Let's Ask My Friends

This moment is never easy, but well, this very meta episode is an honest, unplanned commentary and discussion on the challenges for this season which has now come to an end. We did not want to end it abruptly, so this is a proper sendoff, and like any good series, there is a soft cliffhanger in case we decide to come back for the third one. You know what they say, the third one's the charm and all. In this one, we talk about where we are currently, how this journey has been, and why we feel this is the best place to end it. Thank you for your support so far! Thank you for tuning in every week! If you're still curious, the shownotes are on the website. If you think we did a good job with this season, you can still support us on buymeacoffee.com/lamf. Thank you again, and we'll probably see you in the next one! 

Our lives and technology are so intertwined today that this is really a no-brainer to talk about. You're mostly going to listen to this episode on a phone or a tablet. There may be a smart speaker in the scene, too. We don't know, but what we do know is how we use technology, and what we think about it overall. In this wild episode, we talk about tech, how we make buying decisions, how we use it, and most of all, how we look at it all. You can use that nifty phone to support us on buymeacoffee.com, or you can check the shownotes on letsaskmyfriends.com. We hope you like this one! 

Has it ever happened to you when someone mentioned a cool, new activity, you remembered how you used to do it, and now it is just a "thing that I used to do"? It surely has happened to us, and in this episode, that is what we talk about. Things that once were our favourite things to do but now have just become fond memories. We talk about football, table tennis, sports, in general, Counter-Strike, board games, painting and making art, and so much more. We hope you enjoy this trip down memory lane, and we urge you to send us what you miss doing. We'd love to talk about it! As always, the shownotes are on letsaskmyfriends.com, and you can buy us a coffee to make sure this podcast does not become a thing we used to do.

At the end of the day, everyone wants to have some fun, but what's fun for us may not be fun for you. That's exactly where we go today: what is your idea of fun? We talk about conversation, walking, doing anything that brings you joy, how fun is necessary and how we make the most menial tasks fun. All in all, a fun episode, innit? Let us know what you think of this one on Instagram. Shownotes on the website, and you can always buy us a coffee (please!).

Productivity, habits, balance are all different words that lead to the single bottom line: time management and the art of making time. In this episode, we talk about how we make time, how we think about time, and in general, how we balance the triad of have, want and for others. We also talk about how environment plays a huge role in how well you manage time. Without wasting any more time here, why don't you dive into it? If you like it, and if it was worth your time, please feel free to support us by buying us a coffee! Shownotes are on the letsaskmyfriends.com.

All of us have a voice within ourselves. When used right, self-talk can be a fantastic comrade and motivator. When left to its own devices, it can be a terrible master. In this episode, which is the first ever episode that comes from the suggestion of a listener, we talk about how we talk to ourselves. We dive into the tone each of us uses, how it helps us, and the little hacks we've picked up and developed over the years. You can help us by buying us a coffee at buymeacoffee.com/lamf. As always, shownotes on letsaskmyfriends.com.

In this episode, we reflect over how over the past few months, we've become much happier with our lives, days and the general direction of things. Mainly, however, we've talked about the issues that pop up once happiness arrives and how to get past them. We talk about guilt, imagined troubles, embracing the simpler things, knowing it will end at some point and so much more. We'll let you be the judge of the rest. Let's hope you're happy with this slightly different episode. As always, shownotes are on letsaskmyfriends.com and you can help us by buying us a coffee at buymeacoffee.com/lamf.

Rejections are dime a dozen. At least, that's where we stand. Or are we somehow at the brunt of more rejections than most people? We don't know but we know how we deal with them, and in this episode, that's what we talk about. We talk about our opposing perspectives, our agreements, our histories with rejections and more. We also share why we think it's overall a good thing and if there's something that should be normalized, it's rejections. Find shownotes on letsaskmyfriends.com and support us at buymeacoffee.com/lamf.

While we often talk about ideas, we figured we rarely talk about ourselves in the most personal sense of it. So, we decided, what better way to meet in the middle than talk about our days as we live them currently? Here's a slightly different episode where we describe what we do, some of why we do it and how it helps us. We talk about waking up in the morning and why we feel early mornings are worth it, we talk about working late at night, and also how we balance things. And since no one is perfect, we also talk about the things we are trying to improve. We hope you like this one, and if you do, don't forget to buy us a coffee. As always, find the shownotes at letsaskmyfriends.com.

