Weeknote #31 [W26.21] - Experiments with L-theanine, transitioning to product management, and more cats

Trying out L-theanine to manage inattention symptoms

I started taking L-theanine tablets last week.

I saw a couple of YouTube videos in which people with ADHD mentioned that L-theanine along with a cup of coffee helped them. L-theanine is a compound that is naturally present in tea. Among other things, it is supposed to make you stay in a calm but alert mental state.

I did feel that I had a more productive week than I have had in the rest of the year so far. I got a lot of stuff done at work. I slept more than usual. And slept on time more days than usual. I also went to Cubbon Reads on Saturday morning for the first time in 3 years in Bangalore. Something which I have been wanting to do ever since I came here, but never did because I am usually passed out sleeping on Saturday mornings. And then on Sunday morning, I went to the market at Chichpete for the first time as well.

I would be sceptical of attributing the increased productivity to the effects of L-theanine yet. It could very well be that the intentional act of taking a tablet is acting as a placebo and making me feel more focused. There have been so many things in the past which I’ve tried that worked for a while initially and then didn’t. It remains to be seen how this works out.

(And placebos can do wonders. I am reminded of this example that I keep coming across. A study in which they found that fake knee surgeries had better outcomes than actual surgeries. ¹ There is also another study in which they found that “branding of a tablet appears to have conferred a treatment benefit.” ²)

Transitioning into product management and thoughts on optimising career choices

Speaking of experiments, I’have been running another one.

Last month I was asked at work to transition from working from a product designer to a product manager. (Because who needs designers now? Claude can do it!)

I didn’t think too much about it and said yes to it on instinct.

Since then, I’ve been thinking, what criteria should be used for making such career choices?

I think I have made peace with the fact that most of the work I’m going to be doing in my career is going to be essentially pointless. ³ The point of having a job is so that I have enough money to be able to do more fun stuff outside of work. Like hosting dinner for friends, decorating my home, or running a film club.

And if that is the case, it makes sense to make career decisions that optimize for the highest possible remuneration.

I also realized that you don’t do yourself any favors in terms of earning more if you stay at the same company for too long. The best way to increase your salary is to keep switching jobs and roles frequently. That is what the current job market rewards.

Even though I do I personally see an equity in working as a product manager, I am going to go ahead with the change. It’s the most sensible decision I can make for myself, considering the long term. Because when I apply for my next job, I am going to not only have more options available to me, but also more options which will pay better. (And if I hate it too much, I will at least always have the option of going back to being a designer for my next job.)

Temporarily more kittens

I had two more cats with me for a couple of days last week.

These were two tiny one-month old kittens. Their mother is a stray cat who comes and goes at my neighbor’s place.

So one afternoon, the kids from downstairs, Zeinab and Luqman, come with two kittens, and they ask me to take them. I try saying no. I’m not very good at it. Ao they just leave the kittens there with me and go back down. And I like cats at this point. I am not entirely against the idea of having a couple more cats with me.

And the two of them are absolutely adorable. Plus they also get along with Malcolm surprisingly well, almost immediately.

Funnily enough, the next day, the kids come back and they ask for the cats back. I realized that both their parents have very different ideas about what to do with the cats. The kids’ father thinks that the kittens should stay with the mother cat for as long as possible. The kids’ mother on the other hand — who has to stay at home and actually take care of the cats — would rather give them away. Which also makes sense, given that she already has to take care of three kids who are an absolute menace and two more cats other than these two kittens.