A good first day.
Began with yoga, then a nice breakfast, reading, walks with family in the community, digging dinosaur fossils, child not sleeping, visited a friend’s house, child threw tantrums on the way back, and now onto the first blog of 2026.
Managed to read a lot as well. Started this new book – Tiny Experiments: How to Live Freely in a Goal-Obsessed World, by Anne-Laure Le Cunff. Seems good (the first 100 odd pages at least) – a re-look at why we are so obsessed with productivity and ‘filling up every minute of our day’. Among other things, she speaks of how we chase linear goals, but set ourselves up for imminent failure just due to the inherent process of how we go about it.
Also mentioned are Chronos and Kairos – two ancient Greek concepts of time: Chronos is quantitative, measurable time (seconds, minutes, days), like a clock ticking, while Kairos is qualitative, the opportune, critical, or “right” moment for action or significance, a divine or perfect timing outside the linear flow. Chronos is about duration and sequence (the past/future), whereas Kairos is about the fullness of the present moment and its potential impact, a moment of deep meaning or divine purpose.
The Indian equivalents are Kala (the quantitative) and Ritu (the qualitative).
We are all about Chronos now – but what matters is Ritu – the right time for the right things. The perception of time is elastic – some moments (especially the undesired ones) seem too long, and the good ones seem to fly by.
“ Research into time perception supports that many factors can impact how we process time. Emotional experiences are one such factor: time can seem to expand in moments of acute fear, sadness, or joy, making certain moments feel longer than they objectively are. Are you hungry or tired? Those physiological states can influence your perception of time. Cognitive engagement also plays a significant role. Time drags on forever when you’re bored, but it flies by when you’re engrossed in a challenging task—a phenomenon related to Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi’s concept of flow.”
Excerpt From
Tiny Experiments
Will write more about this as I go through the chapters – wish me a happy read!
As an endnote, here is one of my favorite excerpts of a play – Ravan Laxman Samvad – with the incomparable Ashutosh Rana playing the part of the dying Ravana. Shri Rama asks Laxman to approach the Lanka king in his final moments on the battlefield, asking him for guidance and lessons learned. What follows is a monologue that leaves a lasting impression – both due to its content and it’s excellent rendition.
मार्ग कभी एक नहीं होता, और लक्ष्य कभी दो नहीं होते।
“The path is never only one.” There are usually multiple routes, methods, or ways to reach something.
“But the goal is never two.” The destination/aim should be clear and singular—don’t split your focus.
A must see, if you ask me.
See you tomorrow!