Aswath Krishnan

This post describes a system that I'm using to plan and use my time effectively to execute towards my goals. This is part of a series of posts that I'm writing on systems that can help us live intentionally and effectively. Philosophy 1) How you spend your days is how you spend your life . If you want to spend your days effectively, you need to plan. Planning requires time and effort. Block off time to plan, reflect and process.  2) Have an intentional list of priorities and tasks; otherwise, your time is going to be spent on whatever comes your way.  Have a source of truth for all things to be done (to-do list) and events (calendar) Break up projects and larger, ambiguous tasks into specific and actionable tasks 3) Focus on only a few priorities every week and every year.  Protect your time and calendar. Say no to tasks and events that aren't important to you.  Allocate time and energy proportional to opportunity.   4) Your plans should include ...

This post is a living collection of laws and concepts that I find interesting.  Occam's razor states that the simplest solution is most likely the right one Miller's law states that to understand what another person is saying, you must assume that it is true and try to imagine what it could be true of. Metcalfe's law states the effect of a telecommunications network is proportional to the square of the number of connected users of the system (n2) Pareto principle states that roughly 80% of the effects come from 20% of the causes Peter principle is a concept in management developed by Laurence J. Peter, which observes that people in a hierarchy tend to rise to their "level of incompetence". In other words, an employee is promoted based on their success in previous jobs until they reach a level at which they are no longer competent, as skills in one job do not necessarily translate to another. Conway's law states that organizations which des...

I enjoy learning about counter-intuitive models and about examples where well-intentioned and logical solutions fail (cobra effect). I heard Bill Gurly, a famed VC, talk about "regulatory capture" in an interview. It's a term for a phenomenon where regulatory agencies that are introduced to protect consumers from businesses, can end up being advantageous for the businesses and worse for consumers. The reason for this is that businesses, because of their higher vested interest, resources, and expertise, end up influencing the regulators, regulations, and execution. This Wikipedia article has several examples of this. The lesson here is that introducing sustainable change isn't easy. A complex equation of several variables resulted in the current situation and trying to change the situation requires changing the equation and the variables. You should think about long-term incentives and dynamics and build in mechanisms for checks and refinement if things don't...

I enjoyed my third day of snorkeling in Hawaii’s Big Island today. Peering into an alien life system while floating in cool blue waters is both amazing and meditative. On my first day, I’d often get water into my mouth, sputter-struggle and ultimately swallow a bunch of salty water. I tried hard to figure out how to block out the water, but the regular struggle and uneasy anticipation leading up to it made it difficult. On my second day, I stopped trying to not get water into my mouth. Instead, I figured out how to recover quickly when it did. After some trial and error, I could surface, stay afloat, then remove my pipe and empty the water from my mouth and the pipe, and go back into snorkeling. This worked out pretty well. It kept me snorkeling longer and that helped me improve my breathing patterns and my grip on the pipe, which helped block out the water. Sometimes, fixing the root problem is hard and takes time. Figuring out how to cope with the problem can help you stay in ...

Our lives are summations of our experiences. Our experiences are a function of signals we receive from our environment, our minds, our bodies and how we interpret the signals from these sources. Experience = Environment X Mind-Body The environment refers to all the external forces, including other people, that act on us and that we connect with through our five senses. Mind-Body are signals that we receive from our mind and body, and how we interpret all the signals. It is a product of our mental and physical well being. A fit body, healthy mind and good attitude can do wonders. For a positive experience, we’ll have to combine a positive environment with a healthy mind and body. Both can be cultivated with deliberate practice.

Most of us have a dominant arm that’s stronger and more dexterous. This can be because of genetic, nurture or simply the arm we chose to use as babies. When we have to lift or pull, we naturally use our dominant arm as it’s easier and less painful. This is true for mental and soft skills as well, but it is not as apparent. For example. some of us are good at problem solving but not so good at collaborating with a team. So when we have to solve a problem, we naturally tend to problem solve individually and not collaboratively. Using your stronger muscles is easier, but can also limit you to a local maxima. The outcomes can be better if you can use all your muscles or the muscles best suited for the job at hand. Leaning on your strong muscles prevents you from identifying the weak muscles and from developing them, and that can hold you back in the long run. One of my previous managers gave me the feedback that I had gotten far in my career with raw smarts, but if I wanted to get fur...

A founder of a successful consumer subscription app shared this succinct nugget of wisdom about subscription businesses: only two things really matter - the cost of acquiring customers (CAC) and the lifetime value per customer (LTV). I'll throw in a third one - total addressable market (TAM). If LTV > CAC now and in the foreseeable future, you likely have a healthy business. When you are evaluating a business, evaluate if this is achievable. When you are optimizing a business, focus on how you’ll decrease CAC and increase LTV. Here are some examples of tactics that I have seen work well. What will work for you depends on the specifics of your business. Some tactics for reducing CAC

Money is an IOU from society. A twenty dollar bill can be redeemed for twenty dollars worth of services or goods. Money is useful as it helps you stay comfortable, feel secure, experience things that make you happy and sustain or heal yourself during tough times. Here are 5 broad thoughts about making money. 1) Typically, you earn money by providing others services or goods that they value . People value goods and services that either help them make more money or help them feel better. People aren't completely rational, and that extends to how and what they value. They are willing to pay more for things they perceive as higher value and that could be influenced by a number of factors. 2) If you want to make more money , then provide more value - by serving more people or by providing higher value goods or services. To scale the value you offer, you can use technology or capital (to hire more people or invest in other areas). To provide something that is perceived as higher va...