Aswath Krishnan

I try to be a minimalist. Everything we own comes at a cost - the upfront price we pay for it (and the number of work hours that translates to), the clutter it adds to our space and mind, the complexity it adds to our life and the waste and impacts it has on the world. So I try only to buy few high-quality things that will "spark joy" and be regularly useful. That's not always fool-proof, so I also try to return, donate or trash stuff that I don't use.  So I'm not a big fan of the season of gifting. It's very wasteful. People spend hard-earned money to give you stuff you likely don't need and you have to reciprocate by giving them things they don't need. It's also hard work and stressful - you have to think/shop/wrap and also hope the receiver likes it. Then you have to find use for your stuff or stow it away somehow.  But I'm not a total grinch either. I recognize that there is joy, however short-lived, in exchanging gifts. The tradition isn...

With the pandemic and growing political nastiness, 2020 really needed Ted Lasso and Soul. I definitely did.  Ted Lasso gave us a role model of a kind, uplifting, ever-positive, ego-less person who lights up the lives of people around him (more on Ted Lasso in this post ).  Soul helps us tackle the deep universal question about the meaning of life and finding joys in every day life.  Soul deconstructs and models spirituality, similar to what Inside Out does with emotions and memories. Strangely enough, despite tackling a seemingly more complex topic, Soul seems simpler, with fewer concepts, than Inside Out. Maybe that's a lesson in itself about how life is simple, but our emotions aren't.  If you haven't watched it yet, stop here and watch it! The rest of the post is full of spoilers. 

I visited One Medical in Seattle recently for my annual physical. The clinic had tall ceilings, gentle lighting and colors, and modern decor that blended well together. It was a calming and welcoming space.  The receptionist checked me in with a warm smile and a gentle voice. In a few minutes, the doctor met me in the reception and led me to her office. She showed similar warmth and genuine care. She asked me how I have been feeling, walked me through the process, gave me heads up and asked for permission before each procedure, then explained the results along with reassuring and firm advice on how to take care of myself.  There was no medicine or treatment, but the visit had boosted my mood and wellness. I left feeling good and positive. Let me contrast this with a couple of recent experiences. Last week, I clicked on a link to Forbes or Fortune article. As soon as I scrolled down past the first paragraph, there was a pop up asking me to enter my email, then without warning, ...

Whether you are working on a project, document, presentation, or a plan, I'd recommend this 20-80 approach (not to be confused with the 80-20 or Pareto approach of picking the most valuable parts of the project to do) First get to the 20% Skeleton Start with the goals of the projects, the audience, and what will make this tick for the audience. Lay out the plan for the plan - milestones and dates to get to the finish line.  Then you identify the main structure, sections and themes.  You get to this by gathering context, research and knowledge from different sources, doing a lot of deep solo thinking on the problem and solution, brainstorming and testing ideas in 1:1 or small group discussions with smart and knowledgeable people, and working backwards from the end goals and deliverable.  Add high level notes and ideas for content for each section.  Write all of the above down clearly in a doc or deck. Make sure that it flows logically and is understandable to others....

If I had to recommend only one self-help book to anyone, it'd have to be 7 Habits.  I first read the book when I was in high school. I had a used hard cover version and I remember reading it somewhat seriously, probably to find some advice for more academic success. Some of the concepts helped, but not too much as I didn't have enough experience or hard failings to appreciate the wisdom. I have since re-read it a couple of times and each time, I have appreciated it more and been able to reflect on the habits using my successes and failings.  As one of my friends put it, 7 Habits is a book to be studied, not just read . You realize the true value of the book when you actually reflect, do the exercises after every chapter, practice the habits and revisit the book every once in a while. This may take many months or even years, but hey - you only need to practice one great self-help book rather than read a hundred and follow nothing.  Here's the summary of the book from my la...

I have been interested in and closely following the "Financially Independent, Retire Early" (FIRE) movement thanks to the influences of some friends and the passionate  r/fire community.  The FIRE approach recommends reducing spending and saving up aggressively so that you can retire in your ~40s with the investment returns from the money you saved. I fundamentally agree with the premise of getting out of the rat race and not sacrificing your precious life years to work that you don't enjoy. Freedom to not have to work in a job you don't like or in a tough situation sounds quite amazing.  But I think the FIRE framing is problematic in a few ways: The entire concept of retirement is defined around what not to do (work), rather than defining what you'd rather do with your life. Most people don't have a good answer to "What would you do if you never have to work again?" or "What kind of job would you actually enjoy doing?" Even those who do, ...

A super power for both life and career is to be able to both zoom out to think of the full and big picture, and to zoom in to define and execute on concrete details.  During annual plannings at my previous companies, teams defined and shared high level strategy and key goals/results (OKRs) for the year. At my current company, we go a step further and define specific projects, timelines and staffing gantt chart. It takes more effort and feels "non-agile" to plan that far ahead, but after the initial skepticism, I find this exercise immensely useful as it forces me and my team to think of details and come up with a practical plan.  In my personal life, I am guilty of spending way more time overthinking, contemplating 10,000 ft philosophies and frameworks on life and career. But what actually creates tangible positive change are light thinking, followed by simple, concrete plans and decisive execution. For e.g.: If you want to improve your health, spending a day researching on e...