Hi Friend,

​For several years now, I've been getting back into woodworking. It's a hobby I love, but through 2024, I kept running into the same problem: I never felt like I was getting enough time in the shop to actually make things.

During my regular reviews, I'd look at my role as a creative person and feel disappointed. I was talking about woodworking more than I was doing it. By the end of 2024, the gap between intention and action had grown so wide that I genuinely questioned whether I could still call myself a craftsman.

Looking back, I think my mistake was planning for specific projects instead of just getting time in the shop. I'd have a project in mind, but life would get in the way, the project would slip, and weeks would pass without me touching a tool.

Heading into 2025, I tried something different. Rather than plan specific projects, I committed to spending an hour in the shop every day. It didn't matter what I did out there. Pushing a broom counted. Organizing a tool drawer counted. Actually building something counted. The only rule was one hour a day, away from work, being creative with my hands.

This experiment worked brilliantly.

Now I regularly spend time in the shop, and I look forward to it. Every day, one of my 24 hours goes to working with my hands. I find it personally satisfying, and it makes my other work better too. There's something about stepping away from screens and into sawdust that resets my brain.

My Studio Book Shelf - One of the projects I started (and completed) in 2025.

The experiment worked so well that I've expanded it. I now spend an hour a day on fitness, health, and exercise. Another hour goes to reading books and reflecting on what I read. That last one has let me dive back into the classics I enjoyed in college.

As we head toward the end of the year, I consider this one of the most successful experiments of 2025. It's been a real improvement in my quality of life.

If you're heading into the new year with something that's got you stuck, maybe consider committing time to it rather than specific plans. Stop thinking about the project and start thinking about the practice. See how it works out for you.

Your pal,

David

​Read this post on macsparky.com​

Daylite's New Mail Feature Connects Email to Everything That Matters (Sponsor)

​Today's sponsor is Daylite, and they've just launched something I want you to know about: their new Mail feature.

If you run a small business or manage client relationships, your inbox is probably a mess of priorities. Client emails get buried under newsletters, urgent messages sit next to spam, and you're constantly switching between your email client and your CRM to figure out context. Daylite's new Mail feature changes that by bringing your inbox directly into their business management platform where every message connects to the client, project, or opportunity it belongs to.

The Priority Inbox is smart about what actually matters. Instead of just showing you chronological email, it surfaces messages from your Daylite contacts first, then your team, then everything else. Orange icons throughout the interface show you which emails are connected to your business data, so you can instantly see what needs attention. When you open a message, you get the full context right there. Client history, related projects, upcoming tasks all visible without switching apps or hunting through folders.

What really makes this work is how easy Daylite makes it to turn email into action. You can create a task, schedule a follow-up, or link a message to a project without leaving the email. The Detail View sits right alongside your inbox, showing you everything related to that client or project. No more "let me check and get back to you" moments because you can't remember where things stand.

Daylite's Mail feature is available now for Mac, iPhone, and iPad, and it's included with your Daylite subscription. If you're already using Daylite, there's a setup guide waiting for you. If you're new to Daylite, they're offering a 14-day free trial so you can see how connecting your email to your business data changes the way you work.

​Check out Daylite at their website and see if this solves the email chaos problem you didn't realize you could fix.

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