Personal essays & field notes
Slow notes on making things, and the long way around.
I'm Wade — a higher education leader and builder writing about the projects I'm making, the ideas I'm wrestling with, and what it takes to actually finish.
Latest essays Read them all →
Navigating Transitions: The Power of Personal Rituals
AI-Powered Shutdown Ritual: Automating Cal Newport's End-of-Day Routine
Project-Based Bonding: How Rebuilding a Mini Cooper Rebuilt My Relationship With My Son
Technology & Human Connection
From Square One to Sustainable Creativity: Building Systems That Prevent Starting Over
The Practical Path to AI Integration: A Levi Strauss Approach
Digital Life Design
The Empathy Advantage: Why Human-Centered Leadership Drives Results
The index — everything, newest first Subscribe →
01
How to Make a Perfect Negroni: A Complete Guide
02
Navigating Transitions: The Power of Personal Rituals
03
AI-Powered Shutdown Ritual: Automating Cal Newport's End-of-Day Routine
04
Project-Based Bonding: How Rebuilding a Mini Cooper Rebuilt My Relationship With My Son
05
Technology & Human Connection
06
From Square One to Sustainable Creativity: Building Systems That Prevent Starting Over
07
The Practical Path to AI Integration: A Levi Strauss Approach
08
Digital Life Design
09
The Empathy Advantage: Why Human-Centered Leadership Drives Results
10
Finding Your True North: The Journey to Authentic Values
11
The Productive Friction: Finding Balance Between Analog Constraints and Digital Freedom
12
Learning to Create Better Puzzles: A Birthday Scavenger Hunt Story
13
The Art of Delegation: How to Empower Your Team and Free Up Your Time
14
My Journey to Embracing Conflict
15
My Journey from Tech Resistance to Embrace: How Reluctance Became Transformation
16
Leadership Philosophy
17
The Creative Power of Limitations: Why Constraints Set Us Free
18
Planning Like a Dungeon Master
19
Transitions Despite Emotions
20
The Distraction of Tools
21
Hard Conversations = Love
22
Audio Book Practice
23
Underestimated, The Wisdom and Power of Teenage Girls - Book Report
24
Layers of Complexity
25
Complex Reality
26
Meaning Behind EveryDay Objects
27
What Delegation Is and Isn't
28
When Hesitation Isn't Helpful
29
Weightlifting as Meditation
30
The Overwhelming Appeal of Everyday Carry (EDC)
31
Emergency Preparedness
32
Google is Theory, and Theory Will Only Get You So Far
33
Dirty Hands
34
Anger
35
Consistency > Intensity
36
Learn to Love the Process
37
The Important Transition into Art Critique
38
Photo Friday
39
It's Like Going to Church to Me.
40
Leadership is Like Parenting, But Not in The Way You Think
41
My Judgement Gets in My Way
42
Living in the Time of the Super-Specialist
43
Photo Friday 1.19.24
44
Taking On or Passing Along Energy
45
Knowledge Isn’t Enough
46
Working in Data
47
Defining Myself with Objects
48
Photo Friday 1.12.24
49
Writing as a Magic Wand
50
Consumption Turns Me Into Someone Else
51
Addiction = distraction
52
That feeling that resonates
53
Wanting to be in the calendar
54
Calendar of Perspective
55
Calenaring Ratios
56
Extreme Changes or Bust
57
Quality Matters
58
Craving Work, Fulfillment, and Being Done
59
The Stories We Tell Ourselves
60
Purpose Driven
61
The Power of Story
62
Why Learn Design...Even if you're not an Designer
63
Social Interactions Post-Pandemic
64
Process is Better than Outcome
65
There is Never "A" Solution
66
The Role of Discipline
67
Endings: from order to disorder
68
Frame and Compassion
69
Outcome and Process Independent
70
Embracing Detachment and Becoming Present
71
April 10, 2021
72
Response to Bukowski
73
Playing it Safe - A Bukowski Warning
74
Remembering 9/11
75
I'm 37. I'm not old
76
A Softer Shadow
77
So, I've been thinking about...
78
Pandemic Time
79
Goodbye, Things
80
March 8, 2021
81
Consolations of Philosophy
82
January 2021 - Values
83
David Chang's Eat A Peach
84
Craft and iPhone Repair
85
To The High School Class of 2020: Do NOT take a gap year.
86
Thank You, Newport Beach
87
Right Here. Right Now. Halloween 2017
88
Developing a Studio Practice
89
The Untapped Potential of Mind-Mapping
90
How I Unexpectedly Prepared to Interview
91
Right here. Right now. 9/28 7:00 pm
92
From Millennial Impatience to Mastery
93
Home Made Ramen Noodles
94
Getting Out of My Social Situations
95
Right here. Right now. August 2017
96
I am Scared to Start
97
Right here. Right now. July 2017
98
June 24, 2017 10:00 pm
99
My Sonicare Time Management Hack
100
Money Shows Value
101
Raising Kids with a Sense of Purpose
102
Right here. Right now. May 31, 7:05 pm
103
Mo Money, Mo Problems....I'll Take the Problems
104
Getting Present...with Dance?
105
Style is Everything
106
My Fear of the Unknown and Potential Success
107
Parenting is Rough
108
April 10, 11:47 AM
109
The Liberation of Getting Out of My Head
110
Getting Things Done is Boring
111
I'm a Maker Dottie...a Rebel
112
Right here. Right now. March 23, 2017 at 1:07 PM
113
Organization is the Key to Everything!
114
I Don't Need Anyone's Permission
115
The Benefit of Rituals
116
Time Management is Bull S#!%
117
The Valuable Lesson I Learned from the 2017 Best Picture Fiasco
118
I am a Borrower of Truth.
119
That Time A Little Old Lady Made Me Cry
120
How I Learned to Stop Caring and Just Love Myself
121
Uhhh...I Didn't Know That Skeleton Was In Here
122
Financial Literacy is Important
123
I Sure Hope I'm A Good Dad.
124
I've Been Too Busy To Be Present
125
It's Time to get some Mise En Place.
126
My Positive Attitude Has Screwed Me
127
Donald Trump and the Power I Give to Others
128
Social Media Makes Me Special
129
I Will No Longer Rely On Your Opinions
130
Yes, And...My Marriage.
131
Leaning into the Creative Process
132
Faith Crisis and Blue Like Jazz
133
Mike Tyson, A Case Study
134
Meeting Masculine Standards
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