Eshwar Nag
I have a better taste than the ability to do things. I can easily envision what great work looks like — I have a clear sense of quality, creativity, and finesse. I know what’s possible and can easily spot the gap between my output and my vision. This is why I’m often dissatisfied with my work and push myself too hard to improve. It’s both a blessing and a curse—on the one hand, it drives me to produce high-quality results, but on the other, I tend to give up when I don’t meet the high standards I’ve set for myself.
I rarely feel bored these days. Things around me might get dull, but I don’t find myself bored from just doing nothing. There’s always something to fill the time—whether it’s while eating, driving, cleaning or even in the bathroom, our phones and social media are always within reach, keeping us engaged.
But I remember a time in childhood when boredom was real, and there was nothing to do. That feeling is rare now. Maybe we should embrace boredom once in a while to detox our minds. Giving ourselves the space to think and feel without constant stimulation might be necessary.Accepting boredom could help me break away from cheap dopamine hits and overly stimulating distractions. It might even help improve my attention span.
The trick to waking up early is actually simple. If you have full clarity on what task you need to do right after waking up, it becomes much easier to wake up early. However, if you're confused, have too many things on your mind, or no plan for the next day, you're less likely to wake up early.
Our son used to sleep separately in a traditional cloth hammock, but we've been working on transitioning him to the bed. After many attempts and setbacks this year, we finally succeeded. Now, he co-sleeps with us, and it’s the best feeling ever! Bedtime has become so much fun—we cuddle, hug, kiss, and fall asleep with our hands and legs intertwined. I cherish every moment of this experience, and I’m already dreading the day when he’ll move to his own room and won’t be co-sleeping with us anymore.
I returned to Hyper Quest briefly in June and July, driven by a burst of inspiration to create a members-only space where I could share my personal tech journey. I re-organized some of my old articles to fit this new journal format and even published a couple of fresh editions. However, the inspiration was short-lived, and I found myself revisiting my earlier thoughts on blogging. Although I still have a desire to blog on Hyper Quest, I realize that my priorities have shifted this year. I may still occasionally publish on Hyper Quest, but I am not planning to focus on blogging right now
I've been reading Dense Discovery for a long time now and I really like it. My favourite part is the beginning of each newsletter where the writer talks about interesting ideas. They're usually ideas I haven't thought about before, and this newsletter does a great job of introducing me to them. It's run by Kai Brach from Melbourne, Australia. It's surprising to me that Dense Discovery only has 36,000 readers because I think it's so good. I definitely recommend it!
I've started using a new app called Fold Money, developed by an Indian startup, and it's been a game-changer for me in terms of expense tracking. One standout feature is its ability to automatically download transactions from both bank accounts and credit cards. Another feature uses AI to categorize expenses automatically, though this aspect isn't as accurate yet.
While the automatic transaction download works flawlessly, the AI tagging still needs improvement. However, after manually tagging transactions for a couple of months, I've noticed that the app has learned to recognize and tag repeat transactions from the same merchants automatically.
Overall, Fold Money has finally solved my longstanding issue with expense tracking, which I've struggled with due to the manual effort it typically requires. It's a fantastic free utility, and I'd even consider paying for such a service.
I recently watched a video where a YouTuber discussed the distinction between being effective and efficient. Unfortunately, I can't recall the specific video or the creator to provide a link to it.
He says that the difference between being effective and efficient lies in their focus and outcomes.
The difference between being effective and efficient lies in their focus and outcomes.
Effectiveness is about choosing the right goals and achieving meaningful outcomes, while efficiency is about optimizing the process to achieve those goals in the most streamlined way possible. It's better to pursue the right goals effectively than to efficiently pursue the wrong ones. This underscores the importance of prioritising effectiveness over efficiency for overall success.
While this distinction isn't entirely new, framing it in this way helped me create a connection and gain a more nuanced understanding of both concepts.