Showing posts with label random facts about me. Show all posts
Showing posts with label random facts about me. Show all posts

This is how I work

When do you wake up every day? What’s your alarm set to?
Right now somewhere between 7.30 am-8.00 am. I try to wake up naturally, I leave the curtains open for the sunlight to stream in. 

Tea or Coffee?
Recently switched to tea. I am usually a coffee person for that first cup in the morning.

Any rituals to set the tone for the day in the morning?
Water my plants and soak up the morning sun for a couple of minutes and some days write in my gratitude journal may be a line or two.

When do you feel most productive?
I have always been a night owl, recently I am trying to make some lifestyle changes and have been trying to feel inspired in the morning. Some days mornings work for me, sometimes old habits die hard.

Where do you work?
I have my dark wood compact desk set up in the bedroom by the window, I like the natural light and the corner of the room. The desk has enough space to keep my knick knacks on and storage for files. the window sill has few plants. My desk is pic 2, of course its a partial pic of the desk. I pair it up with a light brown leather swivel big chair that's comfortable enough to nap in :)

However, sometimes I will just work out of the couch while watching TV (at night) or at the dining table if I am trying to keep my laptop out of my 2 year old's reach. 

What are you reading currently?
The last book I read was Magical Thinking by Elizabeth Gilbert and that was a week ago. Right now, nothing specific. However every night I will browse through articles or blogs or anything that inspires me. Since I am trying to make my lifestyle much more positive and inspiring, I read on heath, food and being inspired and how it affects our well being and work style. 

As for work reading it really depends, it's is mostly on Agile or management. Last book I read was Fifth Discipline by Peter Senge. 

How do you keep things organized?
I carry a notepad and pen with me all the time. I like the feel of pen and paper, so sometimes I will use the notepad, sometimes just jot things down in my phone. I also use sticky notes a lot for my to do list for the day.

Any hack you prefer for work?
When I read books, I will usually use post it notes and mark the important things or pages, so years later if I have to refer it’s just easy than having to read the whole book again.

What are your favorite gadgets?
An old DELL laptop, Mac book air and an Iphone.

What apps can you not live without?
I have reduced my times spent on apps, however once in a while I will still pop in whatsapp to catch up with my friends. Evernote. Instagram. Twitter. Pinterest. That’s it. I do have more than required apps on my phone, I have been trying to reduce my time on them and focus more on myself. So far, it’s been a positive change. It was the most difficult of changes to make to not check phone every five minutes. 

Any new addition to your routines?
I get bored very easily, so I try to change my routines once a in a while. Recently it has been trying to work out (I use the office gym) on a regular basis. I think my best when I am working out or just out a for a walk alone. I have also been trying out inspiration boards and gardening J

How do you recharge?
Mostly by reading  (book or just browsing through interesting reads over the web, sometimes just Pinterest) or watching a good movie and ordering in and if possible a mini vacation. 

This post is inspired by Lifehacker posts on the same topic. Click here to know more.

(Pic courtesy: pic 1- Pinterest. Pic 2- my desk)

Life- as it is

Most days are a mix of good and bad, some make you happy and content and confident and some are just bad decisions, moments that make you doubt your confidence.

My effort to re-organize my life- personal and professional often turn out futile. I plan and re-plan and then suddenly something needs my attention and the plans out of the window.

The buzz has rekindled itself. Suddenly there has been activities mostly positive round me. I am not sure if I have anything to do with them, may be I am just trying to be me again and trying to organize better and that’s probably the way to know that I am on the right direction.

So, in trying to juggle my role of professional who is trying for the next jump, a blogger who wants to get back to the regular routine, a community member who wants the connect site to connect more people and bring help to their careers and a mom who tries to spend some quality time with her 6 month son- organization is the key.