To be proactive is to plan ahead. At least, that is where we begin this episode and we take you through a little conversation about the ins and outs of planning, about where we falter, about why planning ahead works and how far can we see. All in all, this is an episode we are extremely proud of. It also happens to be the episode prompt that was decided five minutes before recording. Talk about proactivity? 👀 As always, you can find the shownotes on letsaskmyfriends.com and you can always support the podcast on buymeacoffee.com/lamf

Let's talk boredom! In this episode, we talk about why we feel boredom is important, why every good thing comes out of boredom, why we feel the cheap ways to entertain ourselves like movies, streaming, Instagram need to be curbed a little. Overall, this episode has a strong opinion to it but we promise it's not boring. In any case, if you're bored enough to read this description, why not give it a listen? Shownotes are on letsaskmyfriends.com and you can always make sure we don't get bored of doing this by incentivizing us with that coffee.

Aren't we all just stressed about stress? To be honest, there's so much to stress about, especially if you're in your twenties. In this episode, we talk about how we deal with stress, what works for us, what has helped us in the past, et al. We also touch upon personal responsibility, asking for help when needed and learning to accept we can't fix everything. All in all, we hope you'll take something away from this one. The shownotes are on letsaskmyfriends.com and you can support what we do at buymeacoffee.com/lamf.

Everything needs a change of pace. In this episode, we simply talk about the books we are reading, what we love about them, what we learned in them and so on. We discuss Shoe Dog by Phil Knight, Wanting by Luke Burgis, The Book of Disquiet by Fernando Pessoa, and Think Again by Adam Grant. Feel free to share your book recommendations with us on instagram.com/letsaskmyfriends. The shownotes are on the website, and if you want us to keep doing this and help us buy more books, consider buying us a coffee here.

The trick to a happy life is how you manage change because change is going to come whether you like it or not, whether you want it or not, and whether you're ready or not. In this episode, we talk about how we deal and cope with change. We talk about the idea of a shiver, of making systems, of the smallest possible change and more. We hope we change your perspective on change to some degree. As always, shownotes on letsaskmyfriends.com, and you can always buy us a coffee!

This is one of our most offbeat and open-ended episodes yet. In this one, we talk about wants and mimetic desire, from the ideas of René Girard, which we have been introduced to recently. In this conversation (which was interrupted thrice, actually), we talk about what we want from life, our picture of a perfect life, which parts of our lives don't come from influence and we leave you with an open-ended prompt: why do you want what you want? The shownotes are on letsaskmyfriends.com, and you can always buy us a coffee and hit us up on Instagram!

Work is a doozy mainly because everyone likes working differently. A friend you start a podcast with may not be on the same page as you about communication. Your manager may not allow you enough freedom. Your company may have a lot of pencil pushers. All in all, everyone has a working style, and in this episode, we discuss precisely that: our working styles. We talk about what we enjoy and expect, what we hate, why our style works and why it may be a problem in some cases. There's lots of examples and plenty of value for the careful listener in this one. We hope you enjoy listening to it! For shownotes, go to letsaskmyfriends.com, and if you like our work, consider buying us a coffee.

This very spontaneous episode starts a bit slower and speeds up along the way so bear with us! We're slowly trying to change the things we talk about on this podcast and this is a prime example of it! Let's just say we're making it more homely. Of course, with some self-improvement advice tucked in between. Speed is a dangerous drug or whatnot. If you don't jump, you remain stuck in the same place. Which one to pick, right? We've realised there's no one speed—we're always in transition. So, in this one, we talk about how (not where) we're coming from wherever we are, and how we are going forward! As always, the shownotes are on the letsaskmyfriends.com and you can always buy us a coffee!

Remember that Shia Labeouf video? Yeah, we picture it sometimes too. Motivation is a tough sell, man, and it’s hard to do things regularly or every day. But we know a thing or two about it. In this episode, we share our philosophies around motivation. We’re all over the place which is a good thing for you—you get all perspectives and ideas in a neatly packed episode. Is that motivation enough to listen to this? As always, shownotes are on the website, we are always online on Instagram, and you can always keep us motivated by buying us a coffee.

