Daniel Abudu | Thoughts, books, games

Collected along the way

Lately

A few things I’ve been
getting lost in.

Good books, little discoveries, games I can’t put down. A few scraps from life on and off the web.

Pressing playOct 20, 2026
Finished Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
Couldn't have asked for a better game to replay to help with my french practice. This game is art and it deserves all accolades it got.
On the bookshelfOct 18, 2026
Started Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Chalice of the Gods
Rick Riordan
In the name of following my curiosity, I was checking the website of a book store and saw this. Talked myself out of buying the physical book but went to Audible to get the audiobook instead. Seems like a fun time to spend with characters I love with no high stakes. It would also be useful for French because i could just jump to the french version immediately after.
Worth a watchOct 18, 2026
Start With What You Have
Salem King · YouTube Shorts
"First decide that it can be done and then your mind will start to work to figure out a way to make it happen." I can relate to that. I've seen it happen in my life several times. I don't always imbibe that idea but these days I've gotten more and more consistent to snapping into that mindset when things feel pointless or necessarily difficult. it usually summarises to some variation of "there has to be a way" "Max out the utility of everything that is within your reach." is something I also can relate to it in some way. For example, a device starts acting up. You use it to its limit before you get another one. That mindset really lets you be creative. (sometimes, you actually don't have a choice). But I want to start focusing more of the "max out" and "everything". There are other opportunities in my life to explore that idea and I guess in a way, it's connected to building capacity. I've been articulating "capacity" more as expanding to be able to do more but an underlying thought I've had underneath that, which also demands its own articulation, is knowing that you truly are hitting the limit of what you can handle at this time and then you expand. Sometimes, "building capacity" is not adding anything to your life but being more creative and optimised with how you do things. Maybe even subtracting.
A thoughtOct 18, 2026
Note
Collect books, even if you don’t plan on reading them right away.
On repeatOct 18, 2026
DA
SIDE A
The soundtrack
to this week.
Week of 12 Oct
114 plays this week.
05
A thoughtOct 17, 2026
I want to start trying using books as references rather than rushing to finish each one.
I like reading books but I’m sometimes more obsessed with finishing them than fully absorbing them. I’ve read so many books with life changing “wisdom” in them, feel inspired, in some cases maybe move some things around in my life, but as time passes the lessons tend to fade from memory.
Read more
A thoughtOct 17, 2026
Note
My Physical Book Collection Is All of Two
Got another one yesterday. Now my physical book collection is all of two. lol. Need to be sure I'm not developing some sort of problem. 💀 But these books in particular feel like they're buying art and it's more than just a book. They're kind of like visual reminders of lessons you need to keep. I must admit that I have three more books on the way and i still don't know how I'll store them, but here's to giving yourself permission to do things you want and make you feel good. I've wanted to start getting physical books, now I'm letting myself do that. The semantics can come later lol.
On the bookshelfOct 16, 2026
Started Steal Like an Artist: 10 Things Nobody Told You About Being Creative
Austin Kleon
On the bookshelfOct 16, 2026
Started Show Your Work!: 10 Ways to Share Your Creativity and Get Discovered
Austin Kleon
A thoughtOct 16, 2026
Note
One of the things I've wanted for a long time is to have a shelf of physical books. I just never felt settled enough to start collecting. I still don't. But this feels like a good opportunity to start experimenting. It feels really good. Didn't know I missed the new book smell. It also feels like an art book. Like the book itself is art. Got inspired to buy it after watching this reel from Salem King. Ironically, the books I actually wanted to buy to kickstart this physical book journey weren't available and this was more of an add on.

It's definitely not the first time I've read it but now I think I need a refresher of the lessons in this book for where I'm at in life currently. And I may need to go back to it over and over again to either let some things sink in or be constantly reminded of them.
A thoughtOct 14, 2026
Note
The Infinite Game
Infinite game: a game or activity where the primary objective is not to win, but to keep playing and perpetuate the game itself. i.e. you give up, you lose.

