Do not look for goals, look for a way of life.
The title is unrelated to what's inside—though not completely.
Hello Hello!
It’s been a while since you last heard from me. Honestly, I think it’s okay—because I’m not sure it’s worth reading a writer who can pump out content on a strict schedule. No one can really be creative on command. If they say they are, they’re probably forcing it out just for the sake of it :))
Anyway, controversial take aside, here we go…
I want to talk about January in a bit more detail. I’ve realized that doing something weekly is tough, but monthly? That’s manageable. I don’t write on a set schedule, but I do write often enough to at least send you a monthly hello!
January was probably my most unproductive month in terms of active hours, learning, work output, and discipline. I took a really long “Q5” break, and it haunted me for weeks until I eased back into a routine. I’m still not totally there, but I’m working on it.
Summing Up January
1/ Road Trip Across Rajasthan
Started the year on a high, promising myself more travel, new people, new cultures, and a lot more “Yes, I’ll try that!” moments. So we drove all around Rajasthan with my family.
One thing I’ve realized? Every Rajasthani city feels kind of the same:
One huge main fort
A few smaller forts
A local market with Thali and Churma
Seriously good food and super welcoming folks
Totally recommend it, though.
2/ A Whole Month at Home
I was back home from mid-December to mid-January, which was fun but also gave me a bit of guilt—like I wasn’t working enough.
Even though I didn’t miss a single deadline and everything was fine, social media (especially Twitter) can ruin your brain into thinking you should hustle 24/7.
Lesson learned: If everything’s on track, it’s okay to step away from the laptop for a bit.
3/ Joined Jiu Jitsu
I’m currently typing this with a sore back, a bruised knee, and a cut on my lip... but hey, we roll on. I
’ve been craving a competitive sport for a while. I grew up playing cricket, long jump, kabaddi, and handball—some at a competitive level.
So I found a good coach near me for Jiu Jitsu and just went for it. No overthinking, just jumped right in.
4/ Worst Shape of My Life
From early December to mid January, I did exactly one workout. (I’m cringing as I type this.)
My body fat went up
I gained 4 kgs
My overall shape: worst
So, before I got back to Bangalore, I took a full body test—lots of red flags. So now, I’m working on fixing that: aiming for 7 workouts a week, adding some supplements, and really focusing on my routine. I’ll report back soon!
Recent Reads
Building Effective Agents by Anthropic Research
This was everywhere when the year started. It’s valuable, but if you already know about AI agents and workflows, it’s a bit of a letdown. As, they didn’t really talk about “agents” in depth—more like a bunch of AI workflow stuff. I wish they’d named it more accurately, something like “Learning Various Kinds of AI Workflows.”
Finding Your Purpose by Hunter
This piece was written so effortlessly, but it really hit hard. It also inspired the subject line of this newsletter. I’ve believed these ideas for a while but never found the right words—this letter said it all.
How to Build Anything Extremely Quickly
It’s a simple but often overlooked technique. Basically, write without overthinking, then go back and polish later. I’m trying to apply this to big tasks—like writing reports or long form scripts—and even this newsletter. It helps me move faster and worry less about being perfect on the first go.
A Few Tweets I Liked
on Ambition:
That’s it for this month.
Thanks for sticking around!
Catch you soon! (Maybe tomorrow or next month)