Project May 2026

Prakash Hegade 3 Comments

As soon as April ends with the A to Z Challenge, I begin my most valued project of the year: Project May. Project May is all about living every day to the fullest and making sense of each and every day. Every year, it brings me a new perspective. I take time to document things. I take time to reflect. I take time to get lost a little and explore around for more.

This year, like every year, I have built a profound sense of the things around me. The whole objective is to become more fearless and make meaningful moves ahead. This May was about that. A lot of things now make a whole new sense. Every day has been a day of satisfaction. It has been a month of meaningful satisfaction. I am hopeful that until my next Project May, I will become a whole new, different, and better person.

For the first time in years, I had regrets this May. I have never really carried regrets in life so far, but this time I felt it. I kept thinking about how I should have changed my job years ago. My current workplace has the most meaningful team I have ever met. For years, people told me I was a workaholic, but here I am often the last person still working, surrounded by people who genuinely care about what they do. People here make sense of things. They value what matters. The work feels meaningful. Every day feels like a day of satisfaction. Maybe that is why the regret became deeper this May. I spent too many years in places that made me feel small, invested in petty and meaningless things, working on tasks that never made sense to me. I know everything becomes a lesson in the end, and the responsibility is ultimately mine. We choose where we stay. We choose what we continue to tolerate. Still, better late than never. I am glad I found a place that reminds me that meaningful work and meaningful people still exist.

And yet, I remain grateful. I thank many people around me, and I thank God, because somewhere deep inside, I still believe I have lived life in my own way: the way I wanted, the way I imagined myself becoming, and toward a future that makes sense to me. Maybe this May was not about regret alone. Maybe it was about a little more [i am yet to find a right word to place here]. About finally seeing things without illusion. This June, I want to write more. More deep things. More meaningful things. More honest things.

Cheers to life and people who add meaning to it.

Zeigarnik Effect

Prakash Hegade 6 Comments

It’s April of 2026 and Day 26 of the A to Z challenge. This year, being the tenth, I am doing the theme of “Architecture of Mind“. This years theme explores the mind map of hidden biases. In this journey, we will explore how biases shape our thinking and sometimes lead us away from reality.

Day 26 – Zeigarnik Effect

Zeigarnik Effect explains the tendency to remember unfinished or interrupted tasks more than completed ones. It shows how incomplete work stays active in our mind and keeps returning to our thoughts. Unfinished tasks create a sense of tension, making it harder for the mind to let go until they are completed. We begin to hold on to what is incomplete, while finished tasks fade more easily. This effect appears in everyday situations involving work, goals, and thoughts. For example, an incomplete conversation may keep coming to mind, even when we try to focus on something else.

Mind is a holder,
Of restless design.
Finish fades,
Far left behind.
The weight of almost,
Has a nervous line.
Book wide open,
Refusing to align.

In the architecture of mind, what is done? what remains unfinished? Where are we?

Yerkes–Dodson Law

Prakash Hegade 5 Comments

It’s April of 2026 and Day 25 of the A to Z challenge. This year, being the tenth, I am doing the theme of “Architecture of Mind“. This years theme explores the mind map of hidden biases. In this journey, we will explore how biases shape our thinking and sometimes lead us away from reality.

Day 25 – Yerkes–Dodson Law

When we feel a little pressure, we tend to perform better, but too much pressure can make us anxious and reduce our performance. This is explained by the Yerkes–Dodson Law. It shows how performance increases with stress up to a certain point, and then begins to decline when the pressure becomes too high. A moderate level of alertness helps us stay focused, while excessive stress overwhelms the mind. We begin to struggle because the pressure is too much. This idea appears in everyday situations involving work, exams, and deadlines. For example, a small amount of nervousness before a test can help us stay sharp, but too much anxiety can make us forget what we know.

A moderate
Keeps us in control.
A rhythm seen,
Keeping us keen.
We are not machines
of volts and bolts,
we are machines
Of mortal faults.

In the architecture of mind, efficiency requires a “sweet spot” of stress.

Xenophobia

Prakash Hegade 5 Comments

It’s April of 2026 and Day 24 of the A to Z challenge. This year, being the tenth, I am doing the theme of “Architecture of Mind“. This years theme explores the mind map of hidden biases. In this journey, we will explore how biases shape our thinking and sometimes lead us away from reality.

Day 24 – Xenophobia

When we feel uncomfortable or unsure around people who are different or unfamiliar to us, we are experiencing Xenophobia Bias. It explains the tendency to prefer what feels familiar and to be cautious of what is new or different. Mind seeks safety and comfort, For example, when we enter a new place or meet someone from a different background, we may hesitate or feel distant at first, simply because it is unfamiliar.

The fence
Of us and me;
Beyond the line,
There is strangeness.
Behind the line,
There is home.
Break the barrier,
The walls are thin.

In the architecture of mind, strangeness is a bridge we scare to cross.

Wishful Thinking

Prakash Hegade 8 Comments

It’s April of 2026 and Day 23 of the A to Z challenge. This year, being the tenth, I am doing the theme of “Architecture of Mind“. This years theme explores the mind map of hidden biases. In this journey, we will explore how biases shape our thinking and sometimes lead us away from reality.