My first memory of the idea was from Alex Hormozi and I was reminded of it again today on another video. I think it's a great concept and mental model because if everything worth doing to you is treated like an infinite game, then there are no unrealistic standards or goals, no real failure and no opponent to beat. Just to keep playing the game indefinitely. Matches well with an idea in Atomic habits where you want to create a habit, you change who you are. If you're playing that game, then you'd do it long enough to pass through all the obstacles you need to get to to hit your goals.
Worth a watchOct 14, 2026
Steven Bartlett On Why He Picks His Own Guests On ‘The Diary Of A CEO’, Work-Life Balance + More
Breakfast Club Power 105.1 FM · YouTube
He said "Just extending the time horizon of your goals is like magic because it means you make better decisions today and those decisions result in different outcomes". I already think like this in some sort of way. Some of the new things I've started recently have the time horizon of "indefinitely" and it automatically shifts from going as big as I can to "if I had to do this every single day/week/month for an indefinite period of time, what would I prioritise?". So whenever that itch comes to go crazy, I eventually pull myself back to "long game" and "sustainable".
A thoughtOct 12, 2026
Note
Not Picking Up My Phone First Thing in the Morning
Started deliberately trying to not pick my phone up first thing in the morning and honestly I want to make a habit out of it. There’s just something about having a clear head around 4 or 5 am in the morning where everywhere is quiet and it’s just you and your thoughts. It doesn’t have to be hours but 15-30 minutes to at least “boot”.

Suddenly ideas for problems you’ve been trying to solve start popping up.
On repeatOct 11, 2026
DA
SIDE A
The soundtrack
to this week.
Week of 5 Oct
47 plays this week.
14
A thoughtOct 11, 2026
I've Been Thinking a Lot About Capacity Lately.
"When you don't know what to do, build capacity" - Alex Hormozi. Usually we are searching for this great idea, the right business to start, the right product to create, the best skills to learn, etc. We use it to procrastinate.
Read more
On the bookshelfOct 9, 2026
Started Percy Jackson — La Mer des monstres
Rick Riordan
On the bookshelfOct 9, 2026
Finished Percy Jackson — Le Voleur de foudre
Rick Riordan
Worth a watchOct 9, 2026
John Cena: Run Out of Hollywood
Trevor Noah · YouTube
The chair they're talking to seems to be an interesting individual. Lol. But in all seriousness, I don't think I ever thought I would relate to John Cena. Closer to the end of the video they talk about the road less travelled and how he talks about it sounds like me. When I stick to what I actually want to do, I usually find myself in the road less travelled. It feels hard and lonely but usually ends up feeling rewarding.
Worth a watchOct 8, 2026
How Lagos Life Beat ChatGPT to 1 Million Users (in 3 Days)
Fisayo Fosudo · YouTube
Been thinking a lot about building capacity lately and this video is a clear example of preparation meeting opportunity.
Pressing playSep 27, 2026
Started Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 (again)
I'm not used to replaying games I've finished but I'm having a good time.
still amazing
A thoughtSep 27, 2026
The Friction Before Doing the Thing Tends to Be a Facade
I don't know how normal this is but I learned some time ago about myself that when I have this strong aversion to trying something, it doesn't really signal anything of importance. I don't necessarily mean a strong intuition against something fishy or sketchy. I mean something like trying a movie, an experience, something new and/or different that I just don't feel like doing. It may even be a gig or an opportunity. Sometimes, there is genuinely something off about it. In those moments, when I ignore myself, i tend to regret it in some way. But in the moments where I can't pinpoint anything and just have this strong resistance to do something, it's usually a poor indicator of how that thing will actually be or feel. And usually, when I muster the strength to push past that specific feeling, I realise it was a lie.
Read more
Pressing playSep 18, 2026
Finished Marvel's Wolverine
Not high replay value but I had fun regardless.
Pressing playSep 15, 2026
Started Marvel's Wolverine
I heard the reviews but honestly, right now I don't care.
A thoughtAug 30, 2026
It’s a Good Time to Reiterate That Sometimes, Naivety Is Good
The other day, I was watching a video explaining a comic book storyline where the ideals of an older person clashed with that of a younger one. It was an alternate Spider-man reality in a very corrupt world and a young Peter Parker having so much rage about the injustice of the world and having very simple politics.
Read more
A thoughtAug 23, 2026
Waking Up Early Gave Me More Time
It's funny how you learn lessons then slowly move in another direction and have to come back to the lesson you learned. As a morning person, it's not news that I'm at my most productive before noon and for me in particular, I start getting diminishing returns after 2-3pm. I can be productive even till night but it's not me at my best. But over the past year or less, my wake up time became more and more late.
Read more
A thoughtAug 9, 2026
It Never Ends, Does It?
I was on a call with my dad the other day and he asked how I was doing. I said as a fact, and not necessarily to complain, that I was always tired. He said that it's because my responsibilities are more now and "I hope you know it will still increase."
Read more
A thoughtAug 2, 2026
Spider-Man: Brand New Day Was Written for Me (No Spoilers)
No spoilers, don't worry.
Read more
On the bookshelfApr 13, 2026
Started Percy Jackson — Le Voleur de foudre
Rick Riordan
A thoughtApr 4, 2026
Discovering the Hype About Sports as an Adult.
My childhood was very unorthodox in many ways but normal in many ways. One of the things that seemed out of the ordinary was that I didn't grow up watching football. When I was younger, I thought it was a nature thing. That I just didn't care about sports. But over time, it clicked that it was a nurture thing. And now, several years later, I've gotten older and gotten more exposed to things like movies about sports, documentaries, games, and even trying one or two for the sake of exercise, I'm even more convinced that the difference between me caring about Ronaldo vs. Messi and me not giving a fuck is because no one cared in the house I grew up in.
Read more
A thoughtJan 9, 2026
Optimism Is Rational.
I haven’t been the most optimistic person you've ever met. In fact, for a portion of my life I was a pessimist. I remember my parents asking why I was always frowning and my response would be "why should I smile?" Pessimists like to think of themselves as “realists”, but in reality, their view of the world is so dark that what is “real” is just “everything ends up in a bad place”. I understand this view. I’m not the best believer in the world and in the human race. People say there is good in humanity. I say there is both good and bad with many incentives to be bad.
Read more
On the bookshelfJan 8, 2026
Finished Project Hail Mary
Andy Weir
A thoughtDec 19, 2025
What Is the Price of a Memory?
I was backing up a lot of photos and videos to a secondary backup this week. Finally set up the back up of my back up. Lol.
Read more
On the bookshelfDec 9, 2025
Started Project Hail Mary
Andy Weir
On the bookshelfNov 27, 2025
Finished Americanah
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
On the bookshelfNov 13, 2025
Started Americanah
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

