A life ordinary by Amit Sarkar - Issue #10

August 01, 2022

Hello friends,

Welcome to another edition of my newsletter.

This week I watched a couple of videos of Rishi Sunak and Liz Truss debate against each other about various topics, in their contest to be the next PM of the UK. The contest is heating up and the ballots to the Conservative Party members have been posted. The next UK PM will be announced in September. Let's wait and watch the future of the UK. Who do you think will be the UK's next PM?

Also, the Commonwealth Games have begun in Birmingham and I intend to catch some stuff over the next couple of days. I am a huge fan of cycling, swimming, badminton, running and weightlifting. And will be following these sports.

I also started yoga, cycling and running (Bromley Parkrun) this week which was fun. I love these sports and I try to do them once every week. But something or the other came up which prevented me from doing these in the last couple of months. So I was very glad I did these exercises this week.

I have also been doing Personal Training with Steve Caulfield since 2019 and that is still happening regularly. I really enjoy the conversations while I try to get stronger and fitter.

🎭 The Seinfeld strategy

Don't break the chain

Jerry Seinfeld is the creator of one of the most popular comedy series in the world and he himself is the highest-paid comedian in the world.

In order to be this famous, he had to become really good at writing comedy and he came up with a method to ensure he was always on top of his writing.

The method was very simple.

Whenever you write something you cross your calendar for that day. The aim is to ensure that you never miss a cross twice. And maintain that chain of crosses.

It's not about the results but about the discipline to do things regularly to ensure you achieve results in the long term.

Want to learn how to stop procrastinating? Read this article to discover the best productivity tips of comedian Jerry Seinfeld.

🖥️ Software test automation

Ideas and experiences on software testing, software development, conference speaking and organizing.

Maaret Pyhäjärvi recently wrote a blog about the four levels of software test automation in any organisation and I found it really insightful.

At my workplace, we have been automating for a very long time and have been steadily increasing the number of automated scripts.

But we were never reaching far ahead as we were missing a key insight to progress further.

When I read this article and shared it with my team, the ideas clicked together and we realised what we were missing.

This Friday we achieved Level 1 and are on our way to achieving Level 2 in a few months' time.

Sometimes all you need is a bit of motivation to let things fall into their place.

These are the levels of automation described in the article -

  • Level -1 - No automation

  • Level 0 - Test automation runs on demand

  • Level 1 - Nightly test automation

  • Level 2 - Test automation on merge to master

  • Level 3 - Test automation at the developer's fingertips

🧘 Yoga

Looking to gain knowledge about the ancient language of Sanskrit and take your practice to a deeper level? This is the place to begin.

This beautiful article by Rina Deshpande talks about the Sanskrit meaning of some of the common words used in Yoga.

I have been practising Yoga with my teacher, Maria Shyla, since 2019. Over the years I have improved my flexibility and strength thanks to this beautiful practice.

I have also practised with people in a community space and with other teachers online. And what I have learnt is that Asanas are all about breathing 😮‍💨.

And Rina has done a beautiful job creating these cards and educating everyone about the meanings of these words.

⏱️ Time 💲 Money 🧡 Health

The above image describes the realities of life. When we are -

  • under 30s - We have lots of free time, very good health, but not enough money

  • 30s to 50s - We have free time, health, and money in almost equal amounts

  • after our 50s - We have plenty of free time and money, but not so great health

As said earlier, we spend 1/3 of our “career stage” at work, and we do this mainly for money. The longer we work, the more skills we get, so the more money we make. However, our best years also happen during that career phase, and this is when we can get the most of the experiences that will inevitably compound in time. Do you want to spend all your career phase and miss out on all the experiences you can get when you’re young and healthy?

Sometimes, work means everything to us and we forget to live our lives and gain new experiences. By the time we do decide to enjoy, our health is not on our side. So take time to enjoy life as well.

A not so common knowledge is that staying healthy is probably the best gift you can give to your (grand) kids, and believe it or not, even more than giving them an inheritance.

Staying healthy is very important as we grow older. We don't want our future generations to be worried about us. Investing in our health is really important. Top tips -

  • Eat healthy

  • Exercise

  • Sleep well

What would you do of your $1+ million dollar sitting in your bank account or index funds in your dying bed?

Thank you so much once again for reading my newsletter this week. Please feel free to Buy me a coffee if you are enjoying what I am sharing.

Until we meet again next week, please take care of your health, know what you are eating, and be kind.

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