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Charles Assisi

Articles by Charles Assisi

It’s okay to feel hopeless: Life Hacks by Charles Assisi

Make room for your heavy heart. Be kind to yourself and others. This is our generation’s World War and we are only just learning how to cope.

lifestyle

Updated on Apr 30, 2021 10:03 PM IST

ByCharles Assisi

There are no wrong answers when it comes to the arts: Life Hacks by Charles Assisi

No matter how popular or critically acclaimed, if a book, film or work of art doesn’t resonate with you, your time is better spent elsewhere.

Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa at the Louvre, Paris. Rather than stand before a painting that doesn’t speak to you, find what you love and invest your time there. (Shutterstock)

lifestyle

Published on Apr 17, 2021 06:22 PM IST

ByCharles Assisi

Staying one step ahead of tomorrow: Life Hacks by Charles Assisi

We’re wired for paranoia. But if you want to combat your fear of a changing world, reskill, reinvent, and take a cue from the Red Queen.

The Red Queen dashing forward with Alice, depicted by John Tenniel in 1871. (Shutterstock)

lifestyle

Published on Apr 02, 2021 07:08 PM IST

ByCharles Assisi

Don’t forget the importance of can’t: Life Hacks by Charles Assisi

It’s untrue that you can ‘do anything you want to’. The aspiration-capability gap is real, and can lead to a life of misplaced goals and regret.

Episode from Napoleon’s Retreat from Russia, an early-19th-century Dutch oil painting by Johannes Hari. Even the great Napoleon suffered as a result of the aspiration-capability gap. (Shutterstock)

lifestyle

Updated on Mar 20, 2021 05:57 PM IST

ByCharles Assisi

Life Hacks: What kind of storyteller are you, asks Charles Assisi

There are those that inspire, while others seek only to impress; those whose stories are deep, precise and stay with you. What’s your favourite kind, and what kind are you?

Whether you’re telling your life’s story as a comic caper or a heroic adventure, a good story should contains truth, substance, a little of the personal, an element of surprise. (Shutterstock)

lifestyle

Updated on Mar 06, 2021 07:34 PM IST

ByCharles Assisi

Playing by the numbers: Life Hacks by Charles Assisi

Navigating the 40s isn’t easy, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t a lot to celebrate. By this age, one is kinder, wiser, living and loving better.

lifestyle

Updated on Feb 21, 2021 07:12 AM IST

ByCharles Assisi

Dealing with Resolution fatigue: Life Hacks by Charles Assisi

Most resolutions are pledges made with no wiggle room, which is why they so often fail. Try treating them as works in progress instead.

opinion

Published on Feb 05, 2021 04:57 PM IST

ByCharles Assisi

The horseshit paradox: Why fears about tech are wildly exaggerated

Our world runs on complexity. And no machine we have created — or look likely to create — can truly navigate that complexity by itself, says Charles Assisi.

A New York street in the 1920s. Just two decades earlier, in the age of horse-drawn vehicles, people had feared their cities would be buried in manure. Then the internal combustion engine took horses off the streets altogether, a shift often used to illustrate the unpredict-able fallouts of new tech.(Shutterstock)

columns

Updated on Jan 08, 2021 03:11 PM IST

Hindustan Times | ByCharles Assisi

Seeing the upside of flashbacks: Life Hacks by Charles Assisi

View the past year not in time lapsed, seconds wasted or opportunities missed. Focus instead on the wealth of things that still offer hope.

In each generation — mine, my parents’ and my children’s — I have seen reflections this year of how wonderfully adaptive and resilient we as a species are.(Shutterstock)

columns

Updated on Dec 27, 2020 05:37 AM IST

Hindustan Times | ByCharles Assisi

Are we ready for bots with feelings? Life Hacks by Charles Assisi

Our smart devices already have a kind of consciousness. Before they evolve further, we need to formulate codes of conduct to regulate how they will interact with us, and each other.

In the 2008 Pixar film Wall-E, a robot that’s operated alone for centuries meets and falls in love with another bot, starting a relationship with serious implications for mankind.

lifestyle

Updated on Dec 13, 2020 02:19 PM IST

Hindustan Times | ByCharles Assisi

Every step is part of the plan: Life Hacks by Charles Assisi

On the running track, as in life, it’s vital to fix on a strategy and be prepared. But to really succeed at the things that matter, to stay the course, you must pay the price it commands.

lifestyle

Updated on Nov 28, 2020 10:30 AM IST

Hindustan Times | ByCharles Assisi

What they don’t tell you about parents is that the clock is always ticking, says Charles Assisi

‘It is always a hard point to negotiate. How much of your life do you claim, and how much do you dedicate to the people who have loved and raised you?’

columns

Updated on Nov 20, 2020 07:06 PM IST

Hindustan Times | ByCharles Assisi

Here’s why “follow your passion” is rubbish advice: Life Hacks by Charles Assisi

I’m tired of hearing it attributed to Steve Jobs too. What he said, repeatedly, was that one ought to pick a passion and find purpose in it.