Discipline, discipline, discipline. It's all we heard as kids. It's all we wish we had paid more attention to. Building habits, being more disciplined is definitely harder as an adult. Or so it seems. In this episode, we discuss our understand of living a discipline life. We also share what works for us, the tiny hacks that help us build it easily, some strong opinions included, this is an episode we did not even want to record, but recorded anyway. Talk about discipline. If you liked this conversation, feel free to share this or buy us a coffee. Also, as always, the shownotes are on the website.

To splurge or not to splurge? That is the question. In this episode, we dive into how we think about lifestyle and money. We share ideas and anecdotes, we talk about transparency with those in our lives, the upper limit of expenditure, and planning ahead of time. All that along with when it is okay to go wild with your finances. We had so much to say, the 15-minute limit had us grabbing onto so many ideas. If there's ever going to be a sequel episode, this would be the first one we talk about. As always, shownotes are on letsaskmyfriends.com, you can always buy us a coffee to support us, and reach out on Instagram for more. We have started with neat episode takeaways and quotes recently which may add value to your feed!

Everyone has limitations, especially two friends who sit around and talk about life every week. In this episode, we take turns to share our limitations, where we feel we can work on, bouncing ideas off each other and adding perspective for anyone who might relate. Throughout the episode, we touch upon the idea of control, urgency, collaboration, independence. We hope you find value in this joke-filled episode. As always, shownotes are on letsaskmyfriends.com, and you can always buy us a coffee to help us keep this up!

"Come on, don't bring the room down," is something all of us have heard at least once in our life when we've refused for something. If not that, then there's a different variant of the same thing—peer pressure. It sucks. All of us have felt it. All of us have done it to others. In this episode, we talk about how we've fared with this beast because it is a beast, and it makes life very very difficult for everyone. We talk about peer pressure for college, in relationships, in friendships, substances, and how no one's hands are as clean as they would like to be when it comes to it. If you like this conversation, please do give us a rating and share this with your friends. Don't force them to listen to it, though. That's not cool. You can buy us a coffee to help us keep this going longer, and as always, shownotes are on letsaskmyfriends.com.

All of us aspire for better lives, and all of us have some way of measuring how close or far we are from the ideal versions of our lives. In this slightly shorter and more chill episode, we share how we rate our lives, as well as the good, the bad and the ugly of doing so. We hope we add some value to your day with the little time we take away from it. Find shownotes at letsaskmyfriends.com and if you like what we do, feel free to support us by buying us coffee.

Decisions, decisions, decisions. We make them all the time. Sometimes, they are about what we're wearing, and sometimes, they are about how our lives will look going forward. In this episode, we touch upon the latter, talking about our decision-making processes for life-changing decisions. This episode is about the crossroads-level stuff. We talk about how we quit our jobs, how staying in a bad relationship can hurt more, how fast or slow decisions can change things different. We also talk about analysis paralysis and whatnot. Overall, it's packed. We'll let you decide if you want to give it a listen. If you found value in the episode, please give us a rating and tell your friends; word of mouth always helps! Also, find the shownotes on letsaskmyfriends.com and you can always buy us a coffee to help us keep this up!

It's about time we talked about time on the podcast. In this episode, we talk about the role time plays in our lives, why we value it, and more. We touch upon the idea of deadlines, anecdotes on dating and meeting people, and flexibility when it comes to time. There are obviously some jokes peppered in between this candid interaction on the idea of time. If you like this episode, don't forget to rate the podcast and tell others about it. As always, shownotes are on letsaskmyfriends.com, and you can support us on buymeacoffee.com/lamf!

We've talked a lot about making habits; let's talk about breaking them! Breaking habits is slightly harder, especially when the habits are undesired. In this episode, we talk about some ideas which we know and which have worked for us. From accountability partnerships to bets to changing our environments to changing entire routes, this short episode is filled with all we know about breaking bad habits. As always, the shownotes are on letsaskmyfriends.com, and you can always support us by buying us a coffee or giving us a follow on Instagram.

