A weekend & the office

I am sure that the title of this blog must have indicated for a working weekend. But that’s not true. Instead, it was dedicated to one thing (along with an outing) I adore the most – books.

This weekend is about the office. The book is “Office Secrets: 50 Human Truths You Should Absolutely Know” by Harish Bhat . The author is the brand custodian of Tata Group and one can find multiple books from the author talking about stories and products of Tata Group.

I picked this book randomly in a Crossword store and came across two interesting paragraphs.

One was about my second adorable activity - writing. The chapter was “Why Writing Makes Us Happier” which mentioned that writing is for everyone, and it has the power to make anyone happy. Even the bestselling author, Adam Grant, says that writing about our work and its impact makes us more productive and happier. Writing can cover anything - newsletters (like this one) or mail to your colleagues or a Thought Leadership (as I did in my earlier consulting profession). Writing can help to provide a sense of structured thought process followed by inner calm. ?

The second paragraph was also relatable. It talked about the habits of happy managers. One habit was to “begin with the weekend in mind”. After all, a weekend is an enduring source of happiness and therefore deserves utter attention and planning. In my current team also, we ask colleagues about their weekend plans.

After skimming a bit, I instantly bought it. ?

Even though I do not prefer light reads but this one stands out because it is - ?

• Jargon free – It doesn’t include research references or heavy technical jargon. This makes it irresistible to continuously flip pages. It can be finished in one go and that’s why it is a good option for non-readers also.
• Relatable – We all are corporate employees and daily deal with coffee breaks, off site destinations & infinite planning, lengthy meetings, information filled presentations and a variety of bosses. This book offers fresh perspectives on such little aspects of the office. Reading this book helps in considering our office more HUMAN than before.
• Unrelated chapters – All 50 chapters are not interlinked and hence any chapters can be read randomly at any time. In fact, the chapters in this book all began as newspaper columns intended to be read alongside a cup of coffee. It would be a good addition to the office desk as it can be read between the time gap of two meetings. ??

I got three takeaways from this book - ?

1. Go for a WALK – If you are stressed or want to connect with a colleague or in need of fresh perspective on the problem, just take a short walk under the trees or in the office campus. It would help declutter your mind. ?
2. The art of listening – Listening is the way to connect with fellow humans. It shows that you care for them. In a meeting, it can also give you a wise man stature. In Shakespeare’s words – “Give thy thoughts no tongue”.
3. Pursue writing – Whenever you need to structure your thoughts or to clarify your understanding about a subject, just write it down. It will clarify your mind and release a sense of calmness inside.

This book deserves 100% place on everyone’s bookshelf.