Anushree Sharma is the Chief Product Officer at Nuw, the world’s first clothes sharing and swapping app.
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1) To kick things off, could you tell us a little about your career background and current role?
So I am one of those people that started as a Product Manager right after graduation in 2012. I got a Bachelor’s degree in Computer Information Systems, worked for about 7 years and then got a Masters in Human Computer Interaction. I have always been interested in the user behaviour aspect of a product and I continuously try to create products that make the user feel at the centre of them.
I have worked in startups across countries and right now I am glad to be a founding team member at The Nu Wardrobe (Nuw). At Nuw we are making fashion sustainable, affordable and unlimited by creating a social clothes swapping platform. We are currently in the Ireland and UK market and launching in the US in a few weeks.
2) What does a day in your life look like for you? Can you take us through a recent workday?
We work from home and are a lean team so sometimes it is hard to cut off completely even after work hours. But I try to have as much structure in my day as I can. I wake up around 7:30, do a bit of stretching, drink a big pot of tea and start my work day. I have realised over the years that I am more productive in the first half of the day, especially things that need greater attention to detail.
I also practise intermittent fasting usually following the 17/7 type most days so I only eat once during the daytime. This makes it important that I am eating a well balanced meal so I put effort into cooking what I eat.
Most days at work I am being pulled into lots of fire-fighting tasks, so I try to have a ‘mindful block’ at some point in the evening where I am winding down and being in the moment. I usually sleep around 10 at night everyday.
3) What does work-life balance mean to you and how do you work to achieve that goal?
In 2023, I am trying to focus a lot on my personal well-being both physically and mentally. Sometimes when you are working hard to build a start-up, other things need to take a backseat, which is needed but ultimately spending quality time with family is my top priority. This is a balancing act but I try to spend as much time as I can with them.
For the last 4 years I have also been doing Reformer Pilates and Yoga regularly, so 5 days a week I will do one or the other. I also love being in nature and I am grateful to be living in Bath, where literally everything is picturesque and all you need to feel joy is walk out the door!
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4) In the past 12 months, have you started or stopped any routines or habits to change your life?
I have completely cut sugar and gluten out of my diet. I also eat vegetarian on most days, and since I enjoy cooking, in the last 12 months I have tried to find alternatives to making more traditional Indian recipes healthy.
I have also started to read every night before bed. I am a lover of physical books and this is one of the things that has brought me a lot of joy in the past year.
5) Do you have any favourite books, podcasts or newsletters that you’d like to recommend?
I read across the board but I am interested in politics, philosophy and poetry. Some of my favourite books in no particular order are:
- The Sublime Object of Ideology – Slavoj Zizek
- The War on Women – Sue Lloyd Roberts
- The Book of Life – J.Krishnamurti
- The Little Prince – Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
- How to Spot a Fascist – Umberto Eco
- Beyond Good and Evil – Friedrich Nietzsche
I love Tagore and Emily Dickinson as poets.
I listen to podcasts sporadically but I enjoy – The Splendid Table, No such thing as a Fish and Naval’s podcast. I also love Cabin Pressure and listen to it when I need a good laugh.
6) If you could read an interview about work-life balance by anyone, who would that be?
Lewis Hamilton! I am very inspired by how focused and hardworking he is as a driver but also in doing things that really challenge him outside of Formula One. He also tries to put his weight behind causes he cares about so I think he is quite multifaceted.
7) Do you have any last thoughts on work, life or balance that you’d like to share with our readers?
A lot of the transformative ideas I have had about building Nuw have come to me while what Daniel Kahneman classifies as ‘Slow Thinking’. Since most parts of my work day follow a very fast thinking, fire fighting approach I think it is important to take time out for deliberate thinking.
It is also important to take time out for things that give you joy and pursue them regularly!
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