How to rest when you spend all day using your mind
This week I watched a YouTube video about a guy making cabinets.
The most interesting part of the video wasn't the cabinets, but the quote he mentioned partway through:
"If you work with your hands, rest with your mind. If you work with your mind, rest with your hands."
For many of us, "labor" has drifted a long way from anything you can touch and hold.
I spend my days staring at a screen for 8-10 hours (or more), and at the end of the day, it's hard to point to a single thing that I made.
Aside from some words on a page, or maybe some charts in a Miro board, there's no tangible proof of progress. Just a to-do list that continues to grow.
I've always been drawn to making things. As a kid, I'd spend hours building Lego.
These days, I settle for small projects: building a set of shelves or tinkering with my bike. There's always something grounding about it, a small satisfaction that's hard to come by otherwise, made even better by the hour or two focused on a single thing, without the distraction of constant notifications.
And that's probably the point: after a day of distractions and work that lives inside my head, using my hands isn't just a break: it's a reset, a conclusion, a reminder that there are things a lot more real than our lives online.
So the next time you're feeling burnt out after a long day using your mind: try doing something with your hands.
Have a great week!
Graham
(see also Shop Class as Soulcraft)
Links
📚 Book Notes:Antifragile - Nassim Nicholas Taleb - One of the most impactful books I've ever read, this is one I strive to re-read at least once a year.
I was reminded of it this week when Daniel Vassilo, an entrepreneur who left a high-paying Amazon job, posted about how much a particular story from the book had influenced him too:
Daniel Vassallo
@dvassallo
The story from Antifragile that influenced me the most:
1:30 AM • Mar 26, 2025
135
Retweets
1543
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📖 Singapore's Healthcare System - we have the data one of my favourite new X/Instagram accounts, shared this thread from Justin Mares about Singapore's healthcare system.
In short:
- They have the best health outcomes in the world
- They spend less than a third of the US ($4K/yr vs. $15K/yr)
Singapore is no doubt unique in some ways, but it's something I'd like to read more about.
One of the key aspects of their system: transparency.
All healthcare providers must display their prices and outcomes so that buyers can assess the cost and quality.
Justin Mares
@jwmares
1:3 PM • Apr 1, 2025
5543
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29085
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🇨🇦 Canada Spends - On a related topic, a group of entrepreneurs and investors has been working to build more transparency into Canada's government spending. You can view the results so far here.
Excited to see where it goes.
🎧 Ben Howard - Walking Backwards - Live by La Blogothèque - I stumbled on this video of Ben Howard performing Walking Backwards and it's gorgeous, and the audio is amazing.
Try and listen on a pair of good speakers or headphones if possible.
Tweet of the Week
Charles Miller
@charlesmiller_7
Be stubborn on destination but flexible on path
11:49 AM • Apr 1, 2025
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