Aruna Gobalan's Blog, page 4

The Art of Delegation: How to Beat Overwhelm

The Art of Delegation is saying, ‘You’ve got this,’ while quietly hoping they really do. We have 32 teeth. Fewer if, like me, you had an overeager dentist growing up—but that’s a story for another day. Now, think back to everything you ate yesterday. How much of that could you have managed to consume if […]

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The Secret to Progress: Never Skip a Day

Never skip a day unless you enjoy starting over... again... and again.For those who don’t know what it means to rewind a cassette tape with a pencil, the name Jack LaLanne may be a mystery. LaLanne, a pioneer in the fitness industry, was renowned for his unwavering commitment to daily exercise and healthy living. Steven Pressfield […]

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Rot Week, Resolutions, and Real Change: Preparing for the New Year

I always find the week before a New Year is an interesting time to ask people how they feel about the upcoming year. The responses never cease to amuse me. Quite a few of them are in yolo mode, partying away the last week. I even learned a new term—rot week—a self-care trend involving spending the […]

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My Top Ten Books of the Year – 2024 Edition

Thomas Jefferson once said, "I cannot live without books." I wholeheartedly agree—but I find more and more that I can live with many unread and unfinished ones. 2024 was a rough year for my reading habits. I found myself starting many books, only to abandon them midway, either because the story meandered or, more likely because […]

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Reflections: Ten Takeaways from the Year

One of the things I like to do as the end of the year draws closer is to reflect on the lessons learned during the year. In this post, I list ten takeaways that stood out for me this year. Some sound profound. Few are mundane. Honestly, many of these lessons aren’t new—life seems intent on […]

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Passive Pleasure or Active Engagement: The Difference Between a Pleasant and Good Life

A few hobbies consume nearly all of my free time—writing, playing an instrument, and running. At best, I’m average at all of them. Yet, as another year draws to a close, I feel like I need to confront the one question that has been gnawing at me for as long as I can remember: why […]

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Your Stories and Stuff: Why They Matter More to You Than Anyone Else

You wouldn’t worry so much about what others think of you if you realized how seldom they do.Eleanor RooseveltIn The Psychology of Money, Morgan Housel reflects on his time as a valet. "The best part of being a valet is getting to drive some of the coolest cars ever to touch pavement. Guests came in driving […]

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Less Is More: The Art of Subtraction

Less is more. Ludwig Mies van der RoheWhen asked about sculpting his famous statue of David, Michelangelo supposedly said, "I saw the angel in the marble and carved until I set him free." Isn’t that the crux? The most remarkable sculptures in the universe already exist; they simply require an expert sculptor to chisel away the […]

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Take the High Road: How to Rise Above Everyday Drama

I take the high road because it’s easier to look down on people from up there.Lately, I find myself grappling with questions that are bigger than my daily to-do list. Maybe it’s a function of age, but instead of obsessing about my favorite problem—productivity—I’ve pivoted to worrying about things that are much more uncomfortable: values, […]

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Say Less: The Art of Self-Editing

I didn’t have time to write a short letter, so I wrote a long one instead. Mark TwainFans of Bollywood movies know this: three-hour movies are a classic staple. Traditionally these films offered audiences a journey of escapism, a break from the outside world’s hustle, oppressive heat, or for a lot of moviegoers, an escape […]

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