How To Be More Productive

I love working hard for 8-10 hours, walking through the door and seeing your family, taking a shower eating a meal, and relaxing. Then, crashing hard.

I've always gotten feedback from people being surprised about how much work I can get done. I have done a lot of different jobs, picked up a lot of knowledge along the way. My grandpa was a depression era farm boy who worked me hard but showed me a lot in my youth so I had some unfair advantage, but with some critical thought and coming up with some jigs or rigging or even just simple knowledge of tool usage, you can easily accomplish by yourself what would take others much longer to do. Your comments about competing against yourself ring true, if you challenge yourself to think of a better way to do things you will. It's never a complete deal though, like you say you can learn something from anyone.

One thing I would add, you mention athletics a few times... I agree. Also take care of yourself if you want to be productive. Eat well, do some exercise outside of work, prioritize quality sleep. Your body is a tool in many ways also, treat it well and you will have a much easier time being productive in life.

Still one of my favorite videos on the internet, and I watch it 2-3 times a year as a reminder. Thanks for this, and for all the other wonderful videos you've made over the years!

Double thumbs up!! you put words to how I feel.I am far from the even being the beginner of being a craftsman but I do feel the sense of acomplisment in my soul when I hammer in the final nail .

What type of wood is that and why does it have holes in them like tenderized meat. Does it help with structure at all or is it aesthetic? You did a great job on the project and I love your work!

My first job was as a busboy in a restaurant. I started when I was 14 and worked there for six years. Eventually, I became a food runner, but I always declined becoming a waiter. The chefs called me “the best there was,” and even though I was low on the totem pole, all the staff called me Sir or Mister Quin.

When I was carrying huge trays of dishes back to the kitchen, sometimes my boss would say, “Work smarter, not harder.” For the entire six years I worked there, my response remained the same: “Why not both?”

I came across your Chanel a few years back, this is the first video I ever saw from you. Since then you have motivated and inspired me again and again, I can say these videos have become an important part in me pursuing my career in the trades. I am happy to use the knowledge in my work and pass it on to new guys. Please keep on going, it’s been great so far! Thank you for everything :)

he forgot to say "Keep Up the Good Work" at the end

Give up your video games! 16 years I was addicted. Quit January. Now am licensed and added 25% to my income. Vidya are a bad drug

Love the videos

You don't find the dust from that type of PT lumber irritating to your health? I really notice when I don't wear a mask and gloves with this type of wood. Just wondering if this is something you have any words about, not a critique at all. Love this video and your channel.

This man is the living example of a person who discovered his passion in life. I have being learning with his videos a lot and I enjoy watching him work. he is an inspiration for anybody who love carpentry or construction work in general because he knows many things. For me he is the best handyman Ive ever know. He reminds me Larry Haunn another great campenter. God bless him. thanks.

I found this video so relatable. It’s been in my “watch later” playlist for a long while, but today I finally decided to watch it. I think I had put it off for so long because I interpreted the title to insinuate that being productive ought to be of utmost importance, a sentiment of our time that I find misplaced and needlessly stressful to apply. However, given the week I have had, I interpreted the title’s meaning differently this evening and decided to give it a watch.

This week has been my first time off this year, and I’ve been spending it putting a new roof on the house. I’m working just as hard as I do at my job, maybe harder, and am having a great time pushing myself. When I was younger I would throw myself into a task without any forethought and suffered because of it. Then for years I tended to overthink most tasks. I think I have hit the sweet spot of planning my work and jumping in to figure it out as I go. There’s nothing like the feeling of having a solid base of strength and stamina and applying that to executing a task in a smart way. It’s pretty awesome what we can get done, even by ourselves, when these pieces are in place.

This is a great video. I watch it often and it lifts my spirits and has helped me refine my work habits in the construction industry. Thank you.

Much respect from Poland!

