Author: Saurabh Garg

Wk 05-26 – Weekly Notes

Notes, thoughts, ideas, links and some photos from week 5, 2026.

Morning from a slow, sunday morning at a nook in Versova. I am perched at the community table at a Starbucks. And most regulars are missing today. After all this Starbucks is more like a coworking space and most folks on Sunday dont work. Except the real estate folks. They work all the time. And in fact, weekends are more busy for them! I wish I had work that required me to work all the time. I wont know what to do if I dont work.

Lemme give you a case in point. I decided that I will get off social media and yesterday was day 1 of that. And within that one day, I was so bored that I didnt know what to do. I called some friends home, ordered some buckets on instamart and showed them the magic of Epsom Salt, ACV and warm water. There are photos and videos of the incident and they shall remain hidden from public view.

On my phone and screen addiction and constant need of dopamine, I saw a reel (lol, see the paradox?) where Pavel talks about how social media websites break your brain. I knew it of course but listening from a man that I respect so much, I told myself to remind that I need to stay off it. I now use my phone in assistive access mode and that’s helping. I will probably get a feature (aka dumb) phone, in case I am unable to break my phone addiction.

As of today, my average screentime on the mobile is 6 hours and 50 minutes (and that too is 18% down from last week). I want to work to get my mobile screen time to 30 minutes. Tall order but we shall try. Oh, WA is like 60% of my mobile usage. I want to get to a place where I use it only from laptops. Oh, the unintended side effect is that I’ve picked up fiction. I am reading now. I finished two Grishams. I am now reading Detective by Arthur Hailey. Finding joy in reading these fast-paced, racy reads.

So that.

Wow, an entire blog as the intro. Not bad!

Ok, let’s get to the weekly notes. And since this is the end of the month, I will talk about the monthly review as well.

💭 Highlights, reflections, updates, notes and thoughts from Week 5, 2026 (and month of Jan 2026)

Note: These are not in any order. And at some places I will talk about the entire month of Jan 2026 as well.

1/ Ramana Maharishi

I’ve mentioned about Ramana Maharishi in the previous note. I have a lot more to say but words fail me. Lemme see if I want to come back to this while editing.

Oh here’s another pic from the trip.

No, no new words come to me.

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2/ AI, Clawdbot (aka Moltbot aka OpenClaw) and Future

The thing that blew up the last week? Well, I tried and I can validate the excitement. I am so so so excited that I cant sit still. The installation etc is still technical for me and thus I’ve not been able to play with it. But the use cases are blowing my mind. I can safely say that the future looks scary and exciting and the only thing left for us humans to do would be to chill. The world of Star Trek, Star Wars, Wall-E will come true. Sooner than later.

And as the second order effect, everything decentralized will blow up – identity, finance, borderless movement etc. And like most things, it will creep up on us slowly at first and then all of a sudden.

And if you are still on the edge about AI, I think you must tip over. Or else you will ngmi.

Oh, and if you can, find a way to earn in USD. Most of these AI tools operate for US as a market and thus are priced at a premium for us in India. I spend about 30K a month on AI tools (I can because I have an income source) but an average Indian may not!

The other thing, I want to get to something where we trade in atoms. All bit things will move to AI. So, again, sooner the better.

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3/ Ankles and Knees

After a pickle session this week gone by, I’ve this lingering pain in my knees. And my ankle has been hurting for a while. Shoulder seems to be ok. I am not taking these seriously at this time. But I hope these are not long-term injuries. I dont want to pick these at this age.

In fact, I picked pickle to be able to add some movement in my routine. So that.

Leaving this here. I will not stop. I have to be fit and I will ensure things happen.

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4/ Audacity and Ambition

Stripe updated their home page to showcase the percentage of global GDP running on their chains.

WOW!

Talk about audacity and ambition. Love it!

I wish I could instill this in myself. And then in my people. And then in the world around me. One of the feedbacks I got from a close enough friend is that lately am not talking about large impact (billions, changing the world etc). I want to use this part to reiterate that I remain committed. Just that at this time, am at a place where I need to get my house in order (thank you, Dr Peterson).

Oh and if you stick with me, I will…

The room keycard from Bloom Rooms.

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5/ Exploration and Routine

The month of Jan saw me take at least 5 flights (Bom to Del, Del to Ahd, Ahd to Bom, Bom to Maa and back) and 5 cities.

This was after a while that I took so many flights in a month. And I loved it! I could meet friends, collaborators, see the world and experience the feeling of momentum. I could sense adventure.

However, because of all this travel, I was unable to stay on track (writing, food, sleep, work, money, writing etc). And I messed up my routine.

I know both these things (exploration and routine) are important. I know that I need to have a balance (or may be harmony) between the two. I know that I am not the most disciplined about these things. I know I need to be. And I know that at my age, if not now, then when.

I need to find a system that allows me this. May be each place I am at, I need 2 hours in a day to sort my head and things. And thus could include writing, workouts, people etc etc. I dont have any travel planned (there is a potential trip to Delhi and I will stress test this two-hour thing). I shall report, in case I have to travel.

So that.

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6/ Lessons and Dreams (from The Way Back)

I saw The Way Back on my flights between Mumbai and Chennai. Loved it. Here’s a trailer…

I have a lot of thoughts. Lemme try to articulate.

A. There’s way too many lessons that you can draw from sports.
From the film, I learnt how to inspire kids, how to bind them in a team, how to discover yourself while you are engaged in sports. Thing is, I must find a way to marry sports and my work. Though I am not good at most sports but I love the effort people put in.

B. I want to make films.
And sports film at that. Or the film of underdogs. They may or may not win but story of underdogs. Some of my favorites are from these genre.

I will have to reinvent myself. Do I want to? Do I have the patience? Do I have the talent? Do films fit into the thing that I want to focus on? Need to think.

Oh, maybe marry sports AND films.

C. I must build my team like a sports team.
Will add this to the culture book am working on.

Oh, while you are at it see this…

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7/ Detox and Dhan

If you see me active on Instagram, LinkedIn, or Twitter, PLEASE flag it to me. For each incident, I will fine myself 1000 bucks. And I will give this to whoever flags this first.

There are some “rules” though…

  1. I will continue to use these platforms for work or to support others. A young person from Delhi wants me to post something on Linkedin on the 2nd Feb. I will do that. Then, C4E is doing at session with Palash on the 8th. I will talk about that.
  2. For work, I may need to research a few things on these networks. I will do that.
  3. Most of my new information (about whats new and whats happening) comes from these social networks. Lately my feed had a lot of chatter on AI bots, programmatic SEO, AI Influencers, and other such things. This is also where work is moving for me. And this means that I will from time to time get back to know more.
  4. I may need help in reaching out to more people. I will continue to do that.

So this.

I plan to stay away till end of Feb. Or till I’ve reduced my average screen time to 30 minutes, whichever is first.

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8/ SG’s Patrons and 1000 True Fans (or 10 lakhs from 10 people)

One of the most power ideas of all times is 1000 True Fans (by KK). He says,

To be a successful creator you don’t need millions. You don’t need millions of dollars or millions of customers, millions of clients or millions of fans. To make a living as a craftsperson, photographer, musician, designer, author, animator, app maker, entrepreneur, or inventor you need only thousands of true fans.

I would love to have 1000 true fans. I have 3.
Thank you, Shruti, Prak and C.

I even wanted to IPO my life (see this) and I got 0 takers.

At some point in time in life, I will try to bring this back. The intention remains that I want to be more accountable to the world around me. And once I have a patron, I will have to be accountable!

But then I’ve not been able to find people who’d be my patrons or participate in my Life IPO and thus this remains a failed experiment / idea.

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9/ Misc things from this week / month

Here are some thing that I want to capture but not necessarily talk about in great length.

  1. This video of Steve at a Design Conference.
  2. Discovered Lana Del Ray (wiki). Love it. See this track and now this.
  3. I am unable to get that lingering feeling off my chest that I want to make films. I think I will play with AI and make some sort of a short film. Let’s see.
  4. C4E Culture Book. I have started to think about updating the C4E Culture Book. In case you have thoughts, please lemme know. The current culture book is here.
  5. Had to take a 7-digits INR working capital loan. Hate it. But then, grateful as well that I have access to credit.
  6. This film has my heart. Love it. For the script. And for the music. Ofc, made by AI.
  7. Cleaned my Apple Notes and it has given me a LONG list of links that I have saved and yet to action.

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🈺 Photos from Week 5

Here are some. Not too many tbh but there are some gems nonetheless.

Over the next weeks, I will retire this. Takes a lot of time and gives no ROI. Plus I now include pics in the commentary section. Lets see.

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🈺 Trackers from Week 5

At some point in time, I will have detailed trackers to show. But for the time being the small numbers that I have tracked are…

  • Average Steps -5186. I want this to be 15K over the next 20 days or so.
  • Pickle Sessions – 1. Still unable to get to 3. May not play in the coming week (cos knees etc)
  • YT Live Sessions – 4. Missed today morning. Yesterday’s is still not working. It has to be me because everyone else seems to be working on it. I will probably record and upload.

What is missing?
Well a lot. Sleep, workout, yoga sessions, food, emotions, habits, money and more. To be honest, I have not filled in my in2026 tracker this past month. I will get on to it from today.

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🈺 Action on LARGE objectives for the year

In this section, I will capture my progress on large objectives for the year. In 2026, I plan to do the following three things…

  1. Book2
  2. Human Flag Pole
  3. Save a million dollars

No action in the whole of Jan.

Again, not beating myself over it. And not letting this become a blind spot either. Just acknowledging.

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☑️ So, what did I get done last week? And what will I do next week?

This is a one-line report on progress I made on various things that are important to me. I will only talk about things that I got done. Shipped. Not WIP.

This year, I want to track the following…

  1. Health. I will work on sleep, food and movement.
  2. C4E / Work. I want to shortlist some idea that I want to work on.
  3. Brand SG / Distribution
  4. People (Family, Friends, Strangers, etc)
  5. Book2. I want to start with this.
  6. Shauk (Music, Films, Poker etc)

Like the large objective bit, there is no update on this as well. I will get to this at some point.

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🏃🏻‍♂️‍➡️ Health

I added Health as a key section last year. I read somewhere that you need 4 things to live long – sleep, exercise, diet and community. I will track all four. And then some more variables that I feel are important to me. Let’s see what comes out.

Like the last one, no action. Give me a few weeks.

Oh, I may want to start my daily health updates on a WA Channel. I may want to start that again. Lets see.

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🧠 Reminders from last week

This section captures things that I want to not forget. I add those to SG’s Office. I will copy paste these week on week and track updates.

A few things.

