By Suraj Chaudhary The /now movement Read on my website Hellooo Reader, Suraj here – Since the August of 2024, which is almost 9 months and 3 weeks ago, I have been maintaining my /now page. It is basically a record of my life at any given time. I update it every month with the recent things that I’ve done or the things that I’m doing during that month. But why do I do this? Why do I keep and maintain my /now page? The benefit is very simple: It is the public declaration of my priorities. It...
13 days ago • 1 min read
By Suraj Chaudhary Direction (less) Read on my website Dear Reader, I’ve kind of been having an existential crisis. Thanks, in part, to summer, but more significantly to the recent life decisions I’ve made, I’ve introduced a lot of uncertainty for myself. I will not get into the details, but here’s what’s happening: Up until recently, I knew exactly what I wanted to do and what my life was going to look like in the years ahead. I had more than just a draft for life. But then, decisions were...
20 days ago • 1 min read
By Suraj Chaudhary Getting started Read on my website Helloooo Reader, Suraj here – Often, I get very distracted by the short term. That includes not only allowing myself to indulge in short-term procrastination, but also putting off seemingly uncomfortable tasks of the present, that I know for certain will have outsized positive outcomes in the long term. During these chronic procrastination sessions, guilt always overtakes. That guilt is not powerful enough to get me to do the thing, but...
27 days ago • 1 min read
By Suraj Chaudhary Something better Read on my website Hellooo Reader, Suraj here – I have a disease. Well, it’s not a clinically recognized disease, but it is one that is widely prevalent. It’s called the “shiny object syndrome.” The concept itself is not what I want to focus on, so I’ll get it out of the way. Shiny Object Syndrome (SOS) is the behavioral tendency of constantly getting attracted to or distracted by new, potentially more exciting opportunities, while abandoning the current...
about 1 month ago • 2 min read
By Suraj Chaudhary Believing in the Sun Read on my website Hello, hello, Reader. Suraj here – On the day I'm writing this, the weather is gloomy. So this issue of the Figuring Things Out newsletter is brought to you by this gloomy weather. In this issue, I'm going to share with you a lesson that I hold very close to my heart, along with a poem to accompany it. Let's begin. Over time, I've noticed a persistent pattern in myself. I remain hopeful about certain things—well, about a lot of...
about 1 month ago • 1 min read
By Suraj Chaudhary Living, Fast & Slow Read on my website Hi Reader, Suraj here – Note: This was originally written as a part of an assignment, so please don’t mind the slightly longer paragraphs than usual. This is something I have been thinking about a lot, so I wanted to share it with you. Enjoy! Have you read about evolution? Chances are that you did, and you have a good understanding of how it works. You know that over a span of time, over generations, species keep only the things they...
about 2 months ago • 4 min read
By Suraj Chaudhary Tribe Read on my website Hi Reader, Suraj here – It is currently finals week at my university, so I’ve been studying a lot. While reviewing the material for my Psychology class, I relearned how having a good social circle significantly reduces the chances of developing multiple major diseases. The reason I’m talking about it right now is because, obviously, I went slightly deeper. Turns out people from Western countries, or well-to-do societies in general, are significantly...
about 2 months ago • 1 min read
By Suraj Chaudhary The LID Challenge (Results) Read on my website Hey Reader, Suraj here – A little over 30 days ago, I committed to the LID challenge. The goal was simple: to lower my information intake for a month and see what happens. The rules for the challenge were the following: Go on a one-month media fast, allowing only limited TV and/or reading before bed, with music allowed anytime. Avoid using my phone 30 minutes before and after sleep. Only consume information that serves an...
2 months ago • 3 min read
By Suraj Chaudhary Obsession Read on my website Hey Reader, Suraj here – I recently realized that I have, for the most part, been a man full of words. I believe in my potential, I speak of it, I talk about all the incredible things I’m going to do and build and accomplish, but I don’t have anything to show for it. It is not to say that I’m not working towards those goals. I am, but I am in a “between worlds.” There is something that I used to be and something that I want to be, but there is...
2 months ago • 1 min read