I’ve been getting away with this for many years, and would like to pass it on to you now. It’s like an intrusive thought, but a fun one.

For instance when writing to a friend:

Make sure to save yourself some Halloween candy!

Take a moment to muse over the modification:

Make sure to save Yousef some Halloween candy!

Who is this Yousef and why does he get your friend’s candy?? Take a moment to enjoy this incongruity, then send the original message. Congratulations, you’ve just had a moment of whimsy, and no one’s the wiser.

You’ll find there’s no end to what these Yousefs get themselves involved in. May also work with variants of the name like Joseph, I haven’t tried.

Okay. Enjoy!