  1. Start a podcast with C and AK
  2. Update C4E’s Culture Book

These few come to mind as I speak. I have a suspicion that this will grow and will become unmanageable in a few weeks. I will find a solution when I get to it.

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🥡 So, one thing that defines the past week?

Easy.
I didn’t do anything in a hurry. My sense of urgency took a back seat. Took it easy, met friends, ate, chilled.

The other words for this year have been: Journey, Downtime.

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Phew!
Lemme know what you think.
See you around.

Oh, and this too shall pass!

PS: This series of posts is inspired by Thej and his weekly notes. Previous editions:

  • 2026: 1, 2, 3, 4

PPS: Please do point typos.

PPPS: In case you see me being inconsistent in anything – work, writing, reviews etc, PLEASE do point out.

PPPPS: This is the first “update” of the year and thus a lot of this is incomplete. Allow me one or two weeks to get settled. And, on this one, do lemme know what you think of the new format.

Wk 04-26 – Weekly Notes

Notes, thoughts, ideas, links and some photos from week 4, 2026.

7:41 AM, Tiruvannamalai

New Week.
New City.
And I love it!

This week, I was in Ahmedabad, Mumbai and then Chennai. And now here. Loved it. It’s good and bad.

Good – I got so many new experiences, new sights and new smells. You know, something shifts your internal chemistry when you have new experiences touch your soul.

Bad – The routine gets screwed. I sleep on unfamiliar beds, eat things that you dont want to eat, dont have a table to write on (I am writing this lying on the bed) and I am unable to work out. I can only imagine how the traveling salesmen, athletes, celebrities manage their fitness!

Ok, ranting. Lemme get to the weekly notes.

💭 Highlights, reflections, updates, notes and thoughts from Week 4, 2026

These are not in any order. And like last wee, I will try to include as many photos as I can.

1/ Ramana Maharishi

I am at Tiruvannamalai to visit Sri Ramanasramam, the Ashram of Ramana Maharishi.

I am not a religious person. Neither am I spiritual to be honest. I am indifferent. I am probably that Nihilist Penguin in human shape. Lol.

Anyhow, the visit has been worth it.

Especially cos it needed the grind to reach here (a flight to Chennai, a 4-hour road trip that became 8-hours long (thanks to a rally by Modi Ji) and the hunt for a place in the large town. If you get things easy, you dont respect those ;P

The entrance to the Ashram.

And some bouts of clarity that struck me.

No, I am definitely not the illuminated one. Never was. May get to that some day. But now that I’ve spent a day or two here, I did get some thoughts. For starters, I am a LOT more aware of the constant bombardment that we subject ourselves to. That I subject myself to.

While I was in the ashram, I didn’t use the phone and it was painful for the first few minutes. And then the silence engulfed me. And even when it did, there was this revolt from my system. I found myself reaching to my phone more than once, tbh.

I found myself thinking about how you can invest your time enquiring about who you are and what’s the purpose of life and all that. Or you can run the rat race (do see this). Or how you can discharge your duties and while you do that, you are helpful to people, the world and thus, in exchange, to yourself. And maybe that’s there is to life.

Truth be told, I’ve known this for a long time (that I need to be useful and be of help to people and that my salvation is in helping others get to their respective salvation). Each spiritual or inward experience brings that to surface. The only addition that seems to be happening lately is the move towards the oneness. I am far from it, especially because of actions and thoughts of so many people seem so… stupid.

Ok moving on.

One striking thing that I noticed about the Ashram was that there was no conversation about religion at all. While the leaning is clearly towards Hinduism (I could be wrong), there were no overt showcase of religion.

The most important thing I noticed is that simplicity with which he lived his life. They’ve preserved two rooms where Ramana Maharishi seemed to have lived, died and held meetings. And the rooms were tiny and sparse. An astute builder would have sold that much space as a cosy 1 BHK but we are talking about a guy who commandeers thousands (if not lakhs) seekers. And yet he lived in place with no opulence. Room barely large enough to do even yoga, white bedsheets and literally no furnishing. Made me wonder why do people chase opulence of palaces and kingdoms.

Reminded of that couplet by Mehshar Afridi. He says,

“Rehta Hai Sirf Ek Hi Kamre Mai Aadmi, Uska Guroor Rehta Hai Baki Makaan Mai!”

And no, this is not to be confused with Minimalism or hoarding. This is more from the space of needing little. You may or may have large wants. I’ve been there – want a lot, hoarded a lot, reduced those. And now I am an advocate of Optimalism – things that you need to live a good life. This includes, limited number of clothes, comfortable bed, cool bedroom, air purifier (while in india lol) and a Starbucks ;p

Lol!

Only I could have compared Starbucks and Sri Ramanasramam in one note. On the mid-wit curve, I am either the illuminated one. Or I am stupid. You decide. And lemme know.

The midwit curve.

So, to end this part, if I were to talk about who am I, these things come to the top of mind…

  • Medium thru which things happen. In words of Gokul, a medium of opportunity exchange.
  • Cheerleader of action.
  • Enable others to get to their salvation.
  • Be of service to the world around me. In words of Scott Adams, be useful.

And like most lists and things, this is WIP.

Ok. Moving on.

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2/ Sleep

Lets move to worldly things like sleep and all that.

My sleep has been all over the place this month. Many reasons. The big one is of course all the travel. And the minor one is all the distractions. And I want to fix it. I can control the distractions for sure – other things will need some thinking.

I have realised that with age, unless I get my sleep, I am unable to function well. And on top of that, with lesser time at hand, I want to optimize the time that I am up. And thus means that I need to get more from my sleep.

You see how this is a vicious circle?

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3/ Constant Simulation

Marrying 1 and 2 above, I am acutely aware of this constant simulation that I have subjected my mind to. I mean there is not a second in my day when I am not jumping from one thing to another. And that’s NOT cool at all. I can’t be of service to the world (or my loved ones) if I am unable to get deep into things.

So I need to find a solution.

I can start with the modern-day boon and bane. The mobile phone. I will fix my life.

Guess what made Beeple famous?

So, over the next 21 days (habit formation and all that), lemme try to fix this. And while I am at it, I will also try to add some more good habits.

So, I will be off SM (unless work), eat only Lal Babu’s food (if I am in Mumbai) and average 15K steps per day. And if I can do these three, without an exception, I will reward myself with a trip to Singapore in March.

Off SM means I will delete apps from phone (use only on laptop and that too ONLY when I am in a Starbucks). I will not actively post (unless someone asks me to open it). I will use my YT lives and these weekly updates as a way to share what I am upto.

Eat Lal Babu’s food means the things that are cooked in my kitchen by Lal Babu. If I am travelling, I will see what I will find to eat.

Steps is easy. Wherever I go.

To be honest, I was unable to stay off social media cos I thought that I will miss out on something important. I mean look at how fast the world is moving! But then, fuck the FOMO. I am sure the Village will keep me abreast with what I need to know. And news important enough for me to know, will reach me!

Oh, and this starts the day I land in Mumbai. Lol!

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4/ Making Health my identity

Marrying the three above, I think I will make health my identity. Lemme explain.

A person like Virat Kohli is paid to play well. The largest ingredient in that is to be fit – physically and mentally. An actor like Ranbir Sing is paid to look good. The largest ingredient is perceived beauty. A corporate leader is paid to make great decisions. A large part of that is low cognitive load and thus they are offered comforts.

I am not an athlete, not an actor and not a corporate leader. In fact, I refuse to let my identity come from the work I do. However if I dont want my body to fail my brain, I need to keep the body well.

If I were to look at my work, I am probably paid to think and connect. Connect people, dots, things. And get things done. And I do all this with a lot of enthusiasm, effort and emotion.

Now, if I could do the same effort with same three Es, for my health, I would get fitter. So that.

Side Note: I saw a reflection of me in a mirror while I am here (in a tee and pants) and I dont like how I look. And this, I want to change.

PS: Credits to this book that I am reading.

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5/ Chennai

I have loved my time in Chennai this trip. There was less traffic (probably because long weekend), great weather (needed AC but I could walk on the roads) and great people (Aashik, Nikhil, Aditya, Shravan etc). And there was enough things to do. There’s something about relaxed, no-agenda meetups

Also reminds me that I must travel more often (lol).

Red hearts pro max!

Oh, this is a photo from a random traffic signal in Chennai. I am told that all these red signals have red hearts. Lol.

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6/ Nagarathna Memorial Grant is now open

The annual Grant is now open.

In Thej’s words, “I am creating a yearly ₹1,00,0001 micro-grant to support something meaningful. Grant is named after my mother – Nagarathna. The reason for grant could be anything as long its meaningful to you and people around. Though I prefer free and open source or creative commons projects, It’s not a must. It’s a no strings attached grant.”

I am a fan of Thej’s work and I support his grant. In fact, I instituted SoG Grant after I learnt about microgrants from NMG. I encourage you to apply and share word.

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7/ Notes from flight to Chennai (AI 2780)

It’s no secret that I take notes when I am in flights, I take notes (this time I saw parts of a a movie as well and I must see more films as well and make more films) and here are some redacted, snippets from the flight.

  1. I need a main quest that gives meaning to life. I think running a business is not a quest. While its creating and keeps me happy and engaged and all that, its not a big one. Think of the quests that Dr Peterson talks about. Think of a “provider” for a family.
  2. I love being in flights. They allow me to think hard and deep about things. Need to make more such caves.
  3. I realised that I dont work harder cos I have it easy. On paper, I have a business that throws enough cash at me to keep happy and maybe this is a problem? I dont talk about this often. Must do.
  4. I am not even an petty thief!
  5. What do I focus on this year – yet to find out. I have options – events, defi, Helio.
  6. Live a life where I work hard, get paid well and I pay people well. Sanket told me this first. So that.

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8/ Films

Staying on the notes, I think I must make movies!

I dont know why I keep coming back to it. There was a time when I was convinced that I wanted to make movies. I chased that dream. Made some moves. Failed. And now that I am back to thinking of the next steps, I find myself wanting to do movies! And even though I know that AI will screw this business, I am still keen on doing that.

This seems to be the constant itch that I cant seem to get away from. As a child, I had wanted to make ad films, then I wrote a book, then some short films and then I have been all over the place. I must either scratch the itch (make films and get over with it) or I must bury the hatchet!

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9/ WordPress vs Substack

Substack seems to be evolving into a CMS and an ecosystem. It seems to be evolving into a blogger / Medium. Compared to wordpress, I think Substack offers a lot of advantages and I am almost on the fence about moving my words to Substack.

I typically want to own my content and words and all that and while on Substack as well, the words would be mine, I am still on the fence about it. The ones who’ve moved, what do you think?