Day 23 – Wishful Thinking

When we hope something will turn out a certain way and start believing it will, even without strong reason, we are experiencing Wishful Thinking. It explains the tendency to accept something as true because we want it to be true. Mind prefers comfort and positive outcomes, making it easier to believe what feels good rather than what is likely. We begin to shape our expectations around our desires, even when reality may be different. For example, we may believe we will do well in an exam without proper preparation, simply because we want that outcome.

When you see
The finish line
Before the start,
Calling it faith,
Calling it sign,
Is that the soul
Of secret design,
Or just Wishful Think?

In the architecture of mind, we often choose the warmth of a lie over the trouble of a truth.

Von Restorff Effect

Prakash Hegade 5 Comments

It’s April of 2026 and Day 22 of the A to Z challenge. This year, being the tenth, I am doing the theme of “Architecture of Mind“. This years theme explores the mind map of hidden biases. In this journey, we will explore how biases shape our thinking and sometimes lead us away from reality.

Day 22 – Von Restorff Effect

When one thing stands out among many similar things, we are more likely to notice and remember it. This is called the Von Restorff Effect. It explains the tendency to remember items that are different or unique compared to others. Mind pays more attention to the one that breaks the pattern, making it easier to store and recall. We begin to focus on what is distinct and overlooking what blends in. For example, in a list of black words, if one word is in red, we are more likely to remember that word than the rest.

The unique,
Demands focus.
Being different,
Goes deep.
Past the surface of things,
And the odd one out.
One broken thread,
Defines the whole weave.

In the architecture of mind, the outlier holds the secret that the pattern cannot keep.

Unit Bias

Prakash Hegade 5 Comments

It’s April of 2026 and Day 21 of the A to Z challenge. This year, being the tenth, I am doing the theme of “Architecture of Mind“. This years theme explores the mind map of hidden biases. In this journey, we will explore how biases shape our thinking and sometimes lead us away from reality.

Day 21 – Unit Bias

Unit Bias is the tendency to see a given portion or unit as the right amount and feel the need to finish it. It explains how we often rely on what is presented to decide how much to consume or complete. Mind treats the unit as a natural boundary, even if it does not match our actual need. We begin to act based on the size of the portion rather than our own limits. For example, we may finish an entire plate of food just because it is served that way, even if we were already full halfway through. We may finish an entire bottle of water just because we opened it, even if we were no longer thirsty.

Unit is the goal,
The bottom of the bowl.
Physical limits, wandering mind,
Border, where enough is defined.
The errors are the sense,
At the body’s expense.
The sacred law
Is the size of the serve we saw.

In the architecture of mind, the boundary of the box becomes the limit of the will.

Third-Person Effect

Prakash Hegade 3 Comments

It’s April of 2026 and Day 20 of the A to Z challenge. This year, being the tenth, I am doing the theme of “Architecture of Mind“. This years theme explores the mind map of hidden biases. In this journey, we will explore how biases shape our thinking and sometimes lead us away from reality.

Day 20 – Third-Person Effect

When we see an advertisement or message and feel that it will influence others more than it influences us, we are experiencing the Third-Person Effect. It explains the tendency to believe that others are more affected by media, persuasion, or bias than we are. We see ourselves as more aware or rational, while assuming others are more easily influenced. We begin to distance ourselves from the effect while still recognizing it in others. For example, we may think social media affects other people’s thinking, but not our own, even though we are exposed to the same content.

We all have a lens,
Tilted.
We see through it,
Unaffected.
We see the trap
No one else sees.
Is the one most certain,
The one most lost?

In the architecture of mind, we are all certainly lost.

Spotlight Effect

Prakash Hegade 11 Comments

It’s April of 2026 and Day 19 of the A to Z challenge. This year, being the tenth, I am doing the theme of “Architecture of Mind“. This years theme explores the mind map of hidden biases. In this journey, we will explore how biases shape our thinking and sometimes lead us away from reality.

Day 19 – Spotlight Effect

When we feel that everyone is noticing what we say, do, or wear, even small things, we are experiencing the Spotlight Effect. It explains the tendency to overestimate how much others pay attention to us. We are naturally focused on ourselves, making our actions feel more visible and important than they actually are. We assume others are observing us closely, even when they are mostly focused on their own thoughts and concerns. This bias appears in everyday situations involving social interactions and self-image. For example, if we make a small mistake in public, we may feel everyone noticed it, while most people may not have even paid attention.

For a blink
Of every eye,
We are walking
Across the calm sand.
You are just a
Background noise,
And world too busy,
To hear your voice.

In the architecture of mind, we are all background noises.

Recency Bias

Prakash Hegade 5 Comments

It’s April of 2026 and Day 18 of the A to Z challenge. This year, being the tenth, I am doing the theme of “Architecture of Mind“. This years theme explores the mind map of hidden biases. In this journey, we will explore how biases shape our thinking and sometimes lead us away from reality.

Day 18 – Recency Bias

When we judge something based mainly on what happened recently, even if older information matters more, we are showing Recency Bias. It explains the tendency to give more weight to recent experiences than to the full history. Recent events are easier to remember and feel more important, even when they do not represent the complete picture. We begin to form opinions based on what is fresh in our mind, overlooking what happened before. For example, after watching a few bad episodes of a series, we may start feeling the whole show is not good, even if we enjoyed it earlier.

A season of love,
Met by a flaw.
A masterpiece,
Ignored and raw.
Look back and far,
Past latest cloud;
Find oldest star,
Still bright and vast.

In the architecture of mind, a momentary shadow might eclipse a lifetime of light.