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How to write more?

The bottleneck is psychological. There's a natural censor in your brain that blurts out objections and reprimands as you start to write. To remedy this, practice enough mindfulness so that you can catch the censor every time it blurts something. Eventually your head becomes clear enough that the words just flow.

Creativity is by default clogged by an internal censor. Once declogged, you don't have to do much. The words just flow.

How to do a thing?

Think of the thing you want to do. Done? Now, do the most basic version of that thing that advances you towards getting it done. Pay attention to any discomfort in your body that arises when trying to do it. Don't rationalise it. Acknowledge it, and do the thing while holding the uncomfortable feeling, if any. Rinse and repeat.

How to find a flatmate in Bangalore?

See this report.

How to find a flat in Bangalore?

Sigh.

How to use twitter/X without frying my brain?

Rephrasing an answer I wrote before.

Create a twttr account. Follow only people who give positive vibes. Don't follow people giving negative vibes, even if you agree with them or respect them. Mute any person that tweets something negative more than three times a week. Use the "not interested" feature a lot.

Start responding to the thoughtful things people are saying in your feed (if your feed does not look like this, redo the cleansing process described above). Many people tweet because they want to hear from thoughtful people.

Don't download the twitter app, and definitely do not enable notifications.

How to make chai?

It's all vibes. Shred a little more ginger than seems reasonable into boiling water. Add any random hard spice from your spice rack. Yesterday, it was star anise and clove. But cardamom and fennel works too. Pour equal parts milk, but ideally just enough milk to get the colour to look right. Let the chai boil, and stop the gas about five seconds after you start feeling impatient to drink it.

The chai is best enjoyed with little to no sugar and nothing must be dipped into it.

How to make coffee?

This method mostly applies to the Indian beans I buy. The numbers are tweaked based on successive feedback iterations, but I start this way. It's all about precision.

Grind exactly 15g of coffee beans (at 11 clicks on the Timemore C2 grinder). Heat exactly 200mL of water to 91°C if it's a light roast, or 93°C if it's a dark roast.

For a light roast I use my Aeropress straight—I put in my ground coffee on the filter paper bed and give it a shake to flatten the grounds. Then I pour the water, and wait at least 4 minutes. Then I give the whole apparatus a gentle swirl and wait another 30 seconds. Then I press it down.

For a dark roast, I use my Aeropress in an inverted manner with a metal filter—I put my ground coffee in the apparatus, and give it a shake to flatten the grounds. Then I pour water and wait at least 4 minutes. Then I use the stirring thing that comes with the aeropress, but move it in a plus shaped motion, working from the top to bottom. Then I wait at least another minute, and then flip the whole apparatus into a mug and press it down.

Don't have the coffee immediately. Wait for a few minutes so that the temperature drops a bit to bring out the most flavour. Use this time to wash the Aeropress.

How to persuade someone, not by telling them the thing you want to achieve, but by breaking it down into questions socratically, but also without appearing too patronising, and while being open to the fact that the persuasion attempt might be a misguided endeavour?

I don't have a good answer because I'm not great at this, but Neel Nanda's post seems nice.

How to walk?

Walk without music or podcasts or radio. Look at things. Note how things are interesting. Note any distracting thoughts and release them, and instead note your existence as you move through a space. Don't amble, but don't rush. Walk at the threshold just below what would be considered brisk walking.

How to eat healthier?

Get good at any mindfulness practice. You will start noticing how junk food makes your body feel like junk (especially sugar), and you will naturally eat less junk because it seems less enjoyable.

How to become more mindful?

Waking Up is a good app that actually kinda worked and helped. Carve out 10 minutes a day.

Written in the IndieWebClub Meetup, Bangalore.