Any other learned opinions?

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10/ Misc things from this week

Here are some thing that I want to capture but not necessarily talk about in great length.

  1. This speech is kickass. Do see. It talks about The Power of the Powerless. One of the best texts I’ve ever read in a long long time.
  2. This group of musicians, Patiala Mehfil, has my heart. Each time I see a great music act, I want to get into that business.
  3. This campaign by Plum is KICKASS. I wrote about it here. If you are a marketer, please take note.
  4. DD held their Darbar in Chennai. OFC, I didn’t attend it but a win for someone from the village.

Guess this is it.

I dont have a lot of reads, link etc this week (travel, you see). Maybe more next week.

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🈺 Photos from Week 4

Here are some.

Over the next weeks, I will retire this. Takes a lot of time and gives no ROI. Plus I now include pics in the commentary section. Lets see.

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🈺 Trackers from Week 4

At some point in time, I will have detailed trackers to show. But for the time being the small numbers that I have tracked are…

  • Average Steps -9047. I want this to be 15K over the next 20 days or so.
  • Pickle Sessions – 1. I want this to be 3 over the next few days. I also want to upgrade to Paddle one of these days.
  • YT Live Sessions – 4. Missed for the 22nd, 24th and 25th. Will miss 26th as well unless i do it from the car, en route to Chennai. Let’s see.

What is missing?
Well, sleep, workout, yoga sessions, food, emotions, habits, money and more.

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🈺 Action on LARGE objectives for the year

In this section, I will capture my progress on large objectives for the year. In 2026, I plan to do the following three things…

  1. Book2
  2. Human Flag Pole
  3. Save a million dollars

No action last week either. Jan is almost over and I have not moved an inch on this! Also, last week I mentioned that if I am gonna be moving around this year, how do I keep consistent towards the goals. I dont know the answer. Will think.

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☑️ So, what did I get done last week? And what will I do next week?

This is a one-line report on progress I made on various things that are important to me. I will only talk about things that I got done. Shipped. Not WIP.

I will get back on this in the next update. This year, I want to track the following…

  1. Health. I will work on sleep, food and movement.
  2. C4E / Work. I want to shortlist some idea that I want to work on.
  3. Brand SG / Distribution
  4. People (Family, Friends, Strangers, etc)
  5. Book2. I want to start with this.
  6. Shauk (Music, Films, Poker etc)

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🏃🏻‍♂️‍➡️ Health

I added Health as a key section last year. I read somewhere that you need 4 things to live long – sleep, exercise, diet and community. I will track all four. And then some more variables that I feel are important to me. Let’s see what comes out.

Like the last one, no action. Give me a few weeks.

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🧠 Reminders from last week

This section captures things that I want to not forget. I add those to SG’s Office. I will copy paste these week on week and track updates.

Again, need a few weeks

Like the last two, I will get back on this in the next few updates.

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🥡 So, one thing that defines the past week?

Downtime.

The other words for this year have been: Journey.

—
Phew!
Lemme know what you think.
See you around.

Oh, and this too shall pass!

PS: This series of posts is inspired by Thej and his weekly notes. Previous editions:

  • 2026: 1, 2, 3,

PPS: Please do point typos.

PPPS: In case you see me being inconsistent in anything – work, writing, reviews etc, PLEASE do point out.

PPPPS: This is the first “update” of the year and thus a lot of this is incomplete. Allow me one or two weeks to get settled. And, on this one, do lemme know what you think of the new format.

Comfort, Cockroaches, and the Question I’ve Been Avoiding

I’ve lived a comfortable life by most standards, but comfort has a quiet cost. When survival comes easily, effort becomes optional—and the real question is never about money or success, but whether you’ve ever truly tested yourself. This is a reflection on choosing freedom over validation, creation over consumption, and finally deciding to see what lies beyond playing safe.

Quick Summary

This reflective blog post explores the tension between comfort and unrealized potential, examining what it means to live in survival mode versus truly testing one’s limits. Through personal stories about money, discipline, health, freedom, and creation, it challenges conventional ideas of success, productivity, and spirituality. The piece emphasizes designing a low-friction lifestyle, using money as a tool for time and mental clarity, prioritizing physical health, and finding meaning through creation rather than consumption. Ultimately, it is a meditation on personal agency, self-honesty, and the courage required to move beyond comfort and discover one’s true capacity.

For most of my adult life, I’ve lived with an uncomfortable truth:

I’ve never really tested myself.

Not in the dramatic, movie-scene sense. I’ve worked. I’ve earned well. I’ve survived. But survival is a very low bar when you’re naturally gifted, reasonably lucky, and surrounded by people who won’t let you fall too hard.

In 2019, just before COVID, I earned north of 50 lakhs. On paper, it looked impressive. Internally, it felt… underwhelming. Like cruising a Ferrari at 40 kmph because the road is familiar and safe.

The question that keeps coming back is simple and brutal:

Have I ever pushed myself to see what I’m truly capable of?

The Curse of Being “Naturally Fine”

I’ve always had this strange problem: things work out.

Opportunities show up.
People trust me.
Money comes without extreme effort.

Even today, there are at least three clear paths where people keep telling me, “Just do this and the money will come.”

And they’re not wrong.

I have a financial safety net most people don’t:

  • Friends who can open bank doors instantly
  • People willing to lend money on trust alone
  • Mentors who know I’ll land on my feet

One mentor once laughed and called me a cockroach.

Not as an insult.
As a compliment.

“You’ll survive anywhere,” he said. “No matter what’s thrown at you.”

I’ve seen this play out. New rooms, new people, new systems — and somehow I adapt. Always.

The problem with always surviving is that scarcity never arrives.

And without scarcity, maximum effort remains optional.

My Complicated Relationship With Discipline

Here’s the honest part: I’m lazy.

If I have no external obligation, I’ll sleep through the day. Not because I’m tired – but because nothing is pulling me forward.

I am not naturally process-driven.
I don’t wake up excited about routines.
Solo discipline doesn’t excite me.

For a long time, I thought this was a flaw I needed to fix.

Then I heard Naval talk about the lion. See this. And this.

A lion doesn’t grind 24/7.
It hunts when hungry.
It rests when it’s not.

That metaphor changed something for me.

I don’t believe in constant grinding.
I believe in seasonal intensity.

But here’s the catch: lions still need hunger.

And hunger, in my life, often comes from people, not systems. Different people at different points, different people have been the structure I didn’t naturally create. Chandni today carries massive operational weight. Her task list has 300+ items. Mine would collapse under its own gravity.

My pattern is clear:

  • I perform best when someone else creates pressure
  • I stall when left alone with freedom

This isn’t accidental. I’ve always built people-based accountability, not productivity apps.

The risk?
If those people disappear, momentum disappears with them.

Buying Freedom by Killing Cognitive Load

One thing I’m unapologetic about: spending money to reduce friction.

I try to stay at places that are convenient and safe. And why?

Because I get…

  • Zero anxiety about safety
  • Zero thought about cleanliness
  • Zero logistics stress

That mental clarity is worth more than the extra money.

Same with flights.
Premium economy over regular isn’t about luxury — it’s about avoiding lines, baggage fights, and exhaustion.

My life philosophy is simple:
If a decision doesn’t need to be made, don’t make it.

That’s why I own very few things.
No jewelry. No property obsession. No status clutter.

Everything I own has a story.
Everything else is noise.

Money, for me, is not about accumulation.
It’s about buying back time and mental space.

Money, Monks, and a Hypocrisy We Don’t Talk About

There’s a strange lie we’ve been sold that spirituality and money are opposites.

They’re not.

Every major spiritual teacher people quote lives comfortably.
Some are extremely wealthy.

Robin Sharma.
Sadhguru.
Tony Robbins.
Even controversial figures like Asaram Bapu.

None of them are poor.

Shah Rukh Khan once said something that stuck with me. He said something like, “If you’re poor and different, people call you crazy; If you’re rich and different, people call you eccentric.”

The real monk mindset isn’t poverty.
It’s non-attachment.

No craving for respect.
No fear of disrespect.
No need for validation.

I don’t want to prove anything to society.
Or parents.
Or Instagram.

I only want to prove something to myself.

The Identity Conflict: Thrive or Stay Comfortable?

Here’s the uncomfortable confession:

I’m very good at survival mode.

Life is comfortable.
Work is flexible.
Money is enough.
Freedom exists.

So why push?

Why risk discomfort when the current setup works?

Because comfort has a cost too.

The cost is never knowing what could have been possible.

And I’m starting to feel that this phase of life might be the last window where pushing hard actually makes sense.

Not for money.
Not for fame.

But to answer the question I’ve been avoiding.

Health: The One Regret I Can’t Undo

If I could go back and change one thing, it wouldn’t be money or career.

It would be health.

Your body is the vehicle that carries you through life.
If the car breaks down, every other problem becomes harder.

My non-negotiables now are simple. I am yet to implement but once I do, it will be…

  • 8 hours of sleep
  • 3 hours for health and fitness
  • Muscle building as a priority
  • Meditation as maintenance, not spirituality theater

Everything else adjusts around this.

Creation as the Antidote

Every night, I ask myself one question:

What did I create today?

Creation doesn’t mean startups only. It means:

  • Writing something that helped someone
  • Building something tangible
  • Adding real value to a human being

People who create live better lives.
People who only consume slowly rot.

Meaning doesn’t come from avoiding suffering.
It comes from transforming suffering into something useful.

Borrowing, Not Blindly Following

One of the biggest lessons I’ve learned is this: Don’t adopt entire worldviews.

Everyone pulls you in a different direction.
Friends. Family. Mentors. Internet strangers.

Some say chase freedom.
Some say chase money.
Some say chase stability.

You are the common point being pulled.

The solution isn’t choosing one voice.
It’s selective borrowing.

Take dedication from one person.
Perspective from another.
Execution tactics from a third.

Leave the rest.

The Only Thing Left to Do

Advice can only go so far.

Life is like a car stuck in a pothole.
People can push from behind.
They can shout directions.

But only you can put it in gear and drive out.

I don’t have all the answers.
I’m not pretending to.

But I know this much:

Living comfortably without ever testing your limits is its own kind of regret.

And maybe — just maybe — this is the season to finally see what happens when I stop playing safe.

Not to impress anyone.

Just to know.

PS: This is Chat GPT’s blog version of notes and transcripts from a conversation with a friend.

Personal Board of Directors / Braintrust

Learn how to build a Personal Board of Directors to accelerate your career, improve decisions, and create accountability using mentors and advisors.

This is something that EACH ambitious, smart, intelligent person needs. A personal board of directors.

