The Big Catch-Up
Hello!
From Charlie, trying a new thing!
I don't have social media — it fries my brain. I miss the serendipity though.* So I'm trying this.
Life
I'm a Dad. Her name is Coco. Born in December.
Never have I felt more creative and motivated. Sleep still exists. Mainly due to my amazing partner, Bene. Life is rigorously prioritised. Social media, scrolling — more gone than ever. The rest is family time.
Family time is on the move! This is us packing up our apartment in Antwerp where Coco was born:
What I'm Reading
Marc Andreessen on Lenny's Podcast recently described the standoff — every PM thinks they can code, every coder thinks they can design, every designer thinks they can do both. His punchline:
"The additive effect of being good at two things is more than double. The additive effect of being good at three things is more than triple. You become a super relevant specialist in the combination of the domains."
Naval Ravikant put it differently:
"There is no demand for average. Nobody wants the average thing. People want the best thing that does the job."
A Motorcycle for the Mind — Naval Ravikant
Everyone can now make anything. So what you choose to make — and the taste you bring — is the differentiator.
I'm not scared of AI replacing work. I'm riding it.
Work
Before: You might remember me from Deep Work — product design for Web3 (2019–2023). Before: 20% deciding what to build, 80% getting it into Figma.
Now: One person instead of five. Now: 90%+ deciding what to build, 10% implementing.
Latest projects: www.ellington.design
What I'm Up To
We left our apartment in Antwerp. Everything into the van. Road trip south as a family.
Right now: Ibiza for a couple of weeks. Seeing friends. Even a surf.
Next: Settle for a few months in Spain. Sea every morning, work in the afternoon.
Say Hello
If we haven't spoken in a while — I'd love to hear what you're up to. Drop me an email or a WhatsApp.
* On not having social media
I want to keep in touch. That's the simple version.
Social media has real advantages. Bene posts something, a friend sees it, next time they meet there's a talking point. That serendipity is real.
I've spent three years limiting tech, optimising for human connection — Rushkoff's Team Human idea that technology should serve connection, not replace it. Less social media. More being in person. More 1:1 WhatsApps sent purposefully when I think of someone.
It worked. But I optimised too far.
There's a concept in sociology called "weak ties" — Granovetter found your best opportunities come not from close friends but from people you see occasionally. The old colleague. The conference acquaintance. Weak ties bridge worlds that strong ties can't. Social media is very good at maintaining these. I haven't been.
I'm also missing business opportunities. I want to be honest about that. I'm the guy who can help you when you need that specific help — but probably not right now. If you don't know what I'm up to, you can't think of me when the moment comes. I'm running a business. That is part of the reason.
Cal Newport's Digital Minimalism — delete everything, bring back only what benefits you. Use technology, don't be used by it. I deleted everything. Email is what I'm bringing back.
The good parts of social media are real: serendipity, weak ties, shared context. The bad parts are real too: dopamine loops, attention fragmentation, performing for strangers. This email is my attempt at the good without the bad.
Adventures in Ibiza:
Continue the Journey
Personal updates on what I'm building and where I am.