Talking to my dad about his old framing square made me realize something

We were cleaning out his garage in Spokane and he pulled out this old, rusty Stanley square from the 70s. He said, 'Back then, you bought one tool and you learned every mark on it, because you couldn't just watch a video to figure it out.' It hit different because I realized I rely on my phone to look up a rafter table instead of just knowing my own tools. Anyone else feel like they've lost some of that basic, hands-on knowledge?

4 comments

4 Comments

the_laura2mo ago

Ever try just keeping your phone in another room while you work? I had to force myself to learn my speed square that way, and it actually stuck after a while.

morgan_stone332mo ago

What about a timed lockbox for it?

jade_king2mo ago

Timed lockbox is an interesting idea. How long would you set the timer for, and what happens if you REALLY need to look something up mid-project? Feels like it could backfire if you're stuck.

alext521mo ago

I read a study once that said getting interrupted by your phone can cost you like 20 minutes of focus each time. So even if you're stuck, pausing to look something up might take way longer than just sitting with the problem for a bit. I'd set the timer for two hours because that's about how long it takes me to get into a good groove with a project. If I really hit a wall, I write down the question on a sticky note and come back to it later. That way I'm not derailing my whole afternoon over one missing measurement or technique. It takes some getting used to, but I've found I get more done this way than when I can reach for answers right away.