From what I know, most businesses have this thing they call the ‘board of directors’.

Typically has seven or eight people. The collective is responsible for ensuring the company is running ok and growing and all that. Even the founders and the CEOs report to this board. And interestingly, the board can dismiss the CEO if they are not performing well. This is precisely what happened to Travis Kalanick from Uber. And there are many more examples of that.

So with that, here’s the idea. 

What if you get a board of directors for your personal brand? For your career? For your life? 

 This board will ensure that you’re doing ok, make sure you’re ticking off all that you plan for, and for your general well-being because they care about your success. 

I have one. And I am of the opinion that everyone must have a personal board of directors aka Brain Trust. Not only does it help you in your business, but it also helps you live a good life outside it. 

So, How to Build a Personal Board of Directors for Career and Life Growth?

How can you establish your own Brain Trust and make it work for you? I break it in three parts?

Part 1 – Identify the Right People

Here’s how.

#1
To begin, you must look for people who are more accomplished than you.

People who inspire you and with whom you always want to engage in long conversations. Your personal board cannot include anyone who can’t teach you things you don’t already know.

#2
Your personal board should be composed of individuals who truly care about your success.

For example, if a stranger walked up to me, I would be fine with whether or not they succeeded. However, if it’s my people, say Chandni or AK, you bet I’m interested in whether they have accomplished everything on their to-do list for the day. (C + AK, if you’re reading this, everything on track?)

#3
The folks on your personal board should have enough time and bandwidth to invest in you, so that they can get to know you.

Without getting a handle on you or your life, they simply wouldn’t know how to steer you in the right direction. Ideally, people on your board should be familiar with your context, such as whether you’re busy, broke, or doing well, and be able to offer you honest feedback. They should act as a mirror for you.

#4
Your personal board should be made of people you never ever want to let down and to whom you feel a strong sense of accountability towards.

If any of them offer you guidance or direction, you should be highly motivated to work super hard towards achieving the desired outcome. The reason being, if you fail to meet their expectations, especially over a long period of time, it may cause the entire board to crumble.

Final Word
Thing is, your board doesn’t need to be of the best people in the world. It just needs to have who’s the best for you. If you are still in doubt, here’s a checklist.

  1. Your mentor
  2. Your best friend 
  3. Your favourite family member (spouse / parent / sibling etc)
  4. A professional coach or your boss
  5. An industry expert
  6. Networking contract to help you widen your circles

Part 2 – Recruit Your Board

Once you have identified the right giants, it’s time to invite them to join your personal board.

Sometimes, you must be willing to play the long game in these situations. For example, let’s say I want Elon Musk to join my board. I mean, Elon Musk probably won’t be speaking to me anytime soon. However, could I do things over the next five years that would make me someone he wants to speak to? If I can provide value to his life, maybe he will pay attention to mine. Our relationship must be symbiotic for a win-win outcome, you see?

Case in point?
Eric Jorgenson, the man who proved his worth to Naval Ravikant by writing his book, and David O. Sacks who did the same for Peter Thiel.

Part 3 – Make It Work

You must schedule regular meetings to keep things on track.

I do it monthy. In these meetings, you can conduct a structured review to discuss what is working, what isn’t, and what could be done better moving forward. You put forward your points, and you keep yourself open for theirs. All for one, and one for all.

Want to know some folks who actually got a personal board for themselves, and brilliantly made it work too? Mark Zuckerburg, the CEO of Facebook. Richard Branson, the founder of Virgin Group. Warren Buffet, the billionaire. Oprah Winfrey, the media mogul. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg.

Basically folks you can trust, and those who can help you get closer to your goals every day.

So yea! This is it.

If you didn’t know what a Personal Board of Directors or Brain Trusts were before today, you’re welcome. If you knew what they were, but weren’t sure if you wanted one – this is your sign to start working towards one NOW. I’m serious, go start right RIGHT NOW!

PS: Oh, if I know you, I would love to join your personal board. I am on DM away.

PPS: NOTES I made while writing this…

Wk 03-26 – Weekly Notes

Notes, thoughts, observations and updates from Week 3 of 2026.

Morning!
The first update of 2026 is here!

This one comes from a Starbucks (where else) at Ahmedabad. Am here to meet Krishna and this is my 3rd trip / city in this year already (the other ones were Pune and Delhi (+Gurgaon + Noida)). The 4th trip is to Chennai next week. And I love it. I missed being on the road.

As I look back to 2025, I am wondering, how did I even agree to be bound to one place? Dont get me wrong. I am all for routines and discipline and all that but I know that us humans were not supposed to settle down. If my memory serves me right, it was agriculture that tamed us (I think I read this in one of Harari’s books) and while settling has had its advantages, its the voyagers and scouts and road warriors who’ve show us the way.

In fact, in our life time, there are people who’re showing us that adventurers push the “human race forward“. From the guy who jumped from Stratosphere (for Red Bull) to the ones who’ve taken rockets to space (Hi, Elon!) and lived at ISS to the ones who didn’t make it — each of these people paved the way for us as a race. The ones who are tethered to a place, eating popcorn and paddling convenience in 10 mins must be grateful to these folks.

Listen to this as you read this…

“push the human race forward”

Ok, I can rant for hours on this. But let’s move on.

So, this year on, I plan to be lot more consistent. Lol. However if the 15 days of 2026 are to go by anything, I have an uphill task. And at least as of today, I am committed.

Ok, again. Ranting. Lemme get to the weekly notes.

💭 Highlights, reflections, updates, notes and thoughts from Week 3, 2026

So, this is the first one of the year and I want to try a different format.

I will talk about what I learnt and what I thought and all that. And I will use cues from all the things I’ve consumed and saved (you know, photos, quotes, links, notes). This of this as me talking to myself.

Lets go!

1/ Nirula’s
Here’s a pick from the OG Niruala’s outlet in Delhi. Saw it on this trip.

the OG Nirula’s outlet in Delhi

Growing up, the HCF was such a rage that I would save for it. I was reminded that they used to run an offer where any kid who got about 85 would get a free sunday or an ice-cream and I remember my sis getting those for free all the time (she was the studious kinds and did well at school).

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2/ Habit Stacking Cards
These cards come from Shardul and Good Habits Club. Such a simple idea. And such a powerful one.

In case you wish to order these, ask me!

PS: A lot of work on HelioCoach will happen from the foundations of these stacking cards.

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3/ The console from an event.
Nothing much to say here but I love these messy things like the console. And if you notice, the mess at the back of the screen – the wall that separates the dreamers from the doers.

From an event console

If I had my way, I would only do events. Blame it on Suvi, Anna and Gravity!

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4/ Sacrifice vs Desire
I saw this on instagram probably and I was so moved that I couldnt sit still. All my life I’ve seen so many people want so many things and give so little towards that it hurt my head and heart. I didn’t have the words to tell them how to give more to get more. And then I saw this and I was, WOAH!

What are you sacrificing?

And in fact, I’ve lived all my life with the sacrifice first lens (not that I have a lot to show for that and it has served me well – after all, I live an almost “free” life (this year I plan to be more kind on myself)). I wish I could tell more people that they need to do more to get more.

Oh, and in case you are unable to sacrifice a lot, tame your desire!

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5/ Lesson in Persistence
This comes from Insta as well (I love insta for visual cues) and reinforces another thought that I believe in – stay at it. Keep digging. Find meaning in adventures and pursuits and even in suffering.

How many reps did you do to get to your goal?

No, I am not justifying suffering.

All I am saying is that the journey and the highways and the speedbumps that come along the way make the journey exciting and worth it. When you see the scenery change as you go forth, you start to travel deeper inside. There is a reason that despite all the air travel, roadtrips are alluring.

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6/ Unreasonable People
One of my recurring tropes and inspiration has been this category of people that we call unreasonable people. These are the people who dont settle for an answer. They are the ones who are persistent, sacrifice all they have and like I paraphrased in the beginning, push the human race.

Who’s the most unreasonable person you know?

In fact, one of my goals is to find more unreasonable people and become friends with them.

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7/ “Jo beet gayi so baat gayi”
Harivansh Rai Bachchan wrote this poem – Jo beet gayi so baat gayi. Vipassana taught me the concept of Anicca. Both these loosely teach that what’s happened has happened and you need to move on.

Of course you are human and it’s tough to move on. And my biggest fear of life is that I will die alone. Each person who I care for, supported, took care of will desert me at some point in time. And this is not an unfounded notion. I have had friends, business partners, lovers and people from every other deep relationship walk out on me.

At first, I was angry, confused and sore. I went thru the stages of grief. Luckily, I came out ok on the other side.

But now as I start to age and start to hit the mid-life crisis and all that, I have lot more acceptance. In fact, more than mere acceptance, my first reaction when someone moves on is, “I am so happy for you”.

And thus when I saw this cartoon, I felt seen!

I am indeed so happy for each person who moves on!

So that.

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8/ Dan Koe
I’ve been reading thing from Dan Koe and oh man, WHAT A GUY!

My primary medium of discovery is his X – @TheDanKoe. Some of the pieces I’ve read and been thinking on are articulation (something that I saw Dr Peterson talk about as well), fix life in one day and on multiple interests. Each of these are what I would love to stand for. Each of these are what I want to talk about. Each of these are what I want to find an answer to!

I invite you to read more about him.

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9/ Scott Adams
One of these days, I woke up with the news of Scott Adams passing away. And no, I was not really moved about it but I do remember waking up to a same news about Steve as well (in 2015). Here’s my post after I learnt of Steve’s passing.

Anyhow, the point is, Scott published a final letter on X and he ended it up with two words.

Be Useful.

These two words have been the mantra of life for a long time now. And I think I want to double down on this. I want to be of service to many more people, and at a large scale. And I want to do this while I put myself first, make money, take care of my village and yet build with an abundant mindset.

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10/ WA
I’ve officially lost control of my WA. There are way too many texts and way too many messages. I dont think I will ever be able to get back to people in time. And I apologize for that in advance. I will have to publish this multiple times on the internet.

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Other, misc updates.

These are not in any order.

1/ My eyes are getting weak.
I can feel nausea, headache and blurry vision when I see at the screen for long. I will get some checkup done.

2/ “There is no them”
I am not the spiritual kinds but I do know that all of us are “one”. I am not very articulate about it but I will work on this as we go along. Oh, next week, am visiting Ramana Maharshi’s ashram.

3/ YT Live is on!
I go live each day around 815 and talk about whatever is at the top of my head. I want to do this everyday but I am unable to. Also, I want to do this at 8 but logistics prevent me from that!

You may see it here.