So, here are some tips to bring them in your life no matter how complex your life has become:

  • Prioritize your list- I use Trello and I timebox it. It’s usually open in a tab in front of me while I work, so I know the goals if I want to just check on them once in a while. Oh and I have the app downloaded as well.
  • Visualize- every morning I start my work life with somnote. I simply click on it and list down to-dos for the day.  And then work around it for the rest of the day.
  • Focus- its difficult midst meetings, calls, emails and lots more happening. So sometimes I will simply use coffitivity or noisli with a headphone. I work better with a noise and rhythm in background. 
  • Efficiency- time is sparse and I try to make the most of it. When I have difficulty focusing, I will use the pomodoro app and try to get something done. It works great for me.
  • Remember and refer - I use Evernote to remember things I read and categorize them. I also try to maintain a physical diary where I will jot down points or theories or new concepts that I liked or am thinking about, so I can refer to them quickly.
  • Connect- I barely get time to have a day out with friends, so I keep in touch mostly with whatsapp, viber and skype. 
  • Relax- I panic with so much going on or loose my cool. So sometimes at night, I will unwind by listening to some good music with tea and reading a good book or carelessly browse through pinterest even if its for a few minutes.
  • I forgive- I try not to be too strict on myself when I know there’s a lot happening. I try to be grateful for what I have. Close my eyes and hear me breathe. 


That pretty much sums my life right now.

(Pic courtesy: Soma Bhattacharya)

My Weekend


Saturday was well spent.

Awesome lunch with friend over white lily tea, dumplings and peking duck. We did a bit of window shopping and some shopping and bought few movies to watch at home.

Among those was Eat, Pray, Love- I have the book and have watched the movie. Since the movie inspired my friend to travel around the world, we bought it to watch at home again together.

She actually met the real medicine man in Bali; during one of her trips.

We watched it later at night. It’s fun watching all about India while in India. It struck a chord to think that people travel to India because it awakens them spiritually, or calms them down and its said- life’s never the same ever after visiting India.

It was nice seeing India through my friends eye (she is from New York).

It’s been around 10 months since I have been back and I had plans and things to do when I return. Isn’t that why I returned? All I have been doing is getting sucked in work and life is the same. I had additional plans for my blog, spend time on a business goal I have been nurturing for a while and travel more. None happened.

And then I read and it reminded me of mine.

I have 2 out of the 5 checked! It’s a shame, though I have a little more time on my hand.

So, today I am re-working on my goals and things to do to keep me happy. It helps that I have a new haircut too.

Random facts about me- Pt 3

I have strange habits that I create for myself to repeat the pattern everyday, so it either makes me happy or the repetition puts me in a schedule that increases my efficiency.

•I always wake up to a cup of green tea or black coffee
•When I go through uncertainty about some decision I start meditating, it calms me down. It stays with me for months or weeks depending on my ongoing life and its schedule.
•I eat right when I am the busiest, for some reason schedules make me perform better in everything.
•I have a nightly routine that I hold on to- I read magazines and listen to music before I go to bed for at least half an hour. Magazines are mostly either “Fitness” or “Vogue”, something that inspires you but also relaxes the mind, nothing serious.
•I am more regular writing blog posts when I maintain my schedule of doing it every Sunday morning between 9-11am.
•I love food, try different cuisines and love to experiment with my taste bud and cooking skills. Chopping veggies de-stresses me and I usually cook after I come back home from work, takes away the stress! I love watching “Food Network”.
•I don’t watch a lot of Television but it’s usually on most of the time while I get around doing all other things. I love watching CSI, Greys Anatomy, Oprah, Bones, House and the likes.
•I read and I love reading. Last book I read is The Snowball (Warren Buffets Biography) by Alice Schroeder (finishes 2 days ago).
•I take risks, lots of them. I like change and new things in life- whether it’s a haircut or shuffling the interiors of my home.
•I am very emotional but rarely impulsive, I think five hundred times before making a decision.
•I love reading quotations; so much that I used to have 3 diaries dedicated to it since I was in college. I don’t write them down any more, but I still love them!
•If there’s a job alternative I would love to have is to travel and write. I love architecture and interiors as much as I love nature.
•I love to work. I like the interaction with people, observing people and putting my head down and getting something down.  I go cranky if I don’t work for too long.
•Things I absolutely must always have- internet and as Virginia Woolf said “a room of my own”.
•My friend circle is very small, close and connected and they inspire me everyday.
•Surprised by the fact that you can develop friendship with people over social media and without meeting them in person a lot.
•My ideal vacation would be by a sea side. Love beach and the casual ambience.

