Jyotsna Atre

I write. Therefore, I am.

[Jyotsna Atre @JyotsnaAtre]

We didn’t need IITians to tell us cutting trees makes cities unliveable. Yet we stayed silent as shade vanished, rivers dried, and summers burned hotter. Concrete replaced soil. The bill is coming, and all of us will pay.

https://t.co/kmLPsLzNXw

[Radhika Gupta @iRadhikaGupta]

Choices, Hard Work and Happiness

I debated whether to write this post, because the risk of being misquoted on this issue in this clickbait world is high. But I am trying to share what is a nuanced point of view on the issue of work-life balance.

1. Hard work is important and I was taught and believe that it is the only way to rise. In the competitive workplace, I also believe the person who works harder will rise faster. Great careers, achievements, and companies are the results of a lot of hard work.

2. Hard work is a choice. Ambition is a choice. And choices have consequences. Not everybody has to aspire to be a CEO or founder with a mega exit. I know many people who have chosen the path of a less demanding career within their field because time off from work matters to them. No judgments.

3. Now let's talk hours. I worked 100 hours a week for four consecutive months on my 1st project during my 1st job.18 hours a day, with one day off (and not Sunday—I got Monday off because I had to be at a client site on Sunday).

What was it like? 90% of the time, I was miserable. I went to office bathrooms and cried, ate chocolate cake from room service at 2 a.m., and was hospitalized twice. Most importantly, I may have been at work for 100 hours, but I was not productive in those. The same story is true for many of my graduating classmates who joined similar roles in banking, consulting, etc.

Hard work is not equal to hours worked. Many of those hours in entry-level careers were pure facetime. Heck, I know a friend who created a screensaver with an Excel model to convince their boss they were in the office! No wonder many of us didn't last in those roles very long. Hard work needs to be sustainable for us to be able to do it for a long period of time, which is when compounding kicks in.

4. Hours is not equal to productivity. Many developed nations work 8–4 but ensure those hours are productive. Come in on time, bring your best to work, have only necessary meetings, and use technology to be effective. Recently, I was telling my investment team, “Let’s find a way to use AI to make research more efficient—our talent cannot spend hours on grunt work.”

5. Family and mental health cannot be absent from this. Otherwise, we will build a world of anxiety and breakdowns, early heart attacks, unhappy marriages, and absentee parenting. I could work those hours I did as a young, single girl because I had no responsibilities. Today, between my career, managing my home, caring for parents, and giving time to my husband and son, I am consumed. And this is despite privilege: a hands-on husband, support staff, parents who chip in, and lots of resources. I commute 1.5 hours a day, but many commute 3–4 hours in our cities. They have homes to run, chores to do, dabbas to pack, kids to drop to school and more.

6. As organizations, we have to think about the culture we create. Of course, founders/CEOs work harder—they have economic incentives to do so. But I have found in our own org that when you create a culture where people find purpose in what they do, they will go above and beyond for you, even in difficult personal circumstances. Forcing anything is hard, let alone enforcing a certain number of hours. Inspiring people to give their best is easier.

7. All of us have to contribute to making India a developed nation. But as we do so, we should also strive to be a happy nation—enjoying the fruits of that development: the joy of building, of giving our families better lives, and of experiencing what the previous generation may not have had. Happiness, inclusive growth, and development go hand in hand.

Finally, I meet many young people, especially women, who are questioning whether they should have a family because of the fear that family and career cannot coexist. This debate scares them even more. Having a happy relationship with work and life is possible while contributing to the dream of Viksit Bharat. Let’s tell our kids that.

[Jyotsna Atre @JyotsnaAtre]

If you are in Delhi, would love to meet you at the World Book Fair today!

#WorldBookFair2023 #ChildrensBook #wildlife #AuthorLife

[Jyotsna Atre @JyotsnaAtre]

@OfficialAwwa @nbt_india Great opportunity to showcase our work. Thank you.

[Jyotsna Atre @JyotsnaAtre]

@ANI What does that Bollywood song and dance routine have anything to do with Diwali? Its like dancing to Grease II songs to celebrate Christmas. CRINGE.

[Jyotsna Atre @JyotsnaAtre]

#NewProfilePic

[Jyotsna Atre @JyotsnaAtre]

@Olacabs u update ur app, make online payment default option without informing user, then refuse to cancel the online bill even when the unsuspecting customer has paid in cash like always. Remember, its never about the money. Always about fair service. You just lost a customer.

[Jyotsna Atre @JyotsnaAtre]

@talesOfsuchita Logging into Twitter after a year plus... and I see my blog posts that you hv shared. Happy :) Also, cognizant of the fact that I hv not bn able to read anything this last week. Must ameliorate. Tx.

[Jyotsna Atre @JyotsnaAtre]

@blogchatter Coincidentally, I clicked my vegetable patch in the tiny terrace this morning and shared on social media. Gardens and I go back a long way... but the pandemic made me feel that in a minuscule way, I was being nature-responsible with it.

[Jyotsna Atre @JyotsnaAtre]

@SandyButchers @REDinkwriters I was just wondering how writers can use podcast... and voilà! So, yup. Looking forward to some red ink on my headphones 😃

[Jyotsna Atre @JyotsnaAtre]

@SoniaDogra16 @blogchatter @Writenlive1 @Deepika56190185 @artijain28 @RituPrapanna @ChinmayeegG @ashnhash @shravmusings @baladaisy08 @matheikal @huma_writes As always, looking fwd to your feedback.

[Huma Masood @huma_writes]

@JyotsnaAtre @karmagal91 @visualanand I look forward to reading it Jyotsna👍

[Jyotsna Atre @JyotsnaAtre]

@RomaGuptaSinha @sadvikakailas @deepsmenon_7 @blogchatter @Writenlive1 @Atulmaharaj @talesOfsuchita @Manchali_Purba @literaryleha @shobhit53828685 @AuraofThoughts @manasmukul @thoughtsbygeet Bookmarked for my next read.

[Jyotsna Atre @JyotsnaAtre]

@thoughtsbygeet @Vikas_Agarwal18 @swatimathur1701 @sadvikakailas @blogchatter Congratulations Geethica!

[Jyotsna Atre @JyotsnaAtre]

@karmagal91 @foodopium1 @blogchatter Thank you@karmagal! Your cover looks inviting!Lkng fwd to reading it.

[Jyotsna Atre @JyotsnaAtre]

@visualanand @baladaisy08 @blogchatter Techno tips! Need them all the time! Will download a copy for sure :)