Steve Jobs on the cover of the Walter Isaacson biography.

columns

Updated on Nov 14, 2020 06:56 PM IST

Hindustan Times | ByCharles Assisi

Life Hacks by Charles Assisi: What is your plan for your one precious life?

We spend far too much time on tasks that are urgent but not important. Flip that around and ask yourself, what do I want to go big on?

columns

Updated on Nov 01, 2020 05:08 PM IST

Hindustan Times | ByCharles Assisi

There is no living forever and maybe that’s a good thing, says Charles Assisi

‘I would argue that life is not life if it does not permit you to be the person you are, enjoy the things you worked for and want.’

lifestyle

Updated on Oct 18, 2020 12:37 PM IST

Hindustan Times | ByCharles Assisi

Everyone needs a disaster management plan: Life Hacks by Charles Assisi

We can’t predict the future, but we can plan so as to ensure good outcomes in case a crisis occurs. That, in essence, is optionality, a simple but elegant way of life.

The night of rain towards the end of the film Parasite upends an already precarious dynamic between the characters. In life, as in cinema, leveraging optionality helps to buffer a surprise blow.(CJ Entertainment)

lifestyle

Updated on Oct 04, 2020 09:55 AM IST

Hindustan Times | ByCharles Assisi

Is there a good way to handle a toxic argument? Life Hacks by Charles Assisi

I plan to start laying down some ground rules — no personal attacks, zombie statistics or fake news. If these aren’t acceptable to all parties, I step away.

lifestyle

Updated on Sep 18, 2020 07:14 PM IST

Hindustan Times | ByCharles Assisi

We’re one step closer to becoming cyborgs, and I’m glad: Life Hacks by Charles Assisi

Elon Musk just announced that he’ll be making microchips we can embed in our brains. Here’s why I will be first in line.

The chips Elon Musk spoke of in his recent live-streamed conference would help monitor health, but also likely enable us to use our brains differently, and better.(AP Photo / Susan Walsh)

columns

Updated on Sep 06, 2020 05:50 AM IST

Hindustan Times | ByCharles Assisi

Life Hacks by Charles Assisi: The sublime value of the daily ritual

To ease the stress of lockdown, it will be vital to replace the bridge of little habits that marked the start and end of a day.

Our days, nights and weeks fuse. Our markers of time have begun to erode.(Unsplash)

lifestyle

Updated on Aug 23, 2020 01:36 PM IST

Hindustan Times, Delhi | ByCharles Assisi

Life Hacks by Charles Assisi: Winning the work-from-home war

Find ways to ease into your day, ask co-workers for space when you need it, delegate all you can to tech.

When I embraced working from home a few years ago, after the initial euphoria, I hit roadblocks too, says Charles Assisi. (Representational Image)(Unsplash)

lifestyle

Updated on Aug 09, 2020 01:09 PM IST

Hindustan Times | ByCharles Assisi

Life Hacks by Charles Assisi: Covid-19 and the maskara effect

In hard times, looking one’s best creates a semblance of control, normalcy. Usually lipstick sales boom; this time, it’s eye make-up.

Through the history of our species, the urge to look good to other humans has been a primal one. (Representational Image)(Unsplash)

lifestyle

Updated on Jul 12, 2020 07:46 AM IST

Hindustan Times | ByCharles Assisi

Life Hacks: Be like Holmes, and Watson

As kids, we are a lot like the detective’s assistant - emotional and instinctive. As adults, we mustn’t lose all that to cold logic.

Children use the Holmes Method to observe things around them. (Representational Image)(Unsplash)

lifestyle

Updated on Jun 28, 2020 08:59 AM IST

Hindustan Times | ByCharles Assisi

Life Hacks: How to work through failure

Covid-19 has given us an undeniable glimpse of the future. We must assume we will all fail at some point, and plan accordingly.

One of the many pieces of advice Peter Drucker offers deals with how to think about a plan to move ahead. (Representational Image)(Unsplash)

lifestyle

Updated on Jun 16, 2020 09:09 AM IST

Hindustan Times | ByCharles Assisi

Life Hacks: All you who sleep tonight…

What happens when our two worlds — home and office — collide?

lifestyle

Updated on May 31, 2020 08:29 AM IST

Hindustan Times | ByCharles Assisi

The uncertainty principle: How to deal with fear of the unknown and anxiety amid Covid-19

In the current crisis, there is fear and uncertainty. All of us deal with uncertainty in different ways.

The uncertainty principle: How to deal with unknown fear and anxiety amid Covid-19. (Representational Image)(Unsplash)

lifestyle

Updated on May 17, 2020 11:01 AM IST

Hindustan Times | ByCharles Assisi

Kicking addiction under lockdown: How to train your brain to say ‘no’

Humans can choose to forget some of the bad habits we’ve learnt.