Investing is something we've been learning a lot about over the past couple of years. We decided to compile the top five principles we follow and agree on along with a tiny bonus tip. In this episode, we talk about the long game, researching, diversification and more. We hope you like this episode. It's slightly different from our usual ones. Don't forget to rate and share our podcast! Word of mouth helps a lot. Also, you can check our shownotes on letsaskmyfriends.com, and support us by buying us a coffee!

All good routines are flexible. Life is serendipitous and random. We never know what we get on any day. Routines can seem stringent and tight which is why they break. In this episode, we talk about our approach to building routines, how we make them more flexible, how our routines fare with what life throws at us and how we navigate through it all. Packed with examples and echoes from noisy neighbours and their dogs, here's us talking about routines yet again! Find shownotes on letsaskmyfriends.com. Consider supporting us on buymeacoffee.com/lamf... or if you're into merch, check out our Instagram!

We're surrounded by information today. It is the Information Age after all. Yet, information overload is a real thing that is proving to be a huge pain point for so many people—us included. In this episode, we ironically talk about what information overload is, digital wellbeing, consumption of news, reading and countless other ways we get information today. We talk about how we manage our information consumption as well. We hope you enjoy this candid episode! As always, you can find shownotes on letsaskmyfriends.com. If you like what we do, consider supporting us on buymeacoffee.com/lamf!

We're going a bit meta with this one. Here's a podcast episode where we talk about how to talk better... or at least, the few things we've learned over the years and follow right now. Conversations are tough, and we've been on the receiving end of leaving some with a bad taste in our mouth and souls. Here's how to have better conversations, in our opinion. You can find shownotes on letsaskmyfriends.com. If you like what we do, consider supporting us on buymeacoffee.com/lamf!

Happy New Year! The last few years have been a doozy for everyone. 2021 has been a difficult year for both of us. Hence, this podcast's absence. But where there is difficulty, there is learning. In this episode, we recap on the lessons we've learned this year. We talk about control, love, hope, communication and new year's resolutions. Here's what we learned this year. Tell us what you learned on Instagram, our website or a direct voice message on Anchor. You can find shownotes on letsaskmyfriends.com. If you like what we do, consider supporting us on buymeacoffee.com/lamf!

Learning is important to us, if that isn't evident with the way we approach this podcast (and our lives), but there are things we've learned about learning itself. In this episode, we discuss our approach to learning, why we do it, what are some of our hacks, how we approach the idea of learning anything overall. We really hope you take something away from this episode. We had a lot of fun with this discussion. We look forward to your messages on Anchor. Also, find shownotes on letsaskmyfriends.com. If you like what we do, consider supporting us on buymeacoffee.com/lamf!

In this episode, we get a bit personal and talk about adulthood—the good and the bad. We're both 25 now, and if there's one thing we've learned about life, it's that adulthood is a double-edged sword. We dive into what we love and hate about being 25 and how life has changed in comparison to when we were in college or even school. We hope you enjoy this conversation! As always, you can Send us a voice message on Anchor or reach out to us on letsaskmyfriends.com. If you like what we do, consider supporting us on buymeacoffee.com/lamf!

Have you ever held onto something without it making much sense? Have you refrained from selling something you don't need because you paid a lot for it when you first got it? Have you stayed with the wrong people who overstayed their welcome? Don't worry. All of us do it. It's called the Sunk Cost Fallacy. In this episode, we dive into some examples from our lives as well as how you can probably escape the fallacy. If nothing, we talk about how to be more conscious about it. We'd love to hear from you too. Tell us about your experiences with Sunk Cost Fallacy and we'll share them on our social media. Send us a voice message on Anchor or reach out to us on letsaskmyfriends.com. If you like what we do, consider supporting us on buymeacoffee.com/lamf!

This week, we're talking about tracking habits. Habit tracking seems to be a complex idea with all the articles, videos and obnoxious methods on the internet. It doesn't have to be as complex though. We share what works for each one of us while diving into the need of tracking habits in the first place. We also talk about where to draw the line, apps like Duolingo and Elevate. We'd love to hear from you as well, how do you track your habits? Send us a voice message on Anchor or reach out to us on letsaskmyfriends.com. If you like what we do, considers supporting us on buymeacoffee.com/lamf!