That Frost poem finishes: “ my object in living has been to unite/ my vocation with my avocation/ as my two eyes make one in sight./ Only where love and need are one/ and work is play for mortal stakes/ is the job ever done/ for Heaven’s and the future’s sake.”

Built a ramp similar to this for my Dad years ago but much smaller. After he passed Mom wanted it removed so I took it apart numbering parts as I went. She said why are you saving that we won’t need it again all the time I was putting it away in the barn. A few years later out it came and back in place for round 2 with Mom who was glad to see it again. It’s currently back in the barn waiting for round 3 I live in the house now and am approaching that age to use it. Maybe the next owners of our place will put it away for round 4. That’s my work smarter not harder story. Good video Scott.

…… And there I was, trying to turn my diamond encrusted 👸🏼 tierra into an angle grinder via my old man’s skill saw from 20 years ago, still works but the blade is well, not like these new carb hiding ones that probably do help you cut stuff more efficiently…thus cutting more wood…and cutting more carbs ???Maybe?? 🤷🏻‍♀️ My dad probably couldn’t afford diamonds for his tools AND for my fat little head both…. And because of that, I came here to find some of that grit he always had, so Ironically I can fix Moms porch railing that is half rotten and half asphalt rocks grown around rebar somehow …. I really don’t know WHAT the hell is going on over there cause my daddy Worked so much overtime trying to just pay for 1 roof for his little ladies, (mom and me) and that roof I know we replaced so many times until finally Metal Roofing become the standard thing.. so MY POINT IS my father had NO down time, so sometimes his down time- overlapped the never ending projects that owning a home provide to you always and forever like lol this shit never ends I’m Almost 40 and we’re still rocking the same lead paint in places because well ya know priorities duh. Roof > walls naturally 😅 and rebarred Asphalt framed maple tree porch steps 🎉 ——👀 ?? Yeh I would probably need a cold one too if I had lived his life 24/7/365 …. Just didn’t expect to be ugly -crying at this unassuming video that triggered all that is has been right and ALL that has been wrong in my upbringing and down taking thus far. 🙇🏻‍♀️💭
But “…where there is a wheel, there is a ANOTHER way to skin a cat”…
—my dad


He would have liked this feller in the videos here, doing man stuff for his ladies 🫡 salute!

Great job, great advice. And as always, granting us viewers the benefit of your very own brand of apprenticeship, which I personally enjoy so very much. You take us all under your wing, generously revealing the ultra-practical mindset and how to work toward achieving it for ourselves, working smarter AND harder at the same time. So down to earth, straightforward, basic, and in the end, character building. Win / win / win! It's quite simply the best around, and I sincerely thank you for sharing. BTW, I loved your mention of Robert Frost, and (happily) guess that dates us both. Today's youth would glean a lot about life, work, friendship, and even love, by taking his writings to heart, no doubt. Thanks again, and may God grant you every blessing.

i found this video like three or four years ago and untill now imalways search for it. to listen to the advice you give. it has impacted me in a positive way. even now that im watching thos video agine im taking notes on what yoh said even thougj its my 6th or 7th time watching it

"Work smarter not harder" makes more or less sense in various situations. If it's a simple matter of building something with your hands its a simple matter. For example I write computer code: slowing down and reflecting on problems can make solutions be simple by not overly engineering them and overcomplicating the solution, or accomplishes more than is needed. I could write an elegant solution for all cases or a quick and dirty solution to the only case I need to solve for for example.

When you're taking a blank canvas and creating something single handedly though all the work is going to be done by you. There is no greater conception of the problem that you don't see or that you hand off to someone else to solve.

Does anybody else have a "what if" mindset with projects. Im looking at this and it is amazing as is, but im thinking, "whatif we left the post tall enough amd made it covered"

I stumbled across this video when it was new, 6 years ago, my first exposure to EC, not my last. Have rewatched at LEAST a dozen times, shared it, now rewatching every so often, and again just now. Such enduring value, such generosity of spirit, such kindness. What a blessing in so many ways. Scott Wadsworth — gentleman, philosopher, tradesman, friend (though we have never met) — thank you. Long may you prosper and teach.

