Arkhive by Arya

I n Five Years is not your typical love story and that’s exactly what makes it so unforgettable. Rebecca Serle masterfully blends romance, friendship, and a touch of magical realism in this emotionally rich novel that explores the unpredictability of life.  Book Review: In Five Years by Rebecca Serle The story follows Dannie Kohan, a corporate lawyer who has her life perfectly mapped out until she wakes up five years in the future, in a different apartment, beside a different man, and everything she thought she knew unravels. When she returns to the present, the vision haunts her, slowly reshaping the choices she makes and how she sees the people closest to her. What stands out in Serle’s writing is her ability to capture the complexity of relationships especially the deep, often underexplored bond between best friends. The novel is tender, surprising, and quietly devastating, with a twist that shifts it from a “dreamy love story” into something far more profound. Rather than an...

 The Art of Doing One Thing Well We live in a world that rewards multitasking, which is basically jumping between tabs, juggling ten projects, and constantly being “on.” For a long time, I thought that was the only way to keep up. But somewhere along the way, I started to feel scattered. Everything felt halfway done, halfway thought through. That’s when I stumbled into something quiet but powerful: the art of doing one thing well. It sounds simple. Obvious, even. But it’s surprisingly hard to practice. Doing one thing well means resisting the urge to rush. It means sitting with one task, one idea, one moment and giving it everything. Your full energy. Your full attention. It’s not about being slow; it’s about being present . And there’s a kind of satisfaction that only shows up when you give something your undivided focus. When I applied this to my own work: whether it was writing, designing, practising music, or even having a conversation: I noticed a difference. The outc...

 The Most Underrated Skill I’ve Learned This Year It took me a while to realise this, but the most underrated skill I’ve learned this year isn’t something flashy or technical: it’s listening . Not the surface-level kind where you nod along while thinking of your reply, but the kind that requires your full presence. True listening. I used to think that speaking up, making a point, and always having something clever to say was a sign of confidence. But I’ve learned that silence, paired with attention, often speaks louder. This shift didn’t happen all at once. It started in small moments like when I stayed quiet just a little longer during a conversation, or when I re-read a message instead of rushing to respond. I noticed how often people just want to feel understood. And I noticed how many misunderstandings in life happen only because we’re too eager to answer, defend, or prove. Listening changed that. It’s strange how such a basic thing, which is something we’re all capabl...

 The Science Behind Procrastination It took me a really long time to ponder upon this, but here’s my take: Ever found yourself doing literally anything other than the thing you’re supposed to do? Cleaning your desk, checking old texts, suddenly remembering to organise your photos from 2020? Yep , thats classic procrastination. But here’s the twist: it’s not always about laziness or bad time management. There’s actual science behind why we put things off and it usually starts in the brain. At the center of your brain. There is something called the limbic system : the part of your brain that deals with emotions. It’s kind of impulsive and loves comfort. On the other hand, the prefrontal cortex : responsible for planning and decision-making which is more logical but quieter. So when a task feels boring, overwhelming, or uncertain, the emotional part of your brain basically wins the argument: “Let’s not do this right now.” Also, procrastination is often a way of avo...

 Why Consistency Beats Talent Every Time! I used to believe that talent was everything. That some people were just naturally good, faster, sharper, more creative, and the rest of us were simply trying to catch up. However, over time, I began to notice something different. The people who were growing, improving, and producing great work weren’t always the most talented. They were the most consistent. There was a time when I’d wait for a spark or some burst of motivation or a perfect idea. I thought quality came from waiting for the right moment. But the truth is, progress rarely shows up in fireworks. It’s quiet. It looks like showing up on a regular Tuesday when no one’s watching. The ones who got better were the ones who didn’t stop. Doing something every day, even in a small way builds a kind of internal rhythm. You stop worrying so much about whether it’s good. You just do the thing. You learn. You build trust with yourself. You become the kind of person who keeps goin...

Why We All Need a ‘Boring’ Weekend Lately, I’ve started looking forward to weekends with no plans at all. No brunches, no meetups, no ticking things off a list. Just... nothing special. And honestly, it's kind of amazing. There’s this weird pressure to make every weekend productive or fun . Like if you didn’t go out, travel, or post something, you wasted your time. But I’ve found that the most restful, grounding weekends are the ones where I barely do anything. Staying in, cleaning my space slowly, rewatching old shows, sitting with a cup of coffee and no music playing, it feels like I’m giving my brain a chance to breathe. No overstimulation, no running around, just silence and simplicity. It’s not exciting, but it’s real. The funny part is: those weekends actually help me feel more like myself. I get ideas. I feel calmer. I stop rushing. And when Monday comes, I’m not already drained. We don’t talk about it much, but maybe “boring” is underrated. Maybe it’s e...

 Book Summary: What I Learned from “ Don’t Believe Everything You Think” by Joseph Nguyen “I Don’t Believe Everything You Think” by Joseph Nguyen is a powerful reminder that our thoughts are not always true and, most importantly, we are not our thoughts. Throughout the book, Nguyen explains how much of our suffering comes from identifying with the constant stream of mental chatter in our heads. We often mistake our thoughts for truth, and in doing so, we create emotional pain, anxiety, and unnecessary stress. The book encourages readers to take a step back and recognise that the mind can be a storyteller, often spinning dramatic, fearful, or limiting narratives that don’t reflect reality. One of the most transformative ideas from the book is the concept that you are the awareness behind the thoughts , not the thoughts themselves. This shift in perspective allows you to observe your mind instead of being controlled by it. Nguyen talks about the ego and how it thrives on problem...