In the first episode for our new phase, we reflect over our time in college and ponder over the question: what would you tell yourself in college? We talk about our experiences with reading, mental health, love, meeting new people, and putting your best foot forward in this packed episode. We hope you like this one! Find shownotes at letsaskmyfriends.com. You can also support us on buymeacoffee.com/lamf.

We know, we said we'll be back soon. We kinda dropped off the face of the Earth, really, and we are sorry for that. It has been a long year for us. The team has changed. The podcast has changed. Yet, we're finally back. Here's a mini episode or trailer to give you a gist of what we plan to do next. Shorter episodes, more free-form content, and better consistency are all on the table. For the first time, we have no plan or structure, and we couldn't be more excited to see where we go from here! The first episode drops on November 27th, 2021! Find us at letsaskmyfriends.com and support us on buymeacoffee.com/lamf!

For the last episode of this season, we decided to talk about the most important question: what's up, man? The idea is simple, we talk about our lives, what changed throughout the year, how the pandemic changed our lives and perspectives. We also talk about our families with a whole lot of banter, our experiences with work and relationships. This episode is longer than our usual because it's just three friends talking. The banter would check out too, and you'll see it's dialed up in this one. We decided to do one of these at the end of each season so this is a tradition now. It's also a way to say that we're definitely coming back after a short break. We sincerely hope you liked what we brought you for these thirteen episodes. We also hope we added some value to your life. All in all, we'll be back and with more thoughtful but awesome conversations soon enough. What a wild ride this has been! It all started from a Whatsapp group chat. Also, we mentioned in the episode that we're revamping our Patreon. As of the release of this episode, the revamp is pending, but it will be live along with the second season.

Priorities are something that most people don't talk about much. We often claim to have priorities that our actions go entirely against. It's typical behaviour. For example, someone who says that financial freedom is their priority and yet fails to contain their splurging is not in sync with their real priorities. You can think of countless examples from so many lives you're privy to, including your own. Most of us falter at some point when it comes to priorities. In this episode, we wanted to touch upon our current priorities, how we prioritise, what our understanding of the entire idea is, how we avoid errors, how we fail at it and so on. We hope you enjoy our little discussion! Also, we're on Patreon now so if you feel we're doing a good job, feel free to support us!

Boundaries are important. They're important not just for individuals but for all social relationships in an individual's life. When boundaries are enforced correctly, be it in personal, professional or social situations, they help us live our lives as per our comfort and understanding. There's also a downside when the boundaries get too stringent. We explore all of that and more in this episode. We talk about our experiences with both enforcing and breaking boundaries, why we find boundary-setting difficult, how we actually define boundaries and so on. We hope you'll like this episode! Also, we're on Patreon now so if you feel we're doing a good job, feel free to support us!

Are you a chronic overthinker? All of us are guilty of overthinking. Most of us have a friend who says, "Damn, man. You think too much," or maybe, we are that friend for many people. So, we decided to ask the same thing. During this episode, we talk about our individual experiences with thinking about things and then thinking about thinking. We try to answer how we define what "over" is for all three of us. We also share what works for us, what has worked for us in the past, things and tools we use to cut our thought from going into that spiral. We think you'll like this episode. If you don't, we'll keep thinking about it, going in circles, wondering what happened. Also, we're on Patreon now so if you feel we're doing a good job, feel free to support us!

Fitness is important. We won't bore you with clichés and quotes on how a fit body leads to a fit mind. However, we touched this topic because fitness is also very toxic, if not one of the most toxic topics out there. The reason is because people don't understand what fitness is to them. It means different things to different people. Fitness for an athlete and a programmer are bound to mean different things. Yet, they go to the same gym and get the same trainer. It's a lot of hullabaloo without much consequence when it comes to getting fitter. That's why most people quit. In this episode, we talk about our experiences and journeys towards finding our definitions for fitness. Spoiler alert! It means different things for all three of us. We hope we can help you find what it means to you as well. ---------- Note: This episode is slightly more explicit than our usual episodes. We felt it better to let you know here even if the Explicit E is already on it.

