Last week, I was on a 4-day break from work. Both C4E and Decoding Draupadi. And that means, no movement on large things.

When I’ve taken such breaks in the past, I usually come back to an unorganised inbox, some missed messages, and a LOT of confusion.

This time, I decided to do better. 

I wasn’t supposed to be off the grid. So, I took out an hour a day to catch up on emails and things that needed my attention. I did not dive deep into those but tagged things to come back to.

That’s all. Just 1 hour made all the difference. 

Why was this important?

Since before I graduated, I’ve been with C4E. We don’t have working hours. Working days. Or timesheets.

And so, I’ve spent all of my professional life (2 years) finding my own systems – when I am most productive, my blue zones of work, the kind of breaks I need, etc. 

After a lot of trial and error, I found my sweet spot – 7 am mornings, no concept of weekdays + weekends, some off-days every 3 months. 

This was the first time I came back to my desk and didn’t feel like I was playing catch-up with the world.

As for updates from last week –

1/ People

Sometime last year, I realised that great work does not happen in isolation. Each thing I’ve learned has come from people + the Internet. And so, I’ve made a conscious effort to go out in the world as a sponge. 

Last week, I got a lot of in-person time with some strangers-turned-acquaintances. Friends of C4E. And people who joined us at the Sunset Club. 

Also attended a meetup by Shreya Pattar. The highlight was to see her conduct herself in public – calm, composed and with a lot of thairaav. When I go to in-person meetups by people I follow closely on the internet – this is what I like seeing. How people conduct themselves in public. LOTS to learn from that. 

Why is this important?

Until now, C4E has been my way of getting a foot in the door. Working with Saurabh put me in important, new, tough-to-handle rooms. And from each, I came out knowing more and better. 

This year, I want to build more of that.

What did I learn/do?

Pitched Decoding Draupadi:

Had them point out gaps. Give me new perspectives. And share ideas. More than anything, I see it as practice – I get better and more confident each time.

To be a sponge

I’ve met two kinds of people – the ones who listen, and the ones who want to leave feeling like they’ve made a point. A difference. An impact.

I want to be the former. And that means I’m okay to listen more than talk. I don’t worry about providing value when I know I cannot.

Following through is everything.

Meeting people is great. You talk. You chill. You exchange some ideas. And then what? (There’s only one right answer.)

You follow-through. Find a way to stay in touch with them. Follow them on socials. Add value. Support their work.

2/ Made a WA group of friends of Decoding Draupadi

You know how some of us have a close friends list on IG or a WhatsApp group with friends where we share random life updates? 

We made one for Decoding Draupadi – added all first-degree connections to a WhatsApp group. People who’ve helped us in different ways. And continue to support us with DD.

3/ Relooked at IG and LinkedIn content strategy

Sat down with Muskaan Lalchandani and Farhat Kadiwala to plan LinkedIn and Instagram content. 

We keep oscillating between providing value and keeping the algorithm happy.

If you see us talking about different things in the next few weeks, know that we’re transitioning. And stick around?

4/ Draupadi on the Dais

• Worked on post-production of last week’s podcast. 
• Scheduled another one this week
• Scheduled a meeting with the MD of one of the biggest design agencies in India

This week –

1/ More cold DMs. I spent the weekend planning outreach for Dais. The whole project depends upon having more women to become a part of our database. This will enable us to work with companies and host inclusive panels. If you’ve got 10+ years of experience in your domain, let’s chat?

2/ Prepare a personal branding proposal for an actor and mental health expert in India.

3/ Plan the second offline meetup in Mumbai. For this one, Anshika and I plan on hosting a Personal Branding Workshop. This includes each thing we’ve learned from building in public – building an interesting profile, writing in public, outreaches, and networking. P.S. It will be women-only. 

4/ Revamp DD’s website content

That was all. In case you made it till here and would like to be a part of this, here’s how you can help –

• Share our WA community of 450+ professionals with more women. If you know someone looking to be part of a curated community where we share freelance gigs + resources that help us grow, invite them? For Female Freelancers
• Help us connect with more women leaders in India. If you’d like to know more about this, I’m at cm@d14i.in or https://www.linkedin.com/in/chandnimenda

Oh, finally, give us feedback! And help us do better!