4/ Insta stories are live!
See this where I want to upload a picture each day. So far I’ve missed a few and I will try to not miss many.

5/ Little flunky, small time thief
There was a distinct time when I felt like a small-time paddler. CB would be sad at me. I remember him saying, “I am not much of a petty thief, either I want the entire world or nothing”. So I need to up my ante here.

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🈺 Action on LARGE objectives for the year

In this section, I will capture my progress on large objectives for the year. In 2026, I plan to do the following three things…

  1. Book2
  2. Human Flag Pole
  3. Save a million dollars

I am most confident about book 2. Dr Hitakshi tells me that flag pole will take 2 years of sorts. The million dollars one, I am not sure yet. Lets see.

So, as a status update, I will give myself a zilch. In the last 15 days, I have taken absolutely zero action. The next week will also be a tough one. I am on the road. Maybe the last week is when I will show real traction. I also need to think that if this year is going to be full of travel and all that, how do I plan to stay consistent and focussed. #sgtoThink

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☑️ So, what did I get done last week? And what will I do next week?

This is a one-line report on progress I made on various things that are important to me. I will only talk about things that I got done. Shipped. Not WIP.

I will get back on this in the next update (for the next week) but this year, I want to track the following…

  1. Health
  2. C4E / Work
  3. Brand SG / Distribution
  4. People (Family, Friends, Strangers, etc)
  5. Book2
  6. Shauk (Music, Films, Poker etc)

In the coming week, I want to do the following…

  1. Start with book 2
  2. Start with serious fitness things (lol)
  3. Shortlist some idea that I want to invest time and money on.

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🏃🏻‍♂️‍➡️ Health

I added Health as a key section last year. I read somewhere that you need 4 things to live long – sleep, exercise, diet and community. I will track all four. And then some more variables that I feel are important to me. Let’s see what comes out.

Like the last one, I will get back on this in the next update (for the next week).

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🧠 Reminders from last week

This section captures things that I want to not forget. I add those to SG’s Office. I will copy paste these week on week and track updates.

Like the last two, I will get back on this in the next update (for the next week).

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🥡 So, one thing that defines the past week?

Journey.

Triggered by the trips that I’ve taken this year. And more importantly, the inward one.

—
Phew!
Lemme know what you think.
See you around.

Oh, and this too shall pass!

PS: This series of posts is inspired by Thej and his weekly notes.

PPS: Please do point typos.

PPPS: In case you see me being inconsistent in anything – work, writing, reviews etc, PLEASE do point out.

PPPPS: This is the first “update” of the year and thus a lot of this is incomplete. Allow me one or two weeks to get settled. And, on this one, do lemme know what you think of the new format.

in2026, I will…

Saurabh Garg’s review of 2025 and the plan for 2026 and beyond.

Hello!

My friend Pritam says, “A fool with a plan beats the genius without it.” and I concur. And I validate. I am a genius without a plan. And this year, I want to build plans and processes. Lets dive in.

So, it’s been a while since I wrote. And of course many months since I wrote an in20XX post. And I am excited. Let’s dive right in.

2026 was supposed to be the year when I get to my first ever masterplan. In three lines, the masterplan included…

  1. Climb Mt Everest
  2. Make a billion dollars
  3. Impact a billion lives

I did none of these.

And I am not happy about it.

And no, I am not beating myself over it. Here’s a quote that I am hiding behind.

जो क़िले हवा में न बने, वो ज़मीन पर कैसे बनेंगे?

Jo quile hawa main na bane, woh zameen par kaise banenge?

– Most commonly attributed to Atal Bihari Vajpayee.

I love the idea of imagining large scenarios and cooking up grand schemes and making them quilas in the air. Heard this first in Will Smith’s biography.

I’ve lived with its masterplan for 10 years if not more. The thesis was that if I need to do anything well, I need 10 years to do so. And a billion in 10 years was also ambitious (this was back in the day when we had few dollar billionaires and now with the tech and AI boom; this number is more like a 100 billion).

I did my bit of effort but was unable to get to these three.

I did go to the Everest Base Camp (in 2021 or something) and saw Everest from my naked eye. Also the trek to the base camp and the stories of people and the attempts and the tourism and the crowds at the Hillary Step pulled me towards it and pushed me away from it at the same time. And it would be safe to say that I am no longer keen on the summit. I accept defeat. And I will move on.

On the money front, I was never even in the contention to get to a billion. Heck, not even a million. However, this seems like a goal that is still in the reach and still attractive. So, we shall chase that.

On the impact bit, I did make a difference to the lives of a few people. Far from a billion but each person that I made a difference to made me realise that impacting a billion people is a grand, lofty goal and the best part of it is that you dont fail. Even if you help one person see farther, you’ve done well!

So that.

Now, before I do the review of the year gone by and talk about the plan for the next one, here is my Wheel of Life as on Dec 29, 2025.

As on Dec 29, 2025

I’ve been filling it for over 4 years now I’ve seen the spider’s web grow and shrink. And each time I fill this in, I take a hard, honest look at where I am. This is like a dashboard that tells me what needs to change. And each time after I fill this in, I take some actions.

Brings me to the review of 2025. Let’s go.

The review of 2025

2025 was a mixed bag. Like most years.

A. The large things

Three large things that I would pick as the highlights of 2025 would be Meru, sgABC and people. Lemme talk about these.

1/ Meru, my first brush with a “real” startup.

Prior to this, I’ve done startups and companies but all those were done with the immaturity of an over-confident dreamer. Meru happened with a lot more thought and for a change, I was not in the drivers seat. I merely went along for the ride and I played the role of mechanic, navigator, cheerleader.

If I had to capture lessons from the journey, here are some…

  • a/ Meru is a great example of how I made luck happen. It is an example of a deliberate life. I may or may not get a favorable outcome but I made it happen. I was at the right place and at the right time and I did whatever it took to leverage the access.
  • b/ I dont do well when I am not the driver / commander of life.
  • c/ The world is indeed malleable. I am still learning more about it. But I’ve now seen it in action. On ability to mould life, see this.
  • d/ I am unable to function when put in rigid structures. Subhendu told me that I am highly skilled and highly unemployable. I concur.

2/ sgABC is a mnemonic for something that I dont want to talk about in public at this time. Let’s just say when I write my biography (lol) and I had to pick one thing as the highlight of 2025, it would be sgABC. Hint, I am talking about a person here. Go figure!

3/ People. All my life I’ve believed that people create magic and I know that whatever I know or have, all of it has happened because I had shoulders of many giants to stand on.

However 2025 was the year when I realised that most people that I I could count on and considered close to me, are not really countable. This include family, friends, mentors, colleagues, coworkers, acquaintances, interns and strangers. You are truly alone and by yourself. This was the second time when such realiazation dawned onto me. The first time when I was left to fend for myself in COVID-19. Like back then, till date I continue to not have someone that I confide in (except this blog and thus this outpouring).

And no, I dont write this from a sore or a sad place but from a place of equanimous awareness. I know that not everyone is along with you for a long ride. I know life happens and people and their priorities change. Even when you make desperate calls to them at 3 AM to seek for help, they will offer little. And that’s ok – you must put your seat belt before you put for others. Tushar Sir sent me something incredible that has stayed with me. Here…

I know that when I wanted help, the folks I thought I could lean on were in middle of their storms.

Just that I hope that when someone comes to me, my storm is not that terrifying that I cant give my umbrella to them. I hope I am always around for the ones who trust me. And I want all my people to know that I can be counted upon when I am needed.

And yes, I continue to believe that people create magic and one must offer their shoulder to others.

B. Wins from 2025

I’ve always had trouble listing my wins. Since I am trying to be kind to myself (the ones around me), here are a few that I can think of.

0/ I survived. In terms of money, health, people and all. Its a miracle that despite the air we breathe, the food we eat, the roads we have, we are alive! And I am grateful for this. I love living. I love the rollercoaster of emotions that we are on!

1/ Rediscovered the joy of reading with Unseen and John Grisham. Both are far from each other in their genres and I think I will stick to these. I love pacy, crime thrillers (I aspire to write these) and take business lessons from biographies. Honorable mention must go to Vishwas Sharma for his debut, Berozgaar Engineer aur Gungi Gun ka Insaaf.

In fact, I also discovered my love for little joys like theatre, walks, sunsets etc. Though I couldnt do a lot of sunsets, theatre or walks in second half of the year (work took over). From whatever I saw, the highlights of the year would be Punit Pania, Bikram Bumrah , Manish & Shruti, Anup (see this) and am sure more.

2/ I picked Pickle Ball. I still dont call it a sport but it does bring out the competitive man in me. Wait. I am not competitive. I can be but I am not. I belive in abundance and everyone winning, even if its a sport.

Oh, it was also a thing that I had a strongly held opinion against and I am glad that I changed it. Lets see when I get bored of it.

I am told that I need to graduate to Paddle but I think I will stick to Pickle for the time being.

3/ C4E and I supported a few friends and seniors with their startups (FOXO, Chompz, Ananta Quest and others). We supported some more folks as part of SoG Grant. I dont want to talk about those. I like my donations to be anonymous.

4/ Took my parents to a luxury trip to Goa. Let’s see where we go in 2026. I dont do enough for my parents. And I want to change that. Just that they are comfortable in Delhi and I cant stand Delhi. Stalemate there.

5/ I got a kitchen. I’ve always had a kitchen in the houses I lived in. But in 2025, I got a person to come cook for me. And I also picked cooking. I define my cooking as boiling eggs. See this miracle I made when I wanted to get some sprouts.

Leave a man in the kitchen and this is the mess that he’d create.

Also, cooking is one of those things that I had a strong opinion against. I am now seeing my folly and I am glad that I have someone to cook for me. This is one of the advantages of living in India.

6/ Saw M&m. And during Songkran. The girls are growing up too fast. And I am increasingly not around for them and not important to them. And that’s ok. And not ok.

So that!

C. Losses from 2025 (and things I failed at)

If you know me, you know that I am a harsh on myself. I give more attention to things I fail at. And I allocate more words and space to things I fail at. But this year on, am trying something different.

And as I’ve grown older, I have started to be harsher. And kinder at the same time. Lemme explain.

Harsher – I no longer want the ordinary. I no longer want just a billion. I want 10. Or may be a 100. Or the trillion. See this…

Kinder – I no longer berate myself when I dont get to my goals. I forgive myself and work harder to try again.

So, when I make a list of losses, a lot happens under the hood. Here’s the list and a one line summary.

1/ Health. I was unable to get fitter. And since I am diabetic, have leaky gut, inflammation, bad posture and many more such things, I need to be lot more careful. And despite INSANE intervention by many people and many companies. However, I’ve lately got myself a cook and I try to not eat kachra anymore.