Same curiosity.Different subjects.

Follow a thread

Lately

Finished Clair Obscur: Expedition 33

Started Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Chalice of the Gods

Start With What You Have

Collect books, even if you don’t plan on reading them right away.

Week of 12 Oct

I want to start trying using books as references rather than rushing to finish each one.

My Physical Book Collection Is All of Two

Started Steal Like an Artist: 10 Things Nobody Told You About Being Creative

Started Show Your Work!: 10 Ways to Share Your Creativity and Get Discovered

The Infinite Game

Steven Bartlett On Why He Picks His Own Guests On ‘The Diary Of A CEO’, Work-Life Balance + More

Not Picking Up My Phone First Thing in the Morning

Week of 5 Oct

I've Been Thinking a Lot About Capacity Lately.

Started Percy Jackson — La Mer des monstres

Finished Percy Jackson — Le Voleur de foudre

John Cena: Run Out of Hollywood

How Lagos Life Beat ChatGPT to 1 Million Users (in 3 Days)

Started Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 (again)

The Friction Before Doing the Thing Tends to Be a Facade

Finished Marvel's Wolverine

Started Marvel's Wolverine

It’s a Good Time to Reiterate That Sometimes, Naivety Is Good

Waking Up Early Gave Me More Time

It Never Ends, Does It?

Spider-Man: Brand New Day Was Written for Me (No Spoilers)

Started Percy Jackson — Le Voleur de foudre

Discovering the Hype About Sports as an Adult.

Optimism Is Rational.

Finished Project Hail Mary

What Is the Price of a Memory?

Started Project Hail Mary

Finished Americanah

Started Americanah

Same curiosity.Different subjects.

Finished Clair Obscur: Expedition 33

Collect books, even if you don’t plan on reading them right away.

Week of 12 Oct

My Physical Book Collection Is All of Two

The Infinite Game

Not Picking Up My Phone First Thing in the Morning

Week of 5 Oct

Started Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 (again)

Finished Marvel's Wolverine

Started Marvel's Wolverine

More curious thoughts, occasionally in your inbox.