You are awesome. God has surely blessed you.

Well said my friend

Thanks

I could of used a dad like you

Poetry in motion, doc!

Not sure if this took over the course of a day but ordinarily this would take about a week for a 3 man crew to finish from A to Z

Your like a father figure i never had speaking wisdom so thank you enjoying listening 🙏🇦🇺🇺🇸

I worry that whatever the project is, I don't know enough, so it wont be good enough, and there's always something I've missed or am ignorant of.
Making mistakes and learning is just life, but when there is so much to do, making mistakes feels like wasted time when someone better or more experienced could have taught me.
Then it becomes a money problem because I need teachers for any project I want to do.

I love the circularsaw

I have watched your videos for years. As a Carpenter myself I greatly respect what you are teaching. The wisdom you share is more valuable than any trade school. In 2025 I am still watching. And learning. Thank you sir. Hat tip.

I don't just love your videos, but there is something deeply moving in them. Thank you so much!

I'll be 37 this year. Joining the carpentry union. Going in green without experience. Thank you for this video. So many great mottos to keep in mind on my new chapter in life.

I watched this video about 3 years ago, incidentally just before I started working in a new job in landscaping/construction.
It's been one of the principals I would follow as I was getting used to the heavy physical labor. I used to work an office job, but needing a change i went into manual labor. The first few months was a tough ride, but I would grit my teeth and acknowledge that it may suck today but tomorrow it would suck a little less as my body would get hardened and my experiences got me a more efficient and less wasteful workflow.

This week I was doing a bunch of overtime to help get a project done in time. As I was doing my thing I couldn't help but feeling a bit frustrated at the amount of work I had before me, and that I felt like I was unfit for the job because I doubted myself for being fast enough. But when I stopped for a short break, I stood there just looking at the work i had done so far and it finally dawned on me;
My head was focused and efficient, having little to no wasted movements as I did all I had to do, and I was nowhere near as tired like I once would be.
Looking back, when I first started working I would barely do 1/4 of what I had done today, and i remember back then getting chewed out by my foreman for being slow.

And now? in a company with hundreds of employees, when one of the project managers needed someone reliable he could trust to get things done in time, it was *ME* he called, and that feels so good I can barely describe it.




I guess I just wanted to say thanks for sharing some of your wisdom and experiences, it's helped me more than you may realize.

genius

As a 19 year old guy, month ago i made a walk way at our garden. When you doing somethink like this, you arent always enjoying it. But at the end of the day, you just stare on what you made and just thinking "That was real fun to do" and thats the best part of that.

I have watched a lot of construction channels and subscribe to many. I have found by far that the wisdom given in this channel by far exceeds them all. Thank you Sir. I am a tradesman who became a preacher and medical missionary. I still try to keep my hands in the trades as much as I can. Jesus was a carpenter.

The narration, the music, the philosophy and the work were just so soothing. Thank you sir.

This is wholesome and great advice. Needed this today

I must of watched this 14 times in 7 years 😊

I really enjoyed the whole flow of this video, music, narrative, super relaxing and great life advice! Thank you, god bless

i HATE TO SAY, THIS IS BUILT LIKE SHIT. The wood is directly in soil and will rot quickly. The ramp joists should be spaced closer of at least have a center joist supporting the floor, the deckboards are spanning to far and will warp.

Dang. Algorithm brought me here and I just now realized you’re this guy. I watched this video years ago and watch your content now, but never noticed the connection. Keep up the great work.

I was completely absorbed by you video. I wish it lasted 60mins. I struggle heavily with hard work. There's so much I wanna do but it feels like I'm just paralyze and can't do them. You're giving me inspiration. Thank you so much!

Thank you! Your video taught me the joy of getting myself better. It has been difficult to paid properly for my work but I realized I can always enjoy improving my skills and myself. Money is important but there are more fun things out of it. Thank you!