I have been getting into wood working recently. The type of wood working that you don’t use power tools on. I wanted to build a fence without power tools. It started off easy. The post holes were dug. The post holes were dug with a post hole digger. Not awful, just time consuming. Then came laying the posts and making sure they were level. Easy peasy. Then came the beginning of the wood working- setting up the fence planks.

The hardest part for this stage was cutting in a straight line and it was rough carpentry. It didn’t have to be perfect. So I’d lable this part of it as a 4/10 on difficulty. I had to measure and cut then nail up with a hammer. Not rocket science, but it took a little bit of time. I was feeling pretty good until I got to the gate. I am continuing the pursuit of no power tools, but my external progress has come to a complete hault.

I’m having to spend hours cutting out mortise joints for the 4 corners of the gate. I have 3 of the 4 done and I’ve spent probably an hour on each one. It is a time consuming project. It’s also difficult. The first part of my project required very little special skill. If you could measure and move your hand in a straight line, you could do it. This part is requiring a little bit of skill and thoughtful planning.

During this stage, I’ve been humbled by the process. I’ve learned that great wood workers probably started where I am right now and have slowly improved their skill.

Done Properly

When done properly, every expert in their field makes their skill look effortless. When I read a well crafted article, I think to myself anyone could do that. Then I try to write something I actually know something about and it looks like a 5th grader with ADD wrote it. The kicker is, they’ve been doing that craft for years behind the scene. The overnight success usually takes 20 years. The person who you follow on Github has worked consistently for years to get where they are.

Compounding interest works with your skill level on whatever craft you are working on. The only way to get better is to practice every day. Try to get 1% better each day.