An Old Habit in a New Form: Introducing Aaryan Notes

At the end of each day, I take time to reflect on my work and interactions. I often note what felt important, what could be improved, what I still do not understand, or what remains unresolved. The pages are rarely tidy, but they help me see things more clearly and notice hidden layers.

I have relied on this habit since the early days of starting the Global Citizenship Foundation. We began with very limited resources and a small on-site team. Today the organization has a global footprint despite those constraints. Our team works across countries and time zones while staying aligned around a shared mandate to help schools and school leaders deliver quality global citizenship education within formal education.

Along the way I have tried many tools, frameworks, approaches and strategies. Probably way too many. The ones that truly help are not always the most popular or the ones that show up first in a search result. The only way to find out has been to experiment and pay attention to what actually supports the way our teams work. I try to capture those observations before they disappear under the weight of the next deadline.

Some of the most transformative insights I have had are very small. Sometimes they hide behind the noise of louder ideas and actions. On their own these insights are easy to miss or to lose over time.

When I read back through my reflections, they explain what made a difference and give me a deeper perspective. Revisiting them has helped me consolidate and refine my thoughts and experiences around global education work, leadership, and the use of technology in both personal and professional life. Playing with Descartes’ quote, I often joke, “I overthink therefore I am.” This habit of reflecting and looking closely has helped me notice what would otherwise slip by.

This conscious habit of consolidating insights has also helped us replicate and sustain good practices at an organizational level. Over time it has translated into guides, playbooks and process flows that support our work. These resources help new team members find their footing and understand how we work.

I intend to bring the same instinct to this space. I hope to share lessons from experiments in global education, nonprofit leadership, technology and the culture of a globally distributed learning organization. There is already a lot of writing on these topics. Books, articles, reports and frameworks have all helped me. What I missed, especially earlier in my journey, was an intimate view from people who work in mission-driven and growing organizations with tight budgets, trying to make things work day by day. I wanted to hear the “how” and to know what worked and what did not behind that approach.

Aaryan Notes is where I plan to share a few of my observations, reflections and field notes. These notes are meant to sit alongside what already exists and offer one front-seat view of my insights from work and beyond. Calling them notes reminds me that not everything I share needs to be a firm conclusion. It can be a reflective snapshot from a moment in time.

If you work in a mission-driven organization or initiatives, especially ones that are small, global or both, you might recognise parts of your own experience in some of my notes. I cannot promise answers. However, I intend to offer a candid account of what I am trying, the nuances of what seems to help, and the aspects I am still figuring out.