Friday Forward - Hands On (#441)
Friday Forward - Hands On (#441)
In a world where efficiency is often prioritized above all else, it's important to remember the intrinsic value of doing some things the hard way.
Like everyone, I have a limited number of hours in the day and regularly make decisions about where I spend my time and energy, thinking about the impact. As a result, I regularly hire people or outsource tasks where someone else can do it better, faster, or cheaper, especially when I consider the opportunity cost of my time.
In my 20s, when I bought my first home, I used to rake my own leaves each fall. It would take the better part of a weekend as I used my little leaf blower to try and make piles of leaves before raking them together, bagging them, and bringing them to the curb. Today, I take great pleasure each November watching a group of men form a human wall with backpack blowers who then feed the leaves into a giant tube that sucks them into a truck. They accomplish in an hour what would take the whole weekend—time that I use to watch my kids play sports or engage in other family activities.
At the same time, I intentionally select a few projects each year that involve hands-on, often outdoor, manual labor, even if they may seem like a “waste” of time from an opportunity cost perspective. In June, I dedicated hours to painting the front side and door of my garage, which involved several trips to the paint store to match the color specified by the condo association. Last week, I spent half a day installing low-voltage landscape lights in 90-degree weather, leaving me completely covered in dirt and sweat.
There are several reasons why I choose to undertake these projects myself, rather than hiring someone who could likely complete them faster and more efficiently:
Learning: It’s valuable to know how to do things yourself. Often, when I pick a project, I try something new, which inevitably requires research and watching online videos, as was the case with the low-voltage lighting. You also never know when you might need these skills in an emergency.
Physical Activity & Accomplishment: Working with your hands, especially outdoors, is a refreshing break from being hunched over a computer all day. It also feels good to look at a completed physical project and think, “I did that.”
Perseverance: Tackling manual tasks and seeing them through is frequently humbling. Both projects encountered unexpected problems, causing frustration and requiring adaptation and problem-solving, which made the outcome more rewarding.
Connection: Many physical labor projects can be done with others, particularly with your spouse or kids, providing opportunities to work, learn, teach, and problem-solve together.
A few years ago, at a conference, I heard a very successful speaker who had risen from rags to riches. He spoke about outsourcing everything in his life that wasn’t worth his hourly earning potential, including driving, laundry, cooking, gardening, and other tasks he likely handled himself before achieving financial success.
As I was considering his point, someone in the audience raised their hand and asked how that strategy could possibly result in well-adjusted children if they never had to learn or do anything for themselves in the household. It struck me as an excellent point. Kids follow our actions far more than our words.
That interaction has always stayed with me. The best way to teach resilience, self-reliance, and the value of hard work is to lead by example. Doing things ourselves, even when we don’t have to, is essential to that approach.
In a world where efficiency is often prioritized above all else, it's important to remember the intrinsic value of doing some things the hard way. As leaders, parents, and individuals, we should strive to balance our pursuit of efficiency with opportunities for personal growth and hands-on learning. This not only enriches our own lives, but also sets a meaningful example for those around us.
It’s about finding the right moments to roll up our sleeves, get a little dirty, and embrace the process as much as the outcome.
Quote of The Week
"Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work." – Thomas Edison
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A fellow EO speaker raised the idea of “being a craftsman” for me - deliberately deciding to do the whole project to allow me to develop a deeper appreciation of the creative process… I love your reflection here: efficiency can be a dangerous decision tool 👏🙏
Excellent article and I enjoy doing hands on projects for the same reasons that you listed. With respect to your point about the future generation, this also aligns with my concern about the gradual de-emphasis of trades in favor of college over the past 20+ years. There is so much value (financialy and intrinsically) from being an expert & employed in a "blue collar" trade. Most importantly, not exposing young people to these careers and skills during their secondary education years is a missed opportunity for many of them to discover a talent they may not realize that they have. This could potentially rob them of fulfilling their full career potential, because they were pipelined into a college prep path instead.