For years, I treated travel as something I could afford now and retirement as something my provident fund would handle later. But inflation, layoffs, and job uncertainty have changed that equation. How do we enjoy today without borrowing from our future?
What happens when your job becomes your identity, status, security and entire life? After 14 years in the corporate world, I realised I had made my career my own single point of failure. Here's how I'm building backups through money, skills, hobbies and life beyond work.
I used to believe that if I led something, I was also responsible for making sure it succeeded. Learning to separate what I can control from what I’m accountable for changed how I approach work — and significantly reduced my anxiety.
For years, I thought my salary gave me freedom. In reality, it was controlling my spending, lifestyle and even my career choices. A moment came when I realised something had to change—and I went from constantly waiting for my next paycheck to saving 55% of my salary.
Work-life balance sounds great in theory, but what happens when you log off and your mind still keeps working? I spent years believing weekends and holidays were enough. Here's what I'm doing to set boundaries that work.
I told myself I had outgrown them. For years, I called it ambition — not having time for people, growing apart from friends who weren't climbing. COVID arrived, my long-term relationship collapsed, and I couldn't think of a single person to call.
The first time I sat in a budget meeting, my voice wouldn't come out of my mouth. What I didn't know then was that the room was already treating me as the leader. It would take me a decade to catch up to what everyone else had already decided.
I had a plan after the sleep apnea diagnosis — strength training, calorie deficit, protein loading. I lost 4.5 kgs in 14 months, then nothing. What I'd been ignoring all year was a script someone else had written for me long back.
When I started this blog last December, I wasn't too focused on the name because I had no idea whether I would be able to sustain this little side project. Fast-forward six months, and I can clearly see its potential to grow into something bigger and maybe,
I cried when I saw my promotion letter on a screen share. It was a number I'd least expected. What I didn't expect was how a hike of the decade would unmake me — and what my body finally taught me about the price I'd quietly set on myself.
I sat down with a pen, a notebook, and a year of online receipts. The number was ₹3.77 lakhs. Here's what was actually underneath it.
One Friday with no meetings, I sat down and listed every task I had been avoiding for almost a year. I am not kidding when I say it took me the entire day. Three months later, 40% of those tasks are still pending — and I am still figuring out if that means I am failing.
Reinventing Life
For years, I told myself the snoring was just stress. The choking at night was just acid reflux. The bone-deep exhaustion was just corporate life. I was 33 when a sleep study finally told me the truth: severe obstructive sleep apnea. My husband had been watching me stop breathing
self-improvement
At the beginning of every year, I sat down with my favourite Milan P1 pen from Crosswords and a fresh journal to write my goals. I usually completed at least 70% of them. But they never added up for a life I was intentionally building. This year, I paused that
self-improvement
When I stopped scrolling for good and tried to sit quietly with my uncomfortable thoughts (not always successfully), my mind often drifted to the pain I may have caused others through my words and actions. I winced at the guilt it triggered in my heart. This wasn’t the first
Reinventing Life
It was a sunny Saturday when my husband and I attended one of my colleagues' housewarming ceremonies. I was dolled up and excited to attend the event. It’s rare these days to receive an invitation, and even rarer for a non-wedding event. Almost everyone we know in
Reinventing Life
Content Note: This piece discusses emotional distress. Please read with caution. Hospital waiting rooms are strange places to be. Some sit with hope in their hands and fear in their stomachs, pretending to scroll through their phones while waiting for life-changing news. Some wait impatiently, thinking about their next
personal-growth
Last year, I set sail on a life-changing journey with the help of five books. After completing a book, I always check online to see if the books I read changed anyone else's life. However, most only mentioned the purpose of the book or lessons from the
Reinventing Life
Do you remember a year that changed the direction of your career, health, or relationships, one that quietly set you on a path you either chose or ran from? 2025 was that turning point for me—a year where I shifted enough gears to finally see the direction I wanted
The Psychology of Work
Fear has many faces, but the one that quietly shaped my career was fear of judgment. I didn’t realise how deep my fear of judgment ran its course until I noticed how rarely I turned my camera on during virtual meetings at work. Every time I turned the camera
The Psychology of Work
I almost didn’t write this. Reflecting on this topic meant confronting truths I had kept buried for a long time. Accepting that reality meant forcing myself to examine how I work and how I project confidence. Writing this felt like a point of no return. This is a complex
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Hello, there! I have tussled with writing since I was a kid and walked away from it more than once. When I was 12, I would write stories about a boy with superpowers rescuing the girl (or me) from nasty villains while falling in love. Little did I know then