two, for this reason, it should never be touched unless, as the name suggests, there’s an absolute emergency, like a medical crisis or sudden loss of income. By removing digital access (UPI), you create “positive friction.” It makes it physically harder to “accidentally” spend your safety net on a weekend getaway.
      • Play: An account for fun, leisure, experiences, hobbies, and joy. The freedom to enjoy life without checking your primary account balance. This is your guilt-free spending money. Use it on whatever you like, be it traveling to Sri Lanka for a few days, trying new restaurants, or, in my case, coffee. When the balance hits zero, the fun stops until next month. You could also look at this account as an investment in new experiences and people.
    2. Credit card payments, loan repayments, EMIs: Dedicate one account for your credit card payments and EMIs. Transferring the total monthly debt here on payday ensures you never “overspend” money that is already technically gone.
    3. Change & cashbacks: This is a small but powerful habit. By funneling “saved change” and credit card cashbacks & rewards into a separate zero-balance account (read: The Best Zero-Balance Bank Accounts in India), you turn “found money” into a tool for aggressive, high-growth investments. It’s money you didn’t “expect” to have, so you can afford to take bolder risks with it. You actually could have just one account for this, but I personally want to track how much credit cards have actually saved me money (so I have two):
      • Saved change
      • Credit card cashbacks & rewards

    The last 4 accounts should definitely be zero-balance accounts. They are low-maintenance and keep your main accounts from getting cluttered with small, messy transactions. Money flows into them and then quickly flows out toward its specific purpose. Prevents “lazy capital” from sitting idle.

  • My Growing List of Store-Bought ‘Healthy’ Junk Food (Updating Monthly)

    Updated on

    Right now, the only entry on my list is Flavoured Greek Yogurt. Many “fruit” yogurts are just sugar-laden desserts in disguise. A high-quality Greek yogurt, with live active cultures, offers the creamy, indulgent texture of a pudding (or even ice cream) while being high in protein. It’s the go-to “junk food” I would recommend to anybody who wants something sweet with very little junk.

    My criteria for these “healthy” junk foods are simple: they must have fewer ingredients (you should be able to count them on one hand), they are low in sugar, provide genuine satiety through protein or fiber (fats, in my case), and, most importantly, they need to provide the basic pleasure that comes with indulging in a treat.

  • Rules for People: When Dealing with Other People

    Connect More With

    People who are confident, successful, yet humble.

    People who are consistent with the virtues you want to be consistent with. For example, being with people who exercise every day, come hell or high water.

    Stay Away From

    People who are too sure of themselves, all the time. They hardly admit they don’t know things about things. They preach every moment they get.

    More Points to Consider

    You should be careful about whom you ask for help. You never know who would hold it over your head years later.

  • What Is Your Vice? Learning to Live with Our Little Imperfections

    Mine is tea and coffee. That is all. I do not smoke, drink, or play video games for hours and hours at a stretch. I am not here to show you how virtuous I am. I don’t care about that. Nor am I here to judge you if you do any of the above. I care even less about that.

    I am here to share that this world is far from perfect. This digital age that we are in, with fewer friends and more illnesses. So this vice, then, gives you a sort of comfort.

    Now, let me clarify: when I say my vice is tea, I am not addicted to it; I don’t drink 8 cups of coffee or anything like that. I call it a vice because I hate to rely on a substance that is addictive. I don’t want to rely on it as a stress-buster, or because I have nothing else to turn to when I feel lonely. But life can be tough sometimes, and when you don’t have friends, at least you have tea (and coffee in the morning). So, what is YOUR vice?

  • What Is True Success in Life?

    How would you define true success in life? It is when you have arrived at a stage in life where you do not need to convince or desperately persuade anyone, except maybe your immediate family (and even then, only to some extent). When I say ‘convince,’ I mean you don’t need to impress anyone by wearing clothing you aren’t really comfortable in or by owning a car you can’t really afford. That is when you have truly arrived.

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