Being Human

These days I am busy, so I am happy. And if someone asks me, “How are you?” I reply confidently, with a bold and loud, “I’m doing good.” My scale of happiness is set by the amount of work and chaos I carry. More the work, the better my mind. And you know what? I work best under pressure. Of course, after a cry session. Beware if a girl cries and later tightens her ponytail!!!

I've been feeling very exhausted lately. Every day feels like a year! But surprisingly, I am totally enjoying it. Sometimes a long day feels irritating, but I do love that feeling of exhaustion which puts me to bed with a sense of calm, that quiet satisfaction of having done so much for the day. Recounting the things I completed makes me close my eyes in peace, smile, worry less, avoid overthinking, and sleep like a baby. Funnily, the next morning I wake up to the same chaos and never-ending to-do lists, and that very chaos drives me for the rest of the day.

Let me ask you a question. How do you deal with procrastination??? I’m pretty sure every one of us does, though the extent might vary. I used to procrastinate a lot. I mean it, A LOT. Say if I were studying and wanted to ask something to Gemini AI, I’d open the tab but end up browsing Pinterest for art inspirations or dress designs. And if I sat down to work, I’d get so restless that even if a script took more than 3 minutes to run, I’d want to have coffee and swipe through social media. Then I’d end up admiring random artists and unknown people’s talents! It might sound funny, but this kills most of the day.

I’ll share something that has helped me overcome this stupid procrastination. You might have heard of it already, I did too, but never followed it. It’s called the Pomodoro Technique, where you focus for 25 minutes and rest for 5 minutes. I came across this long ago, while watching a quiz on the APH YouTube channel (they’re quite famous on the internet, and they’re doing a great job. If you haven’t watched them yet, please do and thank me later - APH on YouTube). And obviously, I wanted to know more. So, here’s what I know. The Pomodoro Technique was designed to help you stay focused, avoid burnout, and make better use of your working hours. It was developed by Francesco Cirillo, who named it after the tomato-shaped kitchen timer ("pomodoro" means tomato in Italian) he used as a university student.

The process is simple: choose a task you want to work on, set a timer for 25 minutes (this is one “Pomodoro”). Then work on the task with full focus — no distractions, no multitasking. (Here’s the trick: 25 minutes is not long, and anyone can focus for that short period. Telling yourself to focus just for 25 minutes actually tricks your mind to do it!) When the timer rings, mark one Pomodoro complete and take a short 5-minute break. Stretch, grab water, play hula hoop, eat peanut chikki, walk around, or do whatever you want. After 4 Pomodoros, take a longer break (15–30 minutes). I take a nap. Alarm works too, but there’s a handy-dandy site I use Pomodoro Timer Online - Pomofocus. Ignore if someone calls you crazy, this works great to bring you back on track when procrastination is at its peak. Once you’re focused, you won’t even need such techniques!

My mind feels sick if I run out of to-do things. It’s funny, but believe me I once caught a fever after being continuously ‘free’ for three or four days. Either I get a fever, or I cry, or I irritate my parents, especially mom. So, if I have a hectic schedule, they actually relax. They help me in every possible way to manage my time. Yesterday, while muttering to myself over an assignment, doubting whether I’d finish before the deadline, my dad said out loud, “You’ll definitely finish, and this is the right amount of work to keep you sane. Else, your mom and I can’t bear your whimpering!”

Recently, most of the days, my table has been looking something like this:

Messy tables signify Life.

The caption might sound poetic, but true though. I’m praying for less procrastination, more productivity, and hence more health! It’s oddly satisfying to clean up that messy table at the end of the day. Maybe that’s what balance looks like, tiny victories that make big days feel worthwhile. I’m also genuinely curious to know what drives people daily. You and I might be sailing in the same boat, but I’m definitely asking this question the next time I talk to someone. I want to know what keeps them going, what fuels their mornings, what makes them feel accomplished. I’m eager to see what else adulthood has in store for me. I’m already surprised by the fact that I’ve started enjoying exhaustion. Bizarre, isn’t it?

Maybe that’s how 'being human' works. We complain, we cry, we swear we’re quitting, and five minutes later, we’re back to checking our to-do lists again. One part of us dreams of vacations, while the other can’t function without deadlines. We want rest but chase purpose. And somewhere in between panic and productivity, laughter and late nights, we somehow find our peace, and that I think, is the most human thing ever.

Anyway, my Pomodoro timer just went off for the fourth time, which technically means I’ve earned a long break. Maybe I’ll reward myself with a good coffee! If you’re tired too, welcome to the club. At least we’re exhausted with purpose, right? Let’s call it “passionate tiredness.” See you soon!!