Everybody fails. There’s no lie about it. Failure sucks and hits hard, and usually when we’re already down. It can be difficult to get out of a failed situation. It could be a failed business, a failed relationship, or even a failed task. There’s no scale here. It’s all equal. However, in failure lies learning. In failure, lies hope to try again. Therefore, we wanted to ask each other how we deal with failures. What motivates us to get out of our slumps, what struggles we’ve had, and how failure and the act of failing has made us who we are over the years. Also, we’re on Patreon now so if you feel we’re doing a good job, feel free to support us!

In the last episode, we discussed why routines are important. The reason for splitting the idea of routines into two episodes—the why and the how—was to make sure we give both the motivation and the process equal time and attention. So, in this episode, we talk about the best practices (please take that with a grain of salt) that work for each of us, the different methods that we use to build our routines, the ways we track habits, and more importantly, how do we rebuild a routine once it's broken. As always, you can find the references and shownotes at letsaskmyfriends.com. Also, we're on Patreon now so if you feel we're doing a good job, feel free to support us!

Since self-improvement is nothing without mentioning routines, we decided to pick the question as well. However, routines are a broad stroke, if nothing else. So, we decided to split the episode into two parts: the why and the how. This is the why of routines, and here we talk about our experiences with routines, how they've built us up, how they've helped us, and so on. In the episode, we touch upon how routines are everything that remains when a crisis arrives, how we're always in a routine, and other ideas we feel are worth hearing at least once. In the next episode, we'll discuss how we build routines. As always, you can find the shownotes on letsaskmyfriends.com, and we're on Patreon if you'd like to support us and help us keep this going.

You only live once! The phrase YOLO has reverberated throughout the past decade. For us, though, this phrase carries a double-meaning. While "you only live once" is a perfect statement to push people into action. Towards spontaneity, it also brings with it, some level of caution. When it is not a call to action, it is a warning. In this episode, we explore this duality in the ever-present acronym. Throughout the conversation, we realise how all of us perceive it differently when it comes to action and warning. Coincidentally, we arrive at a neat metaphor to, perhaps, balance it all out. This may be our wildest yet most thoughtful episode yet. As always, you can find the shownotes at letsaskmyfriends.com. Also, we're on Patreon now, and we'd love it if you could help us do what we do!

Comparisons are often frowned upon, and of course, they don't make us feel great most of the time. However, there's a not-talked-about upside to comparing yourself with others. In fact, if done right, it can become a brilliant catalyst to push you in a better direction. Our friendship thrives on healthy rivalries and pushing each other forward. In this episode, we talk about exactly that: when is it okay to compare yourself to others? As always, you can find the shownotes on letsaskmyfriends.com. Also, we're on Patreon now. So, if you like what I do, help us sustain it and get exclusive access in return!

After realising that not everyone talks to their friends about money, we decided to bring that as a question as an episode. Money is essential, there's no denying that. Still, there has to be a balance between its importance for a person and the things that they genuinely value. In this episode, we discuss our individual relationships with money, our journeys with finance so far, how we save or accrue money, things that we've tried, ideas that we follow and so on. This is a packed episode! We've also shared the resources we've mentioned in the shownotes at letsaskmyfriends.com

In a slightly offbeat topic, we decided to discuss how social media apps, especially Instagram, have people censor significant aspects of their lives to only post content of a certain kind. The conversation takes an unexpected turn, though when we realise that each social media platform today now offers a new way to express yourself. The possibility and the sheer differences in each of our approaches made us realise how each platform can add value to each person's life differently. Throughout the episode, we also touch upon feedback loops, setting boundaries, toxic positivity, app management and other healthy social media usage practices which might help you cope with the new normal of platforms all around.

In this episode, we wrestle with the differences between when someone is just alone and when that turns into loneliness. Since each of us have had our own tryst with both of them, the discussion evolves into a collection of interesting anecdotes. We also share how we cope with loneliness, what works for us and what we feel could be the way to get out of loneliness once it hits you. There's no denying it always hits, eventually. We hope this helps you out in some way, and we hope our collective experience through this conversation is worth your while. Find the show notes on letsaskmyfriends.com