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Paperwork

Some 13 billion years ago, the Big Bang occurred, and the universe started taking its present shape. Brilliant minds of ours and earlier generations have spent a considerable amount of cognitive resources to unravel this mystery. Notwithstanding the appreciable progress made in our understanding, it has been suggested by many a bureaucrat that this wastage of human capacity could have been avoided if someone had neatly prepared an office note on the big bang then. The process of documentation and record-keeping is essential in government, as in any other form of organization that grows beyond the individual. Documenting known facts of any issue, discovering more through inquiry or academic research, and then forming a well-justified conclusion forms the core of any decision that is taken. This entire exercise is colloquially known as the "paperwork". Since the stakeholders aren't just the people making the decisions, it is important that paperwork is done with due diligen

Getting Things Done: A Beginner's Guide

Buddha said the world is full of suffering, and I have scrolled enough social media to realize that is indeed the case. Heck, it feels like doomsday is around the corner. There is just misery all around. Everyone has got something which needs to be done!   There are problems spanning decades and unresolved issues plaguing generations, and this is without counting the Indian men's cricket team's propensity to lose in knockout matches. Therefore, to no one's surprise, the modern world is looking for problem solvers, people who can deconstruct these multi-layered, nuanced points of contention and arrive at an acceptable solution.   With 29 years of experience at being alive, a few months at an MNC and now 2 odd months in government, I have some ideas that should help a newcomer become the go-to man for any crisis. Like any other success guru, these are not at all well-researched and are purely anecdotal in nature.    Let's start with the primary answer to problems - money.

The Power of Unmanifesting

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Rohit Sharma had been timing the ball well, Shami was on song, and Kohli had never been more determined. The 2023 Cricket World Cup could not have come at a better time. The Indian team was riding high on form and practice. In a quiet corner of Kolkata, Abhishek had been manifesting this. An ardent fan of the Indian cricket team, he has been manifesting this situation since 2019. Brick by brick, he visualised each batsman getting into a particular role, each bowler perfecting their wide yorkers. But by 2023, it was too much for God. God had grown increasingly tired of the constant bitching and interference of Abhishek in his plans. S/he originally wanted India to win the cup, but Abhishek annoyed him more than the pop-up ads. No wonder India faltered at the last step! Manifestation is the buzzword these days. It has taken over the world by storm. People are manifesting to lose weight, start a business, or get a degree. However, it is all hogwash, a product of the greased wheels o