Set Target, Measure, and Reward Yourself
Tushar Desai, a PICT alumnus, has over 20 years of IT experience in various industries viz Banking and Finance, CRM, Telecom with deep understanding and experience in the complete life cycle of software development. After working for various multinationals in the IT industry like Avaya Telecom, Cognizant, BMC Software for about 15 years, Tushar started his entrepreneurship journey. As the Chief Technology Officer at Kagaay Technosolv Pvt Ltd, he leads the technology innovation for the Kagaay app, a PropTech company. With the help of Data Intelligence, Consumer Behaviour and various other science concepts, Tushar and his team at Kagaay are disrupting the real estate market sales process. He talks to Corporate Citizen about his health and wellness philosophy and the regimen he follows
Corporate Citizen: Your philosophy on wellness?
Tushar Desai: There are many dimensions to wellness that people practice. For me, wellness is four mutually interdependent primary dimensions-physical, emotional, intellectual and social. My month is planned around these four dimensions. Physical wellness is taken care of by my morning routine which is customised and designed by myself based on what works best for me. I engage in different types of physical activities every morning. My Friday evenings are great social boosters. I make it a point that I meet my friends. In a month, I try to add at least five new contacts by physically meeting them. This also drives my intellectual wellness. One gets amazed by the knowledge and thinking of different people across the globe.
Emotional wellness is tricky and I find it hard sometimes to put it in words. I practice emotional detachment. Some people find it harsh but for me, separating myself psychologically from my emotions has worked the most. A lot depends on how you react to a particular situation in life which is majorly driven by your emotions. So, I believe in attacking the root of the problem.
CC: How does your art, profession, hobby, help you in dealing with stress and anxiety?
It is very important that you enjoy what you do. I design technology solutions for businesses. For me, my profession is the greatest stress buster. When I solve a problem for my clients, their joy and satisfaction drive me. The way I manage my emotional well-being helps me a lot to detach myself from the situation and think from a neutral point of view. I do take the help of art to deal with this type of stress. I love colours and I create some amazing artwork by different techniques of merging colours with each other. Every weekend, I add one artwork to my collection and I have many of those now.
CC: Your mantra about keeping fit and well?
Set a target, measure it and plan a reward-I believe anything which is not measured against a target, cannot be improved. Invest in good technology that helps you track your targets which can be measured. Most importantly, reward and appreciate yourself. Everyone must understand that there is only one “You” in this world, appreciate every bit of it.
CC: What keeps you fit and healthy? Share with us your secret ways of keeping your mind calm and cool.
Physical fitness requires effort, motivation and awareness. There are some very good online communities, apps and solutions which help me keep fit by motivating in different challenges. I am a regular participant in Samsung Health Global Challenges. Emotional fitness needs your own appreciation of yourself. Have that ME time, have those 5 to 10 min of selftalk regularly. My mantra to keep cool is very simple-put yourself in others’ shoes. Human behaviour is driven by situations. If you do not surrender to situations, you will never lose your cool. Losing cool, anger, agitation is not going to make the situation any better-the sooner you learn this, the better.
CC: Your stress busters? How do you like to rejuvenate, recharge and de-stress?
My weekly art hour helps me to a great extent as a stressbuster. I always look forward to it. During this time, it’s my favourite music playing in the background, canvas, colours and myself. However, to rejuvenate and recharge I prefer nature trails. I am an avid nature trail walker.
CC: Is your food philosophy also a part of your wellness regime?
Eat what you like-burn what you eat. I never hold myself back from eating what are my favourites. However, I make sure that I only eat what I can burn through my workouts. Many times, I balance what I eat. I almost avoid heavy dinner.
"Even if you inspire one person to start the wellness journey, you will experience a great sense of achievement and both of you will start motivating each other. There are more than four million combinations possible. But for the best results, it is recommended to undergo consultations with a practitioner"
Tushr DesaiCC: Anything you will like to say about your exercise fundamentals?
When it’s about exercise, it’s the quality of exercise and not quantity. It’s about the habit. Every morning, getting off from your cosy bed at the same time and giving time yourself is the simplest thing you can do for yourself. So, my exercise fundamental is simple-develop the habit. Refrain from overdoing things. Choose your exercise routine wisely as per your age and health.
CC: How do you set out your priorities to keep your work and personal life balanced?
It’s very simple, you need to understand the importance of both. You can burn out days and nights in the office to earn fame but without family back home, it will be of no use. Similarly, family is important but you need to respect work which is helping you to feed them. I make it a point that I get involved in family activities. In fact, I plan my morning workouts with family for at least three days a week. Luckily, I have worked with some of the greatest employers in the world who respect a work-life balance. I have implemented similar learnings in my startups. We don’t forget to thank the families of our team members who we feel are equally responsible for the success of our venture.
CC: What helps you the most in maintaining calm and peace despite an overload of work?
Planning and people. How wisely you pick your team will define how calm you will be in such a situation. Each individual needs to understand his/her responsibilities and should be best at their work. Planning and communication are key.
CC: Five tips that work the best for you to maintain a work-life balance.
Work Smart: Trust me, you can save a minimum of 40% of your time if you understand how to perform your activities smartly.
Leave work at work: This is getting tough day by day with technology entering our home. Especially, the post-Covid era where the majority of forces are working from home, the line is getting very faint between work hours and family hours. I practice “fake commute”. I love going for a ride before actually starting my work and go for a casual walk to grab a coffee once I am done working. It mentally helps people like us who are working from home.
Listen to your mind and body: Our body and mind give us enough signals when they stress out. Meditate, it always works.
Hobby: It is very critical to have some hobby. If you love reading you are gifted. If you don’t then figure out what you enjoy. Give equal importance to your hobbies. They are great stress busters.
Learn to say No: The art of saying no needs to be taught from school days in my opinion. Remember that doing a few things perfectly is better than trying to do everything half-heartedly.
CC: Anything more about keeping fit and holistic wellness.
It’s never late. Start small. Increase gradually. Don’t overdo things. Don’t over commit. Understand the importance of holistic wellness. Define your holistic wellness dimensions and measure them. Anything that you don’t measure, is of no use. Wellness is “infectious”. Spread the word, share your workouts and habits with friends and families. Even if you inspire one person to start the wellness journey, you will experience a great sense of achievement and both of you will start motivating each other