January was okay.

My work and routine were chaotic and I wanted to add peace to my life. For example, all my submissions were at the last minute. No one had any complaints, but I can do better. One of the rules I have in 2025 is “Never do anything on the last minute.”

It’s been a month. Most of my content or client’s submissions are scheduled a week ahead. Funnily, this is a peace I am not used to and it’s making me uncomfortable.

It’s because I do a bunch of things - run three newsletters, build web apps, host a community and a subReddit, work for clients, post on socials, etc. When I work at the last minute I know the exact task I must pick because of the deadline. Now that I have time I get confused about what to pick when.

I use cheesy self-help methods like time blocking. Mondays 8 pm are for community growth discussions, Tuesdays 3 pm for subReddit, Wednesdays 3 pm for the coffee newsletter, etc.

Plus I have set up ground rules like “Anything marketing during the day; Anything engineering during the night” or “Client work is the top priority.”

Do I follow this every single time? Not really. I follow schedules around 65% of the time.

Is this effective? I am not sure. I could do better with discipline, planning, or plain execution. But it’s not bad either. I mean I can’t start acting today and expect to become Kamal Hassan, can I?

Anyway - I wanted to recommend some movies, shows, podcasts, and books I consumed in January.

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Movies:

I am exploring. I have watched 1000+ South Indian films, and it’s my comfort zone. I watched a fair amount of Bollywood too. As much as I love Indian movies, I hate to admit I haven’t explored international content.

Right now, I am looking at IMDB’s top 100 or “award-winning” categories on OTT platforms and randomly picking my movies.

Top Gun (1986): I watched Maverick first and loved it. Happy I finally made time for Top Gun. I don’t know how good this music is if you listen to it separately but from the context of the movie, I loved it. It’s both peaceful and romantic.

Up in the Air (2009): Meh, not my film. It’s love + wannabe philosophical; didn’t connect to either.

Million Dollar Baby (2004): It was okay. The first 80% was like any other film and the climax was a little different, only a little.

Inside Out 2: Beautiful. I loved Inside Out as much as everyone around me. Glad I finally watched a sequel that wasn’t screwed up.

Shows:

Mindhunter (2017): Brilliant. It’s a shame the third season never happens because there’s no viewership. It’s completely different from the usual serial killer shows on the market, and trust me, the last episode of the first season gives you chills. Keyword: Hospital.

The Good Doctor S2 & 3 (2018): I have a love-hate relationship with this show. I mean I like everything about it, but there’s constant sadness. It’s not a show I’d want to binge, but it has become a comfort watch. S2 E17 is heartbreaking if you’re ambitious and love your job.

Paatal Lok S2 (2025): Paatal Lok is just weird. I have nothing against it, and I actually feel it’s one of the underrated Indian shows. But I can’t recall good things about the show. Things like dialogues, scenes, performances, etc. I know it’s good, but I can’t point towards anything particular.

Black Warrant (2025): Love this. Especially the fact that it was based on real incidents makes the show even more crazy. I didn’t know Tihar Jail was this eventful.

Documentaries, Podcasts, and YouTube:

Tsunami: Race Against Time (2024): If you have no idea what happened in the 2004 disaster, this four-episode documentary gives a clear overview of the situation - from the survivors themselves.

Microsoft Volume 1 and 2: I found my new favourite tech/entrepreneur podcast. Acquired is insightful without being boring. Both volumes combined are around 9 hours long, but it’s worth it if you’re into origin stories and nuances.

How to Drink an Espresso: Just nerding out on coffee here. If you love coffee, you must read Caffeineletter.

Y Combinator Lectures: I have been listening to these lectures slowly over the past six months. They are so good and never disappoint. This month, I have listened from Lecture 13-17.

Lex Fredman x Pieter Levels: I love Pieter because he does my kinda entrepreneurship. I don’t want to run one huge company, dedicating all my time to it, but multiple mini content assets and tools that make money and are automated. This episode is about how you can do it.

People with the Prime Minister: Well, this was the talk of the town, wasn’t it? Among many things, I loved how the PM mentioned nation-building isn’t just about politics alone. If you wish to contribute without politics, you can get into policy making. This is basic, but it stuck with me.

Our Crazy Goa Trip: Untriggered is one podcast I always watch to have a good laugh. No objectives, pure backchodi.

Zostel’s 200 Cr Business: I love backpacking, solo travel, and prefer hostels over hotels. The moment I knew there was a Zostel origin story, I jumped in.

How to write a good essay?: Sometimes, I listen to old-school techniques.

That’s about it.

Apart from these, I have worked on a few things:

• Better financial management (I’ve been too lazy, too irresponsible with money.)

• Repairing and modifying my watches.

• Running, health, and sports are okay. I had a minor ankle injury and it’s frustrating I am unable to hit my maximum potential.

That’s all I have for now. If you watch/listen to any of my recommendations, please tell me what you think. If you want to recommend me, you can reply to this email at any time.

See you next week!

Love,
Vikra.