This is the third edition of my monthly review. March was the final month of Q1, so this one pulls double duty: a look at how March went, and an honest accounting of the entire quarter.

On the evening of March 5th, my sister Cherry called. Her father-in-law had a heart attack. I rushed to the hospital in Palam. By the next morning, he had passed. I spent the following days coordinating logistics, picking Cherry and Ashu from the airport, attending last rites. They stayed with us for weeks afterwards. As Covid also taught us, life doesn’t pause for your plans. Rather, life always have its own plan.

That set the tone for March. It was chaotic, full, and deeply personal. Ryan was here post-exams. Riya was wrapping up boards. Cherry and Aarvish were staying over, with Ashu coming and going. The house was fuller than it had been in a long time. And somehow, in the middle of all that, I managed 24 gym sessions, kept my meditation going, much happened on career front, and watched my son officially start homeschooling. Not a quiet month. No sir, not at all.

Family & Relationships

This was the richest pillar of the quarter, and March was the peak.

My sister and family were here for majority of the month. We were together in those difficult weeks. We had dosa mornings, full house evenings, and the kind of chaotic warmth that only comes when everyone is under one roof.

Ryan was the other big thread. We coded together on Daily Athlete for marathon sessions (one day went 14 hours straight). The bigger story: after months of discussion and planning with Misty, Ryan’s Transfer Certificate was taken on March 30th. Homeschooling is now officially happening. This was unplanned at the start of Q1 and became one of its most significant outcomes.

Riya went through her board exams and then entrance exams. I was there for each one, driving, waiting, being present. That’s the job, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Lot happened on friendship front. Almost every weekend I caught up with my friends. Most of my conversations are meaningful and reflecting. Blessed to have such deep set of friends.

Wellness & Fitness

24 gym sessions in March. Five sessions a week, every week, even through the chaos of Cherry’s stay and family logistics. Push, pull, legs, Hyrox circuits on rotation. I did 3 Hyrox simulations in March. Strength continues to build. Deposit made in the bank, one day at a time.

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Zone 2 cardio was strong in the first two weeks (5 sessions each in W10 and W11), then dropped off in the second half as life got busier. The cycling-rucking-incline walk variety that saved me in February works, but only when I actually do it.

Protein mostly tracked at 150g, though it slipped toward month-end.

Sleep remained the chronic weak link, need continued focus.

Hyrox Delhi is July 22nd. The body is responding. The training is real. Now it’s about closing the gaps: Zone 2 consistency and running base.

Finance & Investing

The finance study engine kept running. Vijay Kedia’s valuation methodology, AI hedge fund research on GitHub, and ongoing work on the financial model app.

March was not particularly great in this area, but overall this quarter has been excellent in this.

I also opened US brokerage account this month, to invest in US market.

Deep company analysis is happening, but not at the pace or volume I’d planned.

The honest pattern this quarter: I love the learning, I avoid the execution. In Q2, I need fewer targets with real deadlines, not a long list of aspirations.

Learning & Writing

Books finished with notes in Q1: Psycho Cybernetics (the book of the quarter, deeply influenced how I think about self-image and mental rehearsal), 100 Baggers (notes published online), and ADHD 2.0 (read it, didn’t click). Articles published across the quarter: Ironman Journey, January and February newsletters, preventive health article, and a piece on Indian Stock Markets.

Ryan and I continued building findmearace.com and Daily Athlete.

Ryan homeschooling planning is also a learning experience, I plan to write on this. Might be useful to others in future.

The recurring gap: I study a lot and ship a little. Need to close the loops more and publish more. Q2 mantra: one article per month, published. Not drafted, published.

Mind & Meditation

Feb was a good month for meditation. March was ok, not great. My practice was more distracted. The habit is slowly building, but depth is yet to come.

I didn’t read The Mind Illuminated, which has been in every single monthly plan since January.

The no-phone morning routine is something I need to keep working on. It’s better than it was, but not fully there yet.

Morning Journaling is extremely helpful. During mid march, my mind was in overdrive - too many threads going on. I wrote about decision paralysis, chronic anxiety, poor sleep. But I also caught myself, paused, planned my week, and came back calmer. The mindfulness muscle worked when it mattered most, even if the formal practice needs more work.

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Joy

The full house in March was its own kind of joy.One evening we were all listening to music together, and those small moments are what I’ll remember.

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Coding with Ryan brings me a kind of joy that’s hard to describe. Building something together, the back-and-forth brainstorming, watching him pick things up. That’s it. That’s joy.

Another chapter began for which I can’t write here yet. But a new community, new dimension being explored. I’m curious about it.

The planned micro-adventure (pottery, woodwork, coffee roasting, flying lesson) didn’t happen. Again. If I’m honest, I need to either book one immediately or admit it’s not actually something I want enough to do.

The Q1 Big Picture

Three months ago, I sat down and wrote my first quarterly plan. Here’s how the Q1 Rocks landed:

Q1 Rock Final Status
No Phone in Bedroom Better, but still work in progress
Study 150 Companies Partial. Framework and model built. Count far below 150.
Meditation Habit Established. Started inconsistent in Jan, locked in Feb, needs more depth.

The Honest Scorecard

Pillar Q1 Verdict
Family & Relationships Very Strong. Ryan homeschooling started. Present for family / friends
Wellness & Fitness Strong. Zero to 24 gym sessions/month. Hyrox prep real. Sleep still unsolved.
Finance & Investing Mixed. Learning deep. Execution light.
Learning & Writing Good. 2 books with notes, 4+ articles published. Building apps. Publishing cadence still the gap.
Mind & Meditation Progress. Habit started. Needs depth, focus, and the book.
Joy Present. Through relationships and spontaneity, not planned adventures.
Travel Complete. Goa in January. Light quarter by design.
Office Good.

Looking Ahead

Q2 is about converting foundations to action. The gym habit, the meditation practice, the finance framework, the building : all of that was Q1’s gift to Q2.

The concrete targets: Hyrox Delhi on July 22nd drives the fitness pillar. Ryan’s homeschooling (A2 German + Maths) is now a weekly commitment. First US stock purchases on IndMoney. Go to Bangalore. Take Mom to Bihar / Deoghar - this has been deferred since January, and it can’t slide again. Launch Daily Athlete for initial users. Read Chapter 1 of The Mind Illuminated. Publish one article per month.

The micro-adventure needs one booking. The meditation needs more than 5 distracted minutes. Base is there, need to build on it.

The unexpected things that happened in March : time with Cherry, Ryan’s TC, Office front, Bangalore, New community remind me that the best parts of life often aren’t in the plan. But having a plan means you notice when life exceeds it.

I am a warrior monk.

This is part of a monthly series where I review my life across the pillars that matter to me. The goal isn’t perfection, it’s awareness. If you know where you are, you can choose where to go.