2/ Work. C4E’s topline went down YoY (thankfully, profit margins are up).

I lost many clients for C4E. Most to my decision to not working for them. Some to our inability to ship. The only reason C4E is still around is because of AK, C, F, KP and everyone else who supports the village. Left to myself, I’d push it to ruin.

I still dont understand how to make money work. I am perpetually running on fumes and I have to often take working capital loans. Some day I would escape this rut. But I now know with 100% certainty that money moves the world. I’ve seen people change the way they talk to me when they see that I have access to more money. And no, this is not the case of world being your reflection.

I was also unable to inspire more people to do the extraordinary. The halo effect around Steve Jobs? Well, I am far from it.

3/ Projects. I couldn’t sustain many projects – CSS, AI Film Festival, Towards Eternity, Microdramas, TNKS AI film, Monumentum Partners, Book 2 (lol) and more.

And I didn’t stop cooking up newer projects.

in2026, I want to focus more. This means I will initiate fewer things and I will pause a few things that no longer

4/ People. I lost many people to my ego, to competition, to my inability to pay, to my inability to inspire them. And some people went away inexplicably.

Each person that left, I sent them with my best wishes.

In some cases after they left and after I got to know that they are done with the place they moved to, I implored them to come back. But they didn’t. At least in 3 cases I made that urgent plea for help at 3 AM (as mentioned above) and yet they didn’t come back. At that time I was sore, even angry but as I write this, I am ok. Life happens. People change. Even I’ve changed. It’s important to document. Take lessons. And move on.

Oh and yes, a few people stuck to me. We stuck to each other. You know who you are. And thank you! I am grateful. I will do whatever I can do keep your faith.

Also, I drifted far from almost all my friends. Especially the ones that I went to school / college with. I cant blame them. Or me. We don’t relate to each other’s pain points or wins. Guess this is growing up.

While we are on people, do see this. If this does not make you cry, I dont think you are human.

PS: You may not cry if you dont know who these gents are!

5/ Mood. I saw that in the second half of the year I had more mood swings than I would have liked to have. I would often catch myself being needlessly rude, irritable and curt.

And I tried to fix it. I am not sure if I am 100% back to being the nice person I think I am but I am aware and I am working on it.

Phew!

I am sure there are more losses. But lets live with these for the time being.

D. The world around me

While I keep this blog mostly personal, increasingly, our lives are intertwined with the world we live in. And since in the next few years I want to play a larger role in the scheme of things in the world (thanks to Pritam for the trigger), I want to be lot more vocal about how the world around me is. And here is my attempt to analyse large things.

1/ AI
I dont need to spill more words or pixels here. The world has changed and we are in the middle of this shift. This is a larger one compared to the advent of Internet. I am excited to see what comes out of this. The second and third order effects are making waves and shifting the tectonic plates in every discipline, including the ones that were thought to be domains of experts; you know education, medicine, governance and everything else.

2/ The dichotomy of India
While the India growth story is undeniable, there is an increasing number of people who are quitting India. And I too am allured by other countries. I would love to live in a different country. And even though the global economy is getting “deglobalised”, in the long term, I am short on India.

I recently met (in 2026) someone from internet and he mentioned that after you hit a familial income of 20 lakhs per annum, India does not offer any additional quality of life improvements. And at lesser numbers than that, things have really changed (you know, from metro to cheap flights to convenience etc). I concur. I am over this 20 number and thus I want to water the grass and make it greener.

3/ Health
Everyone seems to be talking about it, thinking about it, working on it. Including me!

People are talking about living long (and maybe forever) and working towards it. So am I.

4/ Trump
You can’t ignore the impact made by Donald Trump on global stage. What a guy!

5/ Processes > Institutions > People
And this will accelerate.

While we will see rise of rockstars doing superhuman things, we will also see average Joes and Janes coming together to do larger things. I am as aversge as they come and thus I will have to work hard to put processes that can build lasting institutions.

So these.

I tried to think of more shifts but these 5 live in my head rent free.

E. Numbers from 2025

Often, this is the favorite part of my review of the year. Here are some numbers in terms of how the year was…

  • 200,971 – money I spent at Starbucks
  • 20,419 – money I spent on buying new clothes
  • 8488 – average steps I walked in 2025. this was 7453 in 2024, 6713 in 2023 and 5621 in 2022. in 2021, it was 7397 and in 2020, 8305.
  • 3500 – organic page views on this website thru the year. For the effort I take to publish this, this is pathetic. But thats ok. I do this for myself.
  • 92 – average weight thru the year
  • 23 – number of times I used #sgNegativeEmotion as a tag on my Roam.
  • 51 – number of posts I published on saurabhgarg.com
  • 6.2 – average hours I slept.
  • 4.4 – average number of coffees I had, per day, in the year. Most days I have 2. This sounds high for some reason.
  • 19 – number of flights. At least. See this.
  • 2 – companies that I angel invested into.
  • 0 – number of Diet Coke I had. I think. Lemme know if I am wrong. And this year on, I want to have some Diet Coke.

F. Photos from 2025

I take a lot of photos. These are candid shots of friends, screenshots from various apps and random tid bits that I gather from around me. I picked some 100 odd photos from 2025.

Made a gallery here. Do check it out.

I wanted to upload those here but took a lot of bandwidth. So skipping.

The plan for in2026

Ok, coming to the point of this post. The plan for 2026.

As always, I want to make the current year (in this case, 2026) the grandest year of my life. Yet.

I do want to make a dent in the universe and enable a billion people and all that. I do want to do large things and play a larger role in shaping how people live. I dont really want to go to space (I love my material and worldly comforts) till they put a Starbucks up there.

And I know its a journey and will probably need decades, if not a lifetime. Or two. I will work on my next masterplan (after failing on the by 2026 one)

And this means I have lofty goals (are they even goals if they are not lofty?). Here are some.

A. The Operating System

Each thing has an OS. Each person has a value system. Here’s mine. It has become a fancy word of sorts to talk about things of all shapes and sizes and manners. Here’s my attempt to make my OS. And within that, I want to build some habits and ecosystems that make me more effective.

Here are some thoughts.

1/ Focus.
I want to focus on one thing this year. This would be impossible for my ADHD mind and will take Herculean effort. But we shall make.

2/ Process first.
One of the largest lessons has been my inability to build processes. I throw people at a problem and then let it at that. Now, I want to change. I will make processes. In fact, if you see me do something without a process, PLEASE point out. For all the HFS traits I have, if I can make a process around my life, I will become unbeatable!

I am not a systems or processes guy at all and I will make mistakes and I want everyone to brace for it! When I say everyone, I mean people that work with me on a day to day basis – after all, these are the ones how will bear the brunt of my banana beahviour.

This also means that I will have to change my older ways of being people first. I’ve always been loyal to people and all my life I’ve operated from people-first thinking. I will shift to process-first thinking. I know its not for me and it will be tough but I will give it an honest shot and see where I land.

3/ Consistency.
Enough said.
PS: This also means that what I say and what I do and what I think and what I believe in has to be consistent!

4/ Team SG
I know I need to have many people I can lean on. Over the years many people have come and gone but I’ve not been able to get them to see life the way I do. And that’s ok.

When I started work, I wanted to make a cult but along the day I lost it and started to believe in diversity. One of the biggest mistakes of my life.

I am sure I have more but these two come to mind cos I spend all my time with them.

Going forward, I will get back to making a cult and finding my brethren (or whatever is the inclusive version of this word) of Spartans where all of us want to live life chasing their bliss and freedom. I’ve tried to find such people and I have won some and failed some. I got at least two. At least is the operative keyword here. I am sure there are more who are not in close vicinity and thus I am unable to see them.

This year I will try hard to build a team of people that I work with. Need to find more this year. In fact, made a trip to Pune early this year (lol) to try and recruit two. The jury is out on that. And of course, each person will have a seat at the table. Equal. Here’s another quote from Spartans…

Via twitter

5/ I want use the 8-8-8 rule for time.
I dont know if I can live with it but I will try.

I am hoping that this bifurcation will help me get disciplined.

At this time, my work, recreation, personal time are all muddled into one. I will try and bifurcate those. Oh, lately sleep has been ok (thanks to WHOOP and FOXO).

I ofc need to spot what “work” would be. And ofc, I am a believer in work-life harmony (and not balance). So, all in all, it would be interesting.

6/ “You are right.” If I am in a debate with you in a non-learning setting, you are always right. Of course, I want people to point gaps in my thinking and I want to learn by making mistakes. But at this time, I want to preserve my energy. And time. And thus.

In fact, the 6.1 would be Save time, not money. I have lived my life trying to optimise my time (and not money). I will be even more at it.

7/ “To be” book. Took this idea from Deepinder. This is a set of index cards where you write quotes / thoughts important to you and your revisit them everyday. I had this long list of things on my vision board for a long time but this to-be physical cards is a great idea!

8/ Operate from a place of kindness, empathy and equanimity. This was my operating system for the longest time but I lost myself along the way. I need to revisit this. Someone told me that people dont remember facts but will always remember how you made them feel. I dont want to have anyone ever remember me with shitty memories or opinions.

9/ Work on my brand.
Work with things that amplify Brand SG.
I have some reputation on the internet. Some off it. And I think its more or less coherent. In 2025, Prak gave me one of the largest lessons of my life (and that year) – about authenticity vs persona. in2026, I want to work on that.

10/ While I work, support more people do more.
I want to be the “platform for opportunity exchange”. Energy flows through me. I want to open doors. help and support with nothing in exchange. I have to aim to get into acceptance speeches (and not get attached to that outcome – its only a barometer of the impact I am making).

Phew! So I didnt set out to build a 10-point list but it is here now.

B. The Large Goals

I will single-mindedly, in a focussed manner chase these goals (one for each block)…

1/ Book 2. For Soul.
Lol.
I find this funny each time I write this. I have been trying to write this for like 10+ years. No, its not taking me that long but I havent found the time. This year I am committed. Like all the past few years ;P

The tangible goal is to publish book2.

2/ Fitness. For Health.
Again, this has been a perpetual goal. This year, I hope to make strides on this one. I have the cook, the motivation, the support system and for a change the intention to spend money to get to this.

The tangible goal is to do the human flag pole.

3/ Financial. For Work.
I really want to pay off my loans and save some and invest some.

The tangible goal is save 1 million dollars.

And to be able to do this, I need to find vocation worth putting my energy in. At this time, I have many options and I will pick JUST one of those. I have many options as we speak. And I am not ready to talk about those as yet. Stay tuned for those ;P

So that.

I know all three are large goals but hawa me quile and all that!

