Aswath Krishnan

Four years ago, I spent $12 to register www.aswathkrishnan.com and then spent a few days on and off wrestling with Blogger to create a free but presentable blog. And here we are now - reading the second sentence of my 150th blog post!  Creating this place to write and developing the practice of writing are among the most significant things I have done for myself.  It has given me the space and the reason to reflect, think, consolidate, distill, and record my experiences, thoughts, and insights. It has been a consistent source of clarity, equanimity, and solitude in an increasingly noisy and complicated world. It has reached tens of thousands of readers, some of whom have reached out and shared satisfying notes of thanks and appreciation. It has also sparked interesting conversations and connections, and even helped me land jobs.  But above all, it has given me my own canvas.  Unlike the canvas at a job, this is a place that I can always call my own. A place where I h...

Most of us aren't fans of chores. So "favorite chore" sounds like an oxymoron and it's even surprising that billionaires do any chores at all.  So what is this chore and why?! Ta da!  It is dishwashing. Jeff Bezos joked in a 2014 interview, "I do the dishes every night. I'm pretty convinced it's the sexiest thing I do". Bill Gates similarly revealed on a Reddit AMA the same year, "I do the dishes every night." and further explained that it helps him clear his mind.  I also stumbled on the magic of dishwashing on my own. It has been the perfect chore for me in the morning or whenever I'm feeling sluggish for a few reasons.  (1) It's physical and gets me moving. But not too physical, like a workout, that my mind resists. Moving the body and doing physical things like scrubbing plates and touching warm water is one of the simplest and fastest ways to get more grounded, mindful, and energetic, especially in our increasingly sedentary an...

Languishing Naming a problem or an uncomfortable emotion is a good first step towards overcoming it. This is why there was collective relief and aha moment when Adam Grant diagnosed the strange feeling that everyone was going through during the pandemic as "Languishing" in his now famous NYTimes article .  Languishing, he says, is the neglected middle child of mental health. It is that middle void in the wide mental spectrum between depression and flourishing. It is that experience of life where you don't feel actively depressed, but you also don't feel excited or engaged about your day-to-day and your life. You are just passing time, going through the motions, and getting by without a sense of joy, fulfillment or purpose. You feel dispassionate, dull, and indifferent.  The acknowledgement of this experience and addition of this term to our lexicon might be one of the gifts of the pandemic. Because this isn't just a passing pandemic phenomena - it is a very longst...

Can something be simple but difficult? At first glance, that seems contradictory. But if you think on it, you'll realize many, many problems and goals are simple but difficult.   For example, being above-average healthy* is quite simple. You need to eat, exercise, and sleep well. The solution is well known, has only a few key dimensions, and can be explained and understood pretty simply. But it is also extremely difficult to get started on that, break your existing patterns, and do it consistently with delayed gratification for a long time.  Same can be said for developing good relationships, creating a blog or small business, saving money, being at peace, raising a child, etc.  A common mistake people make is conflating difficulty and complexity. For instance, instead of acknowledging that the difficulty in being healthy is in execution or consistency, people may think the fault is in the simplicity. Then they turn the simple solution into something complex, like ec...

I recently had an unpleasant experience on a deal with an organization that had an unscrupulous track record. In retrospect, I realize that's exactly what I should expect when doing a deal with the devil! I had entered the deal despite knowing and having an uneasy gut feeling about the devil's unsavory past. This is classic. Well-meaning people make deals with the devil because of a few possible reasons: (1) they don't know or assume good intent, (2) feel they don't have a choice, (3) they are tempted by the upside, (4) they think the devil's changed or they can transform the devil, (5) they think they can out-devil the devil. Almost always, they end up regretting making the deal.  Devils are cunning masters of psychology. They can appear grand, altruistic, powerful, and charming. They know how to make you feel special with sweet talks and gestures. They can character shift like chameleons. If cornered about their past, they defend, deflect, create moral ambiguity, ...

I am outraged! Aren’t you? They are out there Saying lies   That defy us! Wait, wait   Who are they?   Who is us? Weren’t we all Just one? And these lies   What are they? Do they hold No truth, frustration Or hidden pain?     Listen I didn’t listen But I do know. Their team and tone   Say enough. We must retaliate Or we’ll lose!   Maybe we can   Pause and truce. Mingle together And learn more.    We may fare better   In some middle ground. You silly   This is war! Haven’t you heard? Choose your side   Or step aside. Only one will remain They or us!

I went back to Chennai, my hometown, and visited my grandmother in December 2022. It had been a long four years since my previous visit and this was my wife, Daljit's, first time meeting my grandmother and extended family. We had planned this trip for the March of 2020, but had to be postpone because of the pandemic.  As we entered her room, her face lit up and so did mine. She greeted me fondly and then quickly chided me for losing weight and asked me to eat more and exercise well, instead of dieting. She complimented Daljit as "beuuutiful" multiple times and even conversed jovially in English. She asked me how long it's been since our marriage and then assessed that it's now time to have kids.  She was a few days shy of her 90th birthday and she seemed noticeably frailer compared to the last time, but in good spirits and lucid as always.  Then I asked her how she is doing.  She smiled, brought her hands to her chest, closed her eyes slightly, and replied, "...