For more of my randomness, click here.

Random facts about me- Pt 2

This is personal, so if you are looking for reviews, PM updates or anything else, you might skip this post.


I always talk/interact through my blog and yet there are times when I read my post and think how much of it am I really doing?


I do most of it, except a few:
•I am not a good networker
•I don’t go to meet ups, PMI groups or randomly meet people over coffee- though I really really want to
•I am shy most of the time- I wish I could call up people and say- care to meet me for a blog interview and sushi/coffee/pasta?
•I have analyzed my behaviors- not sure if it’s a culmination of not liking to driving long miles or fear of getting judged.
•I dream big, have done it all my life- but I fall short when it comes to implementing it.
•Sometimes I am not as consistent as I want to be (read trips to gym). It’s a joke now that if I am half as consistent as I am in blogging here, I will achieve any goal.
•Sometimes I know what I have to do but I won’t do it. I procrastinate (in personal goals). 
•I don’t envy people usually, however sometimes I feel I had those qualities as they do.


So, I have set 3 new goals for me during this blogging break:
•By next year (Dec 31, 2011) I will double my annual income (honestly, I love the idea more than thinking and hard work involved in actually implementing it). 
•I will start working on my first e-book and schedule it- so I don’t have an excuse to miss it anymore
•I will call up people and meet even if I feel like a coward (so, if you are someone from Chicago- I would love to meet you, if you are not I can still call/skype you. Here’s my LinkedIn id as well , just incase you want to know a little more about before you meet me and yes please add me)


Since we are talking all about what I have done in the last 10 days, here’s some more:
•I changed the name of this blog, it still is called Stepping into Project Management, I removed the “newbies diary” from it and replaced with “the journey continues”. One of the reasons is doing that is I am not a newbie any more but I started out as one and I understand how it is. So, this blog is more about continuing my journey in the world of project management now and sharing it with you.
•If you haven’t noticed the SIPM has updates too, there’s a new forum to talk, share and brainstorm ideas with the SIPM community. Anyone can read, to comment you have to be registered and you can do it here for free http://beta.steppingintopm.com/.



Want to have fun and learn more from real life Project Managers, check out here.

20 Random Facts About Me

Just wanted to have some fun today and Thought about letting you know some facts about me.
  • My first name- isn’t Soma, its Somashree
  • My first childhood ambition- was to be a teacher
  • I have never been drunk in my life
  • I have double Masters’ degree- in English Literature and Mass Communication
  • My one wish I always come back to but never happens- Write a novel
  • I crave French fries when I am sad or happy
  • I’m a self converted “almost” vegetarian for the last few months (I still eat fish and once in a while meat quite a turn around from the carnivore that I was!)
  • When I was in college, I tried almost every single hair cut from a catalogue at the local hair salon till they told me I had to grow my hair to an extent to try another!
  • I love action movies, my favorite- Die Hard
  • If I had all the money in the world, I would only travel.
  • Surprises- Good ones of course I adore
  • My wallet is a storehouse of my favorite quotations handwritten and printed and a Sears Tower imprint on a dime.
  • I always pack lunch for work
  • I love fresh flowers, specially white- it’s my pick me up
  • I usually research the restaurant that I want to eat at- I look for reviews, recommendations from friends, pictures, menu, specialty etc.
  • I used to collect pens in all colors and styles. I gave that up because I don’t write as much now (with pen and paper that is).
  • I had my turning points in life when I read English August by Upmanyu Chatterjee at 19 and Sylvia Plath’s Bell Jar at 22 (both are novels).
  • My best friend is far from the corporate life I live everyday, has an adorable kid and outwits me every time.
  • Last book I read was “First Things First” by Stephen Covey and “Meditation” by …cant remember the name, check back if you want the details.
  • My office purse is a black colored slightly oversized bag with must haves- pen, white notepad, 2 lipsticks (from Maybelline and Revlon), lip gloss from Body Shop, brown leather wallet, cell phone, a book, keys, a hair clip, comb, pen drive, chap stick.
Completely out of the loop, thought it was really cool Maven Training telling me that the blog post was inspired by me. Thank you very much and am honored.