Between the pages
Some evenings,I’m someone else entirely.
Fiction is my favourite escape. I reach for adventure, feel-good stories and big, sprawling epic fantasies. After a long day, nothing refreshes me quite like stepping into someone else’s story and simply watching it unfold. It switches my brain off from work and recharges it at the same time.
Years of this have given me a few quiet bonuses. Building entire worlds in my head from words on a page has sharpened my imagination, and it’s a big part of why I can picture a campaign long before it’s designed. I’ve also picked up a much richer vocabulary along the way, which comes in handy every time I write, pitch or explain an idea. In marketing, that’s most days.
What it quietly taught me
- Imagination
- A richer vocabulary
- Clearer communication
In the kitchen
Every dishgets better the second time.
Cooking is where I slow down. There’s something calming about following a recipe one step at a time, whether I’m chopping, measuring or waiting for the onions to turn just the right shade of brown. It keeps my mind on one thing and nothing else.
I don’t always nail it on the first try, and honestly, that’s half the fun. Each attempt teaches me something, sometimes a little less salt and sometimes a little more patience, and the flavour keeps getting better. I’ve noticed I work the same way now. I stay focused on the step in front of me, learn from each version and let the final result get better over time.
What it quietly taught me
- Patience
- Focus
- Getting better with every round
On the console
I play the long game,literally.
Open-world strategy games are my weekend weakness. I love having a huge map in front of me with no fixed route, where I decide where to go, what to build and when to make my move. Some plans work beautifully. Others fall apart, so I load the last save, rethink and go again.
It’s pure fun, but it has quietly trained a few useful instincts. I’ve learnt to look at the bigger picture before committing, make the most of limited resources and stay calm when a plan needs to change halfway through. Those instincts show up every time a campaign meets the real world.
What it quietly taught me
- Big-picture thinking
- Resourcefulness
- Adapting on the fly
