Time: March 2015, some random Kygo song playing in the background on A-Top hostel block, IIM Bangalore
I walk down the soon to be deserted allies of my hostel block from a class, pick up my camera and click some pics of the happy souls around. Everything is awesome. Life is rocking!
Fast forward One year...
Time: Today, April 2016, Firestone- Kygo in the background in Guwahati
I am still in awe of my recently purchased iPhone of how it simplifies my life by keeping a tab of those never ending emails I receive every day, enjoying some soothing cool air from the AC just above my head, but then, that's it...
So let me put a perspective on how life has fared for past one year post MBA and was MBA really worth the time, money and effort!
No doubt it feels good when a nice amount of money is credited to your bank account every month-end. It feels great to enjoy those weekend brunches which were once a luxury. At times you even end up buying a high end imported cycle when all you needed was a pair of handkerchiefs. Yes! That's the luxury you enjoy and it feels good to do things you could only imagine a year or so before...
But all of this comes at the expense of the TIME your work demands from you. I often find my friends complaining/cribbing about their work-life and how they feel there is no work-life balance. To be true, for the past one year, I rarely had that feeling of being stuck due to work or that I would be missing a weekend trip due to some random 11th hour presentation to the management (except for 1 instance).
So, what do I do to often chill (atleast they all say that) whilst being happy with my life. Not that I have achieved something really significant in life but then here's a list of 7 simple things I picked up during MBA that helps me a lot:
1. Time Management
Believe me, of all the things you learn during your time at a B-school, time management has to be the pick of the lot. All those assignment deadlines, club meetings and countless nights spent studying makes you value your time in life. It certainly helps me now to carry forward that habit and actively devote my time to all the tasks at hand.
2. Plan your work
This habit is something I owe to my peers from my club back at B. I have always believed that intricate planning gets half the job done. I always break my objectives into small actionable and tend to plan my week every Monday morning with a quick midweek check . This gives me freedom to enjoy my weekend with most of my work done by Friday afternoon. There will be 11th hour requirements but then its in your skill to negotiate...
3. The power to say No
We Indians have this habit of saying Yes to everything that comes our way, because we know, there's always someone else in the queue to get the job done and take the credit. But the immense pressure back at B taught me to say No to things beyond my capabilities. Remember, instead of running behind to be in the good books of your bosses, its better to take one step at a time. At times I end up saying No to my bosses when I realize the timelines are too stiff or unaccommodating. It might not go well with your bosses but then you will be at peace in the longer run.
4. Follow your passion
I have been traveling a whole lot of India for past 10 months and one thing that has always been there with me has been my camera. Its such a relief to watch the setting sun with a cup of coffee and click some candid pictures. All those psychology classes at B are now coming handy... ;)
5. Its okie to do mundane jobs
Its no hidden fact that most of the B-School grads end up digging their heads into excel files at the start of their career and often work long hours on weekends. But its okie to do so!! Its okie if you feel that you don't belong to this place and that you should be sitting in a boardroom designing ad-campaigns and dictating 100 crores expansion plans but all you do is edit the power-point slides and make recce notes for your next meeting. Rome was not built in a day and you need to grow up the ladder to run the show. Just accept the fact and learn...
6. Think beyond your KPI's
Six months ago I was enjoying a couple of drinks with my senior from B at a plush happening pub in Gurgaon and all she kept on talking was about her KPI's and KRA's. I found it odd enough and went through my own the very next day!! I soon realized what kept me going at workplace was my liking to learn beyond my KPI's. No one shares their experience until you go and ASK them. So be free and ASK what you need, at worst, you will get a No but then atleast you will be satisfied that you tried.
I was one of the last in my class when it came to grades in a certain quant subject and I have always hated numbers, but today most of my projects are analytical in nature and I enjoy them and even excel at them. Its all happening since I don't think of it as a threat but as a learning opportunity.
7. Be HAPPY with what you have
I should seriously thank my profs at B-school for giving those doses of happiness and teach how being happy is the best thing that you can do with your life. Amidst all those materialistic pleasures there are moments that make you feel good. Go for them, chase them and make them a reality. I have always loved to be with my friends and party like there's no tomorrow. Do that! Let the world talk what they have to, but then remember, when the sun sets, its not the world that makes your day, its the memories you make when you are happy.
Life always has its ups and down and we somehow find our way back to reality. This never say die attitude is what makes us survive at our jobs and grow. I am sincerely thankful to all the time I have spent at IIM Bangalore, for it has changed the way I face new challenges in life. We all can gain bookish knowledge and believe me, we don't need to attend a B-School to learn to make a financial model or draft a business pitch. Its the overall personality development that's worth every penny spent at the school.
I consider myself lucky to have spent some good time with some really bright and nice people at IIMB and that's what is helping me today to stay HAPPY. So, YES!! MBA is worth the time, money and effort...
Until next time... Happy weekend!!
-Saurabh Sathe