C. Other projects for #in2026

Apart from the large goals listed above, here are a few more things that I will chase in this year. These are not in any order. And I may not even pick these (focus and all that). But I want to write these..

1/ Get a residence and a business unit out of India.
This has to be within 4-5 hours of India (specifically Delhi).

2/ Do an event IP that sells 1000 tickets.
I have a vague idea. I have a few friends. Lets see.

3/ Direct a film. Or a short-film.
I dont have an idea on this yet.

4/ Build distribution.
And reach millions of people. Like Sahil Bloom does. I do have an idea. I need someone to help me on it. #sgDistribution

5/ Restart SoG. And build SoG Grant into a large Section 8 business.

6/ Get more articulate and presentable.
I’ve always shunned the idea of over-dressing and all that but I do see the merit now. And I will use this year to change that. I will speak slow. I will . See this.

I am sure there are more. I will may be add more here but let’s see.

Oh, and two things…

  • a. I had said that I will focus. And this is anything but focus.
  • b. Funny when I write these goals, money doesn’t feature in the list. Money is merely an enabler. And I like it. From a young Saurabh where I would chase fame and wealth, I have become that SG who chases his bliss and does things.

So… this is it from me. For some reason this feels incomplete. May be once I get some comments and feedback, I will fix.

Anyhow, as always, please do point gaps in my thinking.

And here’s a quote to end this piece.

I wish you courage.
In 2026 and beyond.

Thanks,
SG

PS: Thanks to Pradeep, Purav and Chandni for being the beta reader of this and suggesting edits.

PPS: I used Year Compass, weekly notes, photos, notes, Roam and other things to come up with this post.

PPPS: Here are other lists: 2025*, 2024, 2023, 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016** 2015, 2014, 2013, 2012, 2011*, 2010*, and 2009.
* – I missed writing this in 2025, 2011 and 2010
** – In 2016, I didnt write a goal list but I did a review of sorts.

Wk 51-25 – Weekly Notes

6 PM, 21 Dec 2025
Starbucks, Versova

I cant believe it. We are in the 51st week of 2025. What started as an experiment is nearing a year. I’ve missed some 10 weeks (week numbers 9, 15, 17, 22, 24, 41, 43, 45, 48, 49) but I showed up the other 40. And I poured my heart and head out on this blog. For the world to see. World in this case is those 2 people who come here each week (I get an average of 23 impressions each 90 days and thus translates into about 2 people per week). The audience is beside the point. The point is that I’ve been able to become that person who does his actions and is detached from the outcomes. This itself is a loaded statement. If I am truly detached from the outcomes, what keeps me going. And I dont know the answer. I guess that’s for me to discover along the way.

Ok, without further ado, let’s get on with the review of the week gone by. I will use the “freewriting” format that I used last time (unlike what I’ve been using thru the year).

Let’s go.

Oh wait, the music for this post is the Lootera Theme.

Music from Lootera

Ok, lets go…

💭 Highlights, reflections, updates and notes

As always, these are not in any order.

A/ Ayesha at Filmfare OTT

Shikha and Nihit’s film, Ayesha got a Filmfare for the best short film.

🙂

By association, I am now a producer of a film that has won the coveted Black Lady. And while on paper, I may have won a Filmfare, truth be told, I didnt do an iota of work on this. Except maybe helping with some money. So the award is Shikha and Nihit and team’s.

Love when my people do well.

I hope they go onto to many more grand things. I am and will remain a cheerleader.

B/ Lal Babu

I now have Lal Babu in my life. He’s a cook on hire and used to work at a friend’s place. And I hired him.

Today was his day 1.

And even though he made some baingan ka bharta and egg curry, I did eat kachra from outside. I will stop it from tomorrow. Ok not tomorrow. I have a team dinner. But I have a cook now. After ALL the mehnat to find someone to cook for me and take care of my diet, I now have someone.

And with that, now I do NOT have a single excuse to not do well on the health department. If now I am unable to get them 6 packs and those marathons and all that, I have no one to blame.

C/ Unseen (the Deepinder Goyal biography)

I finished reading Unseen. And I did a session of sorts where I talked about my reflections from the book. I will also make a blogpost about it. But meanwhile, here are my notes (access only to friends).

Among the things that am taking away are…

  1. Naina‘s website and System’s Thinking. I don’t know shit about either and I will invest time and energy to read more about them.
  2. Focus. Not saying anything else.
  3. A stack of notes where I will write my values and look at them everyday. I do have a tiny notebook where I note these things. I carried it to the Everest Base Camp as well. But I dont see it everyday. I need to make that.
  4. I need to build a space and a place that’s like a sanctuary where I get to spend time with myself. At this point, I am unable to afford one but I need to build this. Like a base. Where I come back to even when I am on the road a lot. So, in 2026, after I’ve paid back the loan and secured the life and money for my people, I will build this. I dont know. May or may not be Mumbai. Let’s see.

D/ Hareesh Tibrewala

I met Hareesh Sir after a while.

Each time I meet him, I am more inspired to do more with my life. And operate from more equanimity. And do more things from an impact lens. Impact not as in social service. But from the space of doing meaningful things.

Oh, among other things, he’s putting up Manabu Labs. If you need help and inputs on implementing AI for your teams, he’s your man.

E/ Pickle Ball

I played Pickle Ball the other day with O-A-C. And I must admit it was good to be in a sporting arena. Lol, sporting arena!

Pickle probably is that thing that I had a VERY strong opinion about but was loosely held. I now think there is merit in all the hype about it. I should’ve spotted it early on. Could’ve built a business around it. Anyhow.

Vivek has been raving about it for months. I ignored it as an elitist phenomenon (which it is – each session is like 1500 bucks). But now that I have seen that it probably works for me, I will invest more time and energy in it. I see myself going back to court many times. In fact I was telling C that she should earmark days and dates in calendar for pickle sessions.

Oh, I played it a few nights ago. My legs are hurting till date. So, if nothing else, its good movement and cardio. Let’s see how many times can I go in the coming week. I am setting myself a target of 3 outings to the court. I know I am not going on Monday for sure. So, maybe will block Tuesday already?

F/ Misc things

In no order…

  1. Photos from the week gone by are here.
  2. Met Shweta and talked about reviving Party of 9
  3. Met Karishma and talked about how I want to network with people who can give me a crore and forget about it.
  4. While talking to AK, I talked about how much I loved Apollo Tyres’s Road is a Friend. See it here. I wish we had more advertising writers like this. And more brands like Apollo Tyres.
  5. My daily morning solocasts series has now reached a number of 17. Tiny win for the month.
  6. Spoke to Vanita after a while. And as always, it was the most human conversation I’ve had in a while. The questions were deeply personal and I dont really talk about those to a lot of people. No more comments apart from that. So that’s that.
  7. Thinking about a podcast about storytelling. I am just worried that I dont load myself a lot with random things, in a year when I want to focus.
  8. This tweet and the related thread about how one must always create even if you are old. Charlie was working till a few days before he died.
  9. I am traveling to Chennai in Jan 2026 #jan2026. The primary agenda is to visit Sri Ramana Ashram. I will have lot of time and if you are there or know someone there that I must meet, please do let me know.
  10. I am taking my time with Year Compass. I am halfway thru it. And I am yet to start the review of 2025 and plan for 2026.

Guess this is it for the week.

See you next week. Till then, peace!

—
Phew!
Lemme know what you think.
See you around.

Oh, and this too shall pass!

PS: This series of posts is inspired by Thej and his weekly notes.

The previous editions are here: 01, 02, 03, 04, 05, 06, 07, 08 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 16, 18, 19, 20, 21, 23, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 42, 44, 46, 47

I’ve missed the following weeks: 9, 15, 17, 22, 24, 41, 43, 45, 48, 49

PPS: Please do point typos.
Grammarly is not working with WordPress and I don’t have energy to cut paste edit this in some other spell check thing.

PPPS: In case you see me being inconsistent in anything – work, writing, reviews etc, PLEASE do point out.

Wk 50-25 – Weekly Notes

Notes from Week 50 of 2025

14 Dec 2025.
15 Dec 2025.
Sunday.
Starbucks, Versova.

I’ve not written this more than 2 weeks now. Last post was this on Nov 24 or something.

Since then, a couple of things happened.

A, I had to travel on two consecutive weekends.

And b, I was not in the zone to write. I mean I could write but I was shrouded in darkness. I mean it. I am not sure if I am still out of it. But I know I will be. This is a recurring pattern where I go on a roller coaster and come out alive on the other side. And no, writing today doesnt mean that I am out of the woods. Just that I need to prevail.

Also, I think this is the time of the year when I get extra sad. For the simple reason that this is when I take a deeper stock of my life (you know, end of the year). And at the end of each year I realise that I am not worth a lot.

This “worth a lot” is subjective.

At least in my case, I attach a lot of value to my “accomplishments” (in terms of money, reach, impact etc). And on none of these pieces, I have done a lot. And thus the seasonal depression sadness. Plus, may be the Vitamin D levels are wrecking havoc. And that may be compounded by winters?

This reminds me, I need to start taking Vit D.

Funnily, with others, I am tad less harsh. When they tell me that they havent had a lot to show for their work, I am more kind and I offer encouragement. But when it comes to me, I am FAR more harsh. To a point that I overlook all the things that I worked on, shipped, enabled. Etc.

So that.

Anyhow. Moving on. The music of the moment is Mack Vocals, Rashmeet Kaur, Zombie. I have way too many links to individual tracks to drop. So I will do the next best thing – not drop any. You have to do yourself the service of listening to Mack Vocals. Please.

And with that, we come to the review!

PS: I will use a different format to write this.

💭 Highlights, reflections, updates and notes

As always, these are not in any order.

1/ #in2026

I have decided that in 2026, I will try to cut on my social media usage. I have outlined some reasons here. At some point, I will write a longer post. But for the time being, I am prepping to go fishing.

I will use my main phone as a dumb phone (AKA, assistive access mode on an iphone). Or I will get a basic Android phone that I can use for calls, notes, OTP, banking, navigation, payments, podcasts etc.

I am flipflopping between what to do and how to do. On one side, the challenge is HUGE and I would love to get thru the grind of not having social media on my phone. This will test me in all manners. But on the other side, I will have to disconnect from any opportunities that may come my way. So that.

Oh, in 2026, the themes would be fitness and book2.

These two were to be the themes for #in2025 as well. And for many more years prior to that. Lol.

Apart from these two major ones, there are many smaller things that I would like to chase. Here is a list (and I will try to elaborate on these). And for a change, this list is in order….

