Amit @NextFive

Hi, I’m Amit!

This is where I write about myself without needing it to be useful. Putting this here also makes it easier for me to copy and paste the following when asked.
Credit for the note: Sloane

Last updated: November 2025

About me

I'm exploring the intersection of creation, learning, and connection.

More than anything, I want to make: articles, essays, books, software, systems, and ideas that help people think differently about their lives and work.

I work best in focused, uninterrupted stretches: deep dives into one thing until it feels complete. Whether that's a 12-hour coding session, a week of writing, or months building a product. I'm single-focused, not scattered. Or at least I'm striving to be that person.

Recent explorations

More updated version of what I’m doing now here on my now page

Exploring the path toward creative independence - through writing, building products, and creating community. The focus is on freedom: control over my time, being useful to others, and building things that exist independent of me.

• Guide: A tool for managing goals, tasks, and thinking. Built for myself first.
• Toolish: A collection of small, useful browser apps. Free. Private. No login. Over 20 built so far, about half are things I use daily.
• Writing: Mostly because it helps me think.
  But also practicing thematic writing on Substack - with essays on learning, building, and living intentionally.
• Helping build the AI ecosystem: With People+AI, documenting AI use-cases relevant to India.
• Listening and sharing stories: With a bunch of interesting folks at Listeners’ Circle and Creative Mornings Bangalore.

Timeline for context

• Late 2000s: Software engineering
• 2010s: Moved from engineering to Product management: Across B2B platforms, Built analytics platforms across Travel, HR and analytics workflows.
  You probably encountered my work without knowing it at:
  • Financial anomaly detection at investment banks
  • Border security systems for visa processing and passenger manifests (Middle East, Southeast Asia, Australia)
  • Modern reporting for Human Capital Management (17% chance your US-based company uses it)
  • NLP solutions for data de-duplication and survey analysis
  • ServiceNow platform analytics (if you’ve raised a support ticket at work, there’s a good chance)
• 2025 - Now: Deliberate exploration beyond full-time employment: Tinkering, building, writing. Testing ideas. Learning to earn without salary.

What I’m drawn to

• People who stretch, strive, and grow. I connect with curious folks exploring their own paths. Less interested in comfort-seeking.
• Storytelling and writing. How to communicate ideas clearly. How narratives shape thinking.
• Making things. Articles, essays, software, systems, ideas that help people think differently. But especially tools that help people be more organized and intentional.
• Serendipity and novel experiences. Meeting interesting people. Traveling. Conversations that shift perspective.
• Systems thinking. Creating structures - whether in apps, communities, or workflows - that make things work better.
• Photography. Capturing everyday moments. I’ve been shooting seriously for years. My work is at Flickr.

How I Work

I'm a minimalist with my time, attention, and tools. I use what works: simple text editors, open-source tools, distraction-free environments. I avoid dependency on platforms or companies that don't align with my long-term interests.

I prefer one-on-one conversations over group hangouts. Quality over quantity of connection.

I'm deliberate about my choices. I don't believe in "I can't help the way I am." Life is something you design, not something that happens to you.

I hate wasting time. Hours matter. I imagine my time as valuable - worth protecting - and ask myself what's worth that investment. Though I often feel like I make wrong choices. But I have also noticed a tendency to judge myself harshly. I'm working on both.

What matters to me

• Autonomy: Control over my time and what I work on.
• Usefulness: My work should help people in some immediate, real way.
• Durability: Creating things that outlast me. Writing, software, ideas that stand independent of my presence.
• Growth: Always learning. Always pushing into unfamiliar territory.
• Genuine connection: Real conversations with people doing interesting things.

What doesn’t matter

• Money as a metric of success (i.e. beyond financial freedom to choose my work and occasional indulgences).
• Fitting in or following the expected path.

Life philosophy

I'm skeptical of fixed beliefs - the opposite of what I believe is probably also true. But I live by a few consistent principles:

• Action over planning. Move fast from thinking to doing. You discover what matters by trying. Something I’ve struggled with. Getting better.
• Focus. Say no ruthlessly. Protect time for what matters. Working on this.
• Iterative improvement. Done is better than perfect. Iterate toward better.
• Be useful. Help people. Make things people need.
• Dailyish is consistent. You don’t need perfection. 3-4 times a week is real consistency.

Currently exploring

Resetting relationship with money. Learning to create work people actually want to pay for. Unlearning the salary mindset.

Public living room concept. No-hustle spaces where people gather around ideas. Still forming. Looking for the right people in Bangalore. Let’s talk if that interests you too.

Public storytelling. TEDx talks, essays, reaching people beyond my immediate circle.

Other interests

Sci-fi movies. Watched all the good ones (80s onwards). Always looking for recommendations.

Privacy, free software, smartphones. The importance of controlling your own tech.

Narratives. How stories shape thinking and decisions.

Running. Recently did 21km in 2 hours 17 minutes. Nothing record-breaking. But mine. Read about it.

Right now

I’m in a deliberate exploration phase. Building, writing, meeting interesting people. Testing ideas. Learning what resonates and what doesn’t.
So for me it’s more about “What can I build or write that matters to me and helps others?”
I’m taking my time with that.

Let’s talk

Questions? Thoughts? Coffee? Just reach out. I always love a good conversation.

Email: amit@nextfive.simplelogin.com
Schedule time: cal.com/amitkumar

About “NextFive”

You’re probably wondering about the name.

“Amit Kumar” is taken everywhere. Gmail. Discord. Bluesky. Every platform worth its name.

NextFive came from that frustration. Also, I’m always exploring about 5 new things simultaneously. And it sounded fun. The name stuck.

NextFive.in is where I build. NextFive.xyz is where I write. Yes, it’s confusing. Working on consolidating.

P.S: Nod to Derek Sivers for the home-page structure inspiration.