Step-by-step projects

I always knew I’d go far, and this week I did – without leaving my shop.

At a bit more than 1,100 sq. ft., my woodshop is the largest I’ve ever had. But measured against real-world things – a hiking trail, say, or the parking lot at Disney World – it’s not that big. It only takes a couple seconds to walk across it and back in any direction. Still, if you walk back and forth across it over and over again, those steps add up.

So do the miles, apparently.

With a pair of simultaneous projects with two deadlines a week apart, I’ve spent a lot of time working lately. By “a lot of time,” I mean pretty much all day, every day, with lots and lots of steps. I’ve never really gotten into the idea of step-counters. Although I like the intent of them, I can’t stand wearing anything on my wrist. I haven’t even owned a wristwatch in nearly two decades.

I do have a step-counter app on my phone. It’s not a lot of good for daily totals as I tend to lay the phone down on my desk, workbench or whatever, so trying to count steps is a waste of time. But one day last week I was expecting an important call. I might not hear it ring sitting over on my bench, so I kept it in my pocket all day, something I rarely do.

As it turned out, I never got that call. But when I was done working I sat down, put my feet up, and pulled out my phone to see a congratulatory alert from that app. Apparently, in the many hours I spent in the shop that day I managed to rack up two miles of walking entirely in my shop.

Never really thought of working in the shop as exercise, but I’m beginning to rethink that.