Notes

W4: D4: It’s 8:30 pm right now, so won’t be at my best. Squats: +1 but barely made the last one. Deadlift: Warm up to 5 reps of 165. 4 at 175, 185. 3 at 195. 2 at 205 but gonna stop at that. D3: +2 on bench. I could have gotten 1-2 more. +1 on squats. D2: Deadlift: will work at 70% of 175 = 125. +1 on bench. D1: +1 on bench and squats. The latter were bit difficult. W3: D4: Start time: in excel? +2 on squats. Sumo start weight: 135. D3: 7 on bench! Same on squats but the former was a bigger deal. 3x8 bench OHP with 45. It’s time to find accessories for at least some of the days. Sometimes, I finish my major sets early and have time to spare. Will start workout time too next time on. D2: 8 on bench! Deadlift: Max 5 of 165. D1: 9 on squats. The last 1-2 were hard but I could do them with good form. Same on bench. W2: D4: 5 on squats. Gonna start with 135 for sumo deadlift. I wasn’t able to add more weights after that though, so it was probably on the higher side. D3: 8 on squats. Still feeling bench presses in my biceps, but only until the 2nd set. 3rd was good and I got 6 there! Next time, remember to bring hands towards the middle of the chest so that my hands are perpendicular to the body. 6 dead hangs. D2: 7 on bench. 3 on dead hangs. I should our columns for warm up weights in my Google sheet. Deadlift: Max 5 of 155, same as previous week workout. D1: Back after 2 weeks or so. Excited! 8 on bench and 9 on squats. 6 dead hangs. W1: D4: 7 on bench, that’s a lot! Sumo 1x6 at 140 but used 135 for the next. (Didn’t have solid 2-3 reps at the end of the first set.) D3: Amazon Music’s workout playlist sucks. Back to Spotify just after a few minutes. 6 on bench! 7 on squats. 6 dead hangs. D2: Form declaring on bench. 8 on bench but not all reps were probably clean. Deadlift: max 5 at 155. D1: Barely managed 9 on bench but with good form. So, can increase weight next week. Exactly same for squats. 6 dead hangs.

Go out in nature more often. Fit small hikes in our schedule whenever possible. White noise while working. Change workout schedule to when possible as opposed to trying to stick to certain days in the week. Only improve the following for now: Focus at work. Verbal communication. If I am gonna use my phone or personal laptop, I’ll decide upfront what all I am going to do and just stick to that. No browsing.

I probably ran twice during my 4 years in college but started doing it more often after that. For instance, I did my first half marathon when I lived in Noida at my first job. I had two primary reasons behind running. One, as a way to stay fit. Two, challenge myself beyond my comfort zone. However, I had an epiphany while running, or rather punishing myself through, yet another half marathon today. I hate running. Running sucks. And even though the idea of pushing myself by doing something hard sounds fun, there are other ways that can also allow me to have some fun. Running seems an ordeal. ...

The idea of scheduling each minute of my work day is one of the tactics to improve focus and become good at work. Because, when I used to do that, I would wonder what to do after the work day is over. The idea of going deep only during scheduled times was also limiting because I wasn’t focusing at other times. For e.g., during shallow blocks, I was still haphazard in checking emails or Slack. The more important thing is to improve my focus or concentration in general. (Is that called mindfulness?) Some ideas are: Do exactly one thing at a time. So, even if I pick up my phone or am at my laptop, I should know upfront what am I going to do, and then just do that. Unwavering focus. Quick checking email or Slack is bad because it leads to attention residue. When situation permits, I should schedule time to do deep work. I can plan my day one day before or along the way, either might be okay. Boredom is good but I also don’t have to overdo it. 1-2 times a day is okay. Wake up on time and get to work quickly. Don’t waste time during the work day. It may be obvious but technology itself isn’t bad but how I use it. Mind wanders by default and that’s a good thing. And it takes practice to make it focus, i.e. stick to the task at hand for a long period of time. There are limits to how much I can be in a focused state of mind - can’t be the whole day. So I am wondering if there is a way to track focus time per day. I can go to this mental gym any time during the day: just concentrate on breathing and bring back the mind to it if it wanders off.

1.5 large or 2 medium onions, chopped fine. Put all masalas before the tomatoes and cook them well. Use a little water whenever onions go dry with or without the masalas. Puréed tomatoes. 1.5 teaspoons salt. 12 eggs. 4 tbsp oil if big pan. 1/2 tsp turmeric.

How to boil potatoes in Instant Pot: https://www.indianveggiedelight.com/how-to-boil-potatoes-in-instant-pot/#recipe Water quantity remains the same, however many potatoes. https://www.chefkunalkapur.com/recipe/aloo-jeera-2-ways/ 2x quantities. Overall (for 2x): 2 inch ginger. 800g potatoes. 1.25 tsp salt. 4tsp jeera. 2 green chilies were a lot. Try 1.

I realized an important thing while reading Remote Inc. book. I should focus on impact or outcome, not other small stuff such as responding to Slack, number of hours worked etc. No one remembers the latter after awhile, only impact matters. Not so much as I learned but rather remembered: perfectionism sucks. After a point, people who evaluate my work won’t notice the tiny details that make the work perfect (in my mind). In many cases, getting the work done and creating impact is more important than doing it perfectly.

W4: D4: 7 on squats! 5 each on 125, 135, 145. 3 on 155, 165, 175. 2 on 185 but let’s call that the max. D3: 6 on bench. Overall, good workout on the bench today. D2: 7 on bench. Just hold the barbell tight and pull out your chest. 70% at 105 for deadlifts. 5x hangs. D1: 10 on squats. Bench felt heavy, maybe my form isn’t good enough. Need to fix that soon. W3: D3: 6 on bench. Increased bench max by 5. It’s time to add some accessories in between major sets. D2: 8 on bench. Deadlift: I increased weight to 145. D1: Legs paining from the half marathon. 10 on squats. 6 on bench, so keeping right next week too as is. (It’s possible I had an extra 10 lb plate though.) W2 D4: 6 on squats. Increasing max. Sumo: Start with 125. W2 D3: 7 on bench AMAP. Increase bench max to 95. W2 D2: 7 on bench AMAP. I should create 3 columns in weight to plate sheet that contain warm up plate count. (Too much brain to use otherwise.) Deadlift: 135. W2 D1: Check bench press form. 80 was hard. W1 D4: In at 6:45 am sharp. 9 AMAP on squats! 2x6 sumo with 120 lb. W1 D3. 12 squats in AMAP! I learnt about shoulder retraction or whatever during bench press. Need to continue doing that next time and see more videos. W1 D2. Gym at 6:45! Bench: Look at form. Why do I get something in the shoulders? Deadlift: Max of 5: 125 Done with primary 2 at 7:20, so have time for an accessory. OHP: 45 lb. 3x7. Protein shake was too cold!

https://www.gobytram.com/ Powell’s Books and http://www.everydaymusic.com/ are close by.

Long form blog posts, those that are 500+ words long. Learn to speak clearly and slowly. Real things: Food: learn cooking. Art and craft: Paint the town, maybe once a month. Quilling - we anyway have the raw material at home. Fill in a coloring book. AI models to: Optimize ETF selection for the long term (as opposed to trade stocks in short term). Software: Create open source alternatives to nice but closed source software, similar to Headscale for Tailscale.