🐥The Paradox of Now #17

The Wonderful Most Days

Hi people!

A few weeks ago I went to IKEA to test out a creative idea I saw online.

But let’s be honest. I really went for the hotdogs, the questionable mustard and the meatballs that haunt and comfort in equal measure.

The idea I claimed to be testing was using IKEA’s in-store displays as my own personal photo studio.

Instead of buying props, building fake sets or photoshopping, IKEA has already done the hard work.

Their little showrooms are ready-made scenes just begging to be used.

So I brought my product in, plonked it down in a fake kitchen and started taking some photos.

Honestly. It worked way better than I expected.

If you have your own social media or product and are stuck for ideas, you’re welcome.

If you don’t care, then also... you’re welcome.

I’m nothing if not inclusive.

Here are two of my favourite shots from the day:

Now let me give you a taste of what's coming:

🐥 The greatest mayonnaise to exist on this planet
🐥 My thoughts on Tipp-Ex
🐥 A new recipe I want to share with you

🥚Eggstra News🥚

Your weekly dose of some fascinating and fun finds:

⚡Feel Good Productivity – Ali Abdaal’s take on how to work hard and enjoy it. Turns out fun might be the ultimate productivity hack.

🧴 Kewpie Mayo – The best mayo on Earth. I should know with a last name like mine!

📘 The Almanack of Naval Ravikant – I’m only halfway through, but it’s already changed how I think. Big ideas. Simple words. Worth the hype.

The Paradox of Now

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Competing with Play

What do Naval Ravikant, Picasso (not the car), and Ali Abdaal all have in common?

Do they all wear skorts in their leisure time?

Still get weirdly satisfied using Tipp-Ex correction tape?

Put a spoon in their mouth to stop crying when chopping onions?

No. (Although I wouldn’t rule any of those out.)

But in this little quip, a slight detour from my usual storytelling style, you’ll find out what really connects them.

I bet you’re absolutely trembling with excitement.

But First… Pickleball

Myself and my wonderful playing partner Maisie won gold, a couple of weeks back, in a high standard UK pickleball tournament.

And while the matching outfits were obviously the highlight (see below), something else stuck with me.

Multiple people messaged us after, saying how much they love watching us on court. Not just because of how we play…

but because of how we play.

We’re always smiling. Always talking. Always enjoying it.

We don’t take it too seriously. And yet… we’re still competing at a very high level.

Here are some of the messages that we received (mainly Maisie because she actually replies to people and is really nice):

As you can see, we did this all whilst Maisie was also carrying an injury!

But I’ve learned this:

When I look around at the other players, I wouldn’t necessarily say I’m the best.

Most of the guys I play against are probably technically better than me.

And yet we medal. A decent amount.

And I genuinely believe it’s because we prioritise fun. Winning is merely a bi-product.

Naval Ravikant

That reminded me of something Naval Ravikant said. One of those rare sentences that rewires your brain a little:

Read that again.

It’s a quiet cheat code.

I have friends who love coding and Excel. They dive into spreadsheets like I dive into writing a newsletter or a rally at 7–7.

If I had to do what they do? I’d be bald from stress and begging for early retirement.

But those same friends? They’d probably tap out after 10 minutes of pickleball wall drilling, journaling at 10pm, or writing this newsletter every week.

And yet here I am. Writing this right now. In flow.

I don’t know what I’m going to say next and that excites me, rather than overwhelms me.

Coming up with ideas is not a chore. It’s a joy.

It’s play.

Even social media, which still feels like work to me, becomes lighter when I approach it like a game.

Maybe all I need to do is hit record while doing what I already do.

Fewer steps. Less friction.

Ali Abdaal

Ali Abdaal talks about this too, especially with tasks we don’t love but still have to do.

One idea I loved from Feel Good Productivity was how he’d play The Hobbit soundtrack while tackling boring admin.

Suddenly emails become epic quests. A spreadsheet becomes a dragon’s lair.

All from asking one simple question:

That question sticks.

If you want to find the work that feels like play, start by going backwards.

What did you love as a kid?

What were you obsessed with before the world told you what was “productive”?

I used to write stories and poems for hours. I played with LEGO.

And now? I have a newsletter where the main character is a LEGO duck named after a type of poetry.

That’s not a coincidence. That’s a breadcrumb trail.

Picasso

Picasso once said it took him a lifetime to learn how to draw like a five-year-old.

Maybe that’s the whole game.

A life spent remembering how to be a child again. But with wisdom, context, and a better skincare routine.

There’s no such thing as an adult. We’re just big kids with jobs and slightly more expensive snacks.

Play is hard to compete with.

Play is where purpose hides.

Play is how you improve your small corner of the world.

And when you really zoom out, it’s no coincidence that Naval, Picasso, and Ali Abdaal all speak about the power of play.

Lead with it.

Live through it.

Let it be your strategy, your fuel, and your unfair advantage.

Reflective Takeaway

So here’s your question this week:

If you’re not sure, start by asking what your childhood self used to get weirdly excited about.

Because buried in there might be the clearest clue to how you’re meant to show up in your small corner of the world.

🐥 Haiku’s Haiku 🐥

This week, Haiku wanted to experience gym life with someone absolutely massive.

Enter Cal. Biceps like bowling balls, forearms like Christmas hams, and a shared love for liquid chalk.

Big thanks for bringing Haiku to life and showing him the ropes (and the rest of the equipment)

Hopefully you also warned him not to sniff the chalk.

That’s the adult equivalent of glue-sniffing behind the bike sheds.

🌴 Palm Tree Euphoria 🌴

My friendship group has its own weird language, rituals, and inside jokes.

From the outside, it must look like watching meerkats try to run a supper club.

One of our sacred rules:

If someone brings a snack or drink no one’s tried before, someone shouts “New recipe!” That person must share it with the group. No exceptions.

From custard cream milkshakes to gyros flavoured crisps, we’ve been on a collective taste quest.

Ridiculous idea?

Yes - some people just want to eat the food they bought!

But it’s stuff like this that holds us together, even when we do not frequent as often as we used to.

Little rituals = group DNA.

Please leave your answers in the poll section of this newsletter.

See you next week Dashing Ducks! 🐥

P.S. if this new recipe of ideas excited your brain tastebuds, forward it to a fellow duckling you care about.

Word of beak is how we help improve our small corner of the world.

PLUS… Doing so gets you a FREE gift!