  1. Health and Book2. Reiterating, lest I forget.
  2. Network. More in the subsequent lines.
  3. Learning. Something. Deep. You know, like an absolute expert. Top 1% in the world kinds. Vibe Coding. Poker. Nutrition. Music. I dont know.
  4. Writing (apart from book2). This must become my primary way of communicating with the world. I will also use YT Lives.
  5. Move to another country. Each year I try to make the move. Each year I fail. I will try again in 2026.
  6. Teach. I want to restart SoG or something. A place where I can surround myself with younger, more curious people. I know it will be incredibly tough without me being on the internet. But I will try.
  7. Wealth. I’ve made some milestones. A. I want to pay back all the loan I have on my head (about 40 lakhs). B. Once I’ve done A, I want to earn about 3.5 crores (to be able to pay my team well). And then, after A and B, I want to chase financial freedom.
  8. Travel. One trip at least with Vivek. At least a couple with my parents. Maybe one with Poo. So that’s 4 already. Let’s see how many of these happen.

Oh, and no, this is not the goalsheet for the year. That’s a separate post and conversation. Watch out for that. Last year I missed it. This year, I dont want to.

On Network, while at C4E and then at Meru, I learnt that I know a lot of people. And some of those people know me back. And yet when I need help or inputs from those people, I am unable to move them. I get, what they call blank shots. I get a lot of gyaan and advice and all that but the real thing that matters – money, network, access – I dont get any of that.

So, I will be deliberate about finding people who are open with their wallet, phone book and other things.

In terms of tangibles, I want to know 100 people who can give me a crore each. And then start a VC fund in the next 5 years. #in2030.

I will place more tangibles around it.

2/ Unseen (the Deepinder Goyal biography)

I am reading Unseen these days.

And OMG, what writing! I am sure the story is a bit of exaggeration and some bit of corporate corrections but the writing is top notch. I am a fan of the author, Megha Vishwanath.

I’ve written a few biographies in life and I would love to write more. And I want to now “compete” with Megha for the quality of writing. May be I need to first put riyaaz in and write better.

3/ Free man…

One of the quotes that I use a LOT is this…

I find I’m so excited, I can barely sit still or hold a thought in my head. I think it’s the excitement only a free man can feel, a free man at the start of a long journey whose conclusion is uncertain.

– Red, The Shawshank Redemption

While thinking about it in some context, I spotted this one from Kerouac…

Source: Unknown.

And then while chatting with Arti about life and all, she said something incredible. She said,”thats a good start..unlimited possibilities :)”

And I realised, what a great place I am in life! To have so much going for me!

4/ Ananta Quest

Over the weekend I attended Ananta Quest, an event by Sanjay Mehta, Aditya Save and their team.

It was one of those moments where I saw many mentors find their next step. And in my own tiny, insignificant way, I was responsible for getting them together. And no, I am not taking any undue credit for anything that happened there. But I love the fact that many people I love got together to do things that they find joy and salvation in.

I really want to do more of this.

Oh, I also learnt a lot of things about myself while I was there. The primary one, I would love to be a part of the events business in some way. And then the secondary one, I dont want to do events business ;p

5/ Docu on theatre

I have another itch that I want to scratch. Make a documentary on the lives and times of theatre professionals. You know, what excites them, what moves them. Why do they do what they do.

I’ve fired some shots. So far, no outcomes. I need to find a way to move this forward. But then I also need to find a way to focus. Let’s see when or how I do so. Ofc, there is a large chance that I dont do anything on this – you know, time, focus, priority etc.

N/ Misc things that am wondering on…

In no order.

1/ How can people work without a mouse?
I know people know a lot of shortcuts on the keyboard but I am too old to do so. I’ve even seen those Excel competitions and World Cups where people type faster than I can thing and make castles on excel!

2/ Studying / Learning.
I dont know how people learn after they are old. I enrolled in a nutrition course and I am unable to learn anything from there. To a point that I have stopped attending classes! And no, I’ve not given up. I will be back in action from the next month.

3/ Anti FOMO.
I forgot what I wanted to write here.

4/ House of Cards.
I’ve been itching to see House of Cards all over again. To me, it’s way too long (I estimate it to be about 70 hours of total runtime across episodes and seasons) and even if I were to give it one hour per day (which is a lot in the first place), the “project” would take me more than 2 months. I dont know if I want to commit to this long a project.

I can download and see on transits or flights. No, not flights. I want to write on flights. Lets see.

5/ Driving License.
I need to renew my driving license and I am lost in the maze between the RTO websites and non-helpful call centres. I am thinking I will apply for a fresh license (assuming I can do so!)

6/ This tweet. I am copy pasting text.

Early startups don’t fail because people don’t work hard. They fail because momentum leaks through hesitation, politeness, and unspoken assumptions. People hesitate to interrupt. They soften asks. They work around blockers instead of confronting them. They wait, assuming someone else will respond, decide, or notice. Each instance feels reasonable. None feel like failure. But together they create drag. Speed is not hours worked or how fast code is written. Speed is how quickly a team surfaces friction and resolves it. Speed is whether blockers are confronted immediately or politely avoided. Speed is whether decisions are made explicitly or left implicit. That’s why speed is a cultural property, not a process. You cannot add it with meetings, tools, or policies. It emerges when a team shares the same internal bar for urgency, ownership, and “all-in.” Early teams that win are not nicer or more organized. They are less ambiguous.

Made me think.

I am guilty for being way too polite (I think) and I am often way too soft. I need to be able to help people differentiate between politeness, kindness and “reasonable action”. More on this over the next few days.

This is about it.
No other large sections.
Like I said, I’ve been weirded out for the last few weeks.
Should be back in action soon.

PS: I am not happy how this has turned out. But I want to ship at this time. And then think about other things.

PPS: This series of posts is inspired by Thej and his weekly notes.

The previous editions: 01, 02, 03, 04, 05, 06, 07, 08 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 16, 18, 19, 20, 21, 23, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 42, 44, 46, 47

I’ve missed the following weeks: 9, 15, 17, 22, 24, 41, 43, 45, 48, 49

On theatre and Piyush Mishra

A brain fart from one of the Piyush Mishra plays I saw the other day.

A shot from the play. I clicked this on my iPhone.

Saw this play based on a book by Piyush Mishra.

The play made me think about many things. Trying to articulate here.

1/ What makes theatre folks get out of bed everyday?
There are hardly any people in the audience and there is hardly any money to be made. The ROI from just the time spent is disappointing. I know that each thing is not about ROI. Do they go thru this grind cos it’s a stepping stone towards Bollywood dreams? Is it the excitement of being under the spotlight? What is it? I must investigate. Meet some theatre people and investigate!

2/ The story yesterday is about a writer and his moral dilemma.
I dont want to go into too many details and spoil it, but he said that he’s not creative and he can only write about what he feels at this core.

This sounds scaringly similar to how I feel and think and write. I dont write from imagination but from what I’ve felt. Otherwise the words wont flow. In fact, I need inspiration from IRL events and folks to write. Most things in TNKS was inspired by real events. May be the reason am struggling with Caravan Serai is that I dont have access to any large real events from the past that I can take inspiration from.

3/ Towards the end, the writer says that hes a blot on the world of art.
Again, not going into details but as someone who takes inspiration from real things, I dont think he’s a blot.

His methods may be extreme and questionable but I can relate to what he did and why he did. If I was any strong, I would probably choose the same path. Does that make me a bad person? I dont know. Will that make me a better write? I dont know. Do I have the balls? No!

4/ I think I want to direct this play.
I will try and reach out to the theatre company and see if I can produce and direct this play.

In fact, if you are a theater company that’s looking for a director (and maybe a patron willing to support) and give me this opportunity to direct, please do let me know. And may be connect me?

Thanks!

Diary of an Air India Gold Digger

My recent experience as a Gold Member for Air India.

Took this photo a few years ago. From an iPhone.

Today a few day ago, in the morning, the entire Mumbai airport was empty, except two islands – E and F. These two had probably 500 people in serpentine queue that spilled till outside the airport terminal. And these were of the Air India check in counters. And I was flying with Air India.

This anyway sounds like a horror story for people who take flights often and since this was 5:30 in the morning, most people in the queues were in zombie state and in various stages of anger, resignation and restlessness.

I was mentally prepared to skip the flight and take the next one only to not stand in the queue. My bank balance is testimony to my stupidity to avoid queues. In fact, I’ve have designed my life to avoid traffic and queues as much as I can. I leave painfully early in the day to reach painfully early and often the coffee shops that I’ve made into safe havens (from traffic) are still not open. I come back late in the night when the only traffic on the road is from folks who are drunk on life and high on social dos. I dont go to meetups outside of walking distance of where I live. I choose to work from a Starbucks that is a stone’s throw away. And now that there is an airport about 15 mins from my home in Delhi, I try and take flights to that one (just that Air India doesn’t fly there).

Coming back to the sea of sleepy people on the platform for check-in. 

Thankfully, I asked one of the ladies about a different counter for Gold members. And she pointed me to a hidden island. Just at the mention of that, I jumped like 100 feet in the air.

Now, at the counter for Gold and above, there were more airline staffers than the passengers. There were more counters open than the wait staff hoping to usher people into those empty counters.

And at the counter, there were more ushers than the travellers to tag the bags with such care as if they were fragile babies. And they placed your bags on to the belts as if they were handling a radio active substance. And no, there was no drama about extra weight on the bags. Not for my bag. Not for pther people’s bags. You could just take as much. I saw a family of 4 with enough bags to start a new life. May be they were on the way to do that!

And then as I walked from there to security, I could see the security area was so empty like it was plagued. I tried to pass through it but I was stopped by the security folks because I was in premium economy. Lol, oxymoron. 

Luckily since the airport was empty, save for the Air India islands that was moving slower than a snail, the general area security queues were non-existent and I could breeze through that. So the long queue at check-in did work in my favor. 

But the point is, if I didnt have this Gold Card that I bought (not earned; as part of Vistara Credit Card that I’ve since closed) I would have been mindfucked. And I would have spiralled into a dungeon of fuckery and drudgery.

I think the validity of my card extends till beginning of next year (about 2 months to go). I thus need to find a way to get the Gold status again. I dont take enough flights anymore to earn the status by itself but I am willing to pay a card fee to acquire this to avoid hassle. Lemme research on that.

In fact, I think I should encourage each of my people to get this gold thing. I think it’s worth the money, especially because air travel is such a high involvement service! 

Oh, btw, I wrote this from a premium economy seat that was not very comfortable. I prefer the emergency exit seats. And the next milestone in life is to only fly business class. I think I am 5 years away from that. Let’s see if I can make it happen any sooner. 

Over and out!