Kicking addiction under lockdown: How to train your mind to say ‘no’.(iStock)

lifestyle

Updated on May 03, 2020 02:19 PM IST

Hindustan Times | ByCharles Assisi

Life Hacks: Seeking beauty in the monotony of the lockdown effect

Because we’re fed on clichés such as ‘Strive to make every day a masterpiece’, it is inevitable that most of us feel despondent at times like these. Despite starting out with the best intentions, our days become monotonous because we’re locked down.

Seeking beauty in the monotony of the lockdown effect. (REPRESENTATIONAL IMAGE)(Unsplash)

lifestyle

Updated on Apr 20, 2020 09:08 AM IST

Hindustan Times | ByCharles Assisi

The work-from-home life: Here’s how to manage stress, reduce anxiety and stay healthy

Working from home by choice is very different from being compelled to work from home.

lifestyle

Updated on Apr 05, 2020 03:22 PM IST

Hindustan Times | ByCharles Assisi

Should you quit social media? Life Hacks by Charles Assisi

‘I've gone back and forth on this. Use it wisely, I’ve discovered, and you can use it well.’

lifestyle

Published on Mar 07, 2020 07:46 PM IST

Hindustan Times | ByCharles Assisi

How will you measure your life? Charles Assisi pays tribute to a mentor

Business thinker Clayton Christensen would say, ‘Create a strategy’; it sounds simple, but is so vital. Keep the purpose of your life front and centre - so many completely lose sight of this.

lifestyle

Published on Feb 21, 2020 10:04 PM IST

Hindustan Times | ByCharles Assisi

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Charles Assisi

Make room for your heavy heart. Be kind to yourself and others. This is our generation’s World War and we are only just learning how to cope.

No matter how popular or critically acclaimed, if a book, film or work of art doesn’t resonate with you, your time is better spent elsewhere.

We’re wired for paranoia. But if you want to combat your fear of a changing world, reskill, reinvent, and take a cue from the Red Queen.

It’s untrue that you can ‘do anything you want to’. The aspiration-capability gap is real, and can lead to a life of misplaced goals and regret.

There are those that inspire, while others seek only to impress; those whose stories are deep, precise and stay with you. What’s your favourite kind, and what kind are you?

Navigating the 40s isn’t easy, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t a lot to celebrate. By this age, one is kinder, wiser, living and loving better.

Most resolutions are pledges made with no wiggle room, which is why they so often fail. Try treating them as works in progress instead.

Our world runs on complexity. And no machine we have created — or look likely to create — can truly navigate that complexity by itself, says Charles Assisi.

View the past year not in time lapsed, seconds wasted or opportunities missed. Focus instead on the wealth of things that still offer hope.

Our smart devices already have a kind of consciousness. Before they evolve further, we need to formulate codes of conduct to regulate how they will interact with us, and each other.

On the running track, as in life, it’s vital to fix on a strategy and be prepared. But to really succeed at the things that matter, to stay the course, you must pay the price it commands.

‘It is always a hard point to negotiate. How much of your life do you claim, and how much do you dedicate to the people who have loved and raised you?’

I’m tired of hearing it attributed to Steve Jobs too. What he said, repeatedly, was that one ought to pick a passion and find purpose in it.

We spend far too much time on tasks that are urgent but not important. Flip that around and ask yourself, what do I want to go big on?

‘I would argue that life is not life if it does not permit you to be the person you are, enjoy the things you worked for and want.’

We can’t predict the future, but we can plan so as to ensure good outcomes in case a crisis occurs. That, in essence, is optionality, a simple but elegant way of life.

I plan to start laying down some ground rules — no personal attacks, zombie statistics or fake news. If these aren’t acceptable to all parties, I step away.

Elon Musk just announced that he’ll be making microchips we can embed in our brains. Here’s why I will be first in line.

To ease the stress of lockdown, it will be vital to replace the bridge of little habits that marked the start and end of a day.

Find ways to ease into your day, ask co-workers for space when you need it, delegate all you can to tech.

In hard times, looking one’s best creates a semblance of control, normalcy. Usually lipstick sales boom; this time, it’s eye make-up.

As kids, we are a lot like the detective’s assistant - emotional and instinctive. As adults, we mustn’t lose all that to cold logic.

Covid-19 has given us an undeniable glimpse of the future. We must assume we will all fail at some point, and plan accordingly.

What happens when our two worlds — home and office — collide?

In the current crisis, there is fear and uncertainty. All of us deal with uncertainty in different ways.

Humans can choose to forget some of the bad habits we’ve learnt.

Because we’re fed on clichés such as ‘Strive to make every day a masterpiece’, it is inevitable that most of us feel despondent at times like these. Despite starting out with the best intentions, our days become monotonous because we’re locked down.

Working from home by choice is very different from being compelled to work from home.

‘I've gone back and forth on this. Use it wisely, I’ve discovered, and you can use it well.’

Business thinker Clayton Christensen would say, ‘Create a strategy’; it sounds simple, but is so vital. Keep the purpose of your life front and centre - so many completely lose sight of this.

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