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Prompt: Write about what deserves more of your attention.

The prompt for today, June 12, 2026, is: write about what deserves more of your attention.

Lately, as I’ve been thinking about my craft and finding my craft—about that maker side of me—I think what I really need to pay more attention to is what I’m doing well.

Prompt: Write about what pulls your focus away.

Okay, the prompt for today, June 11, 2026, is: write about what pulls your focus away.

Well, first, I don’t know if this is really pulling my focus away, but in terms of me getting things done and working on my own projects, there’s Emi, our daughter. But she’s not pulling my focus away. She’s my primary focus, and everything else has sort of become secondary to that.

Actually, no, I don’t think that’s quite right.

Prompt: Write about something calling for your attention.

Today’s prompt, June 10, 2026, is: Write about something calling for your attention.

I don’t think anything is actually calling for my attention so much as I’m being distracted and finding everything interesting, trying to give it my attention.

What I’ve learned—and am continuing to learn—is that you can’t give everything your attention. In fact, if you want to make progress, you have to be very decisive, almost cutthroat, about what you choose to focus on.

Prompt: Write about something that took longer than expected.

The prompt for today, June 9, 2026, is: Write about something that took longer than expected.

First off, I’m an incredibly impatient person. I thought I had patience. I really did think I was more patient than I am. I remember once my mom was visiting, and I was talking to her about—I don’t know what. Anyway, I brought up the topic of me being patient, and before I could get the sentence out, she said, “No.” That’s not true. She said I am terribly impatient, and I understand that.

Prompt: Write about something that didn’t work.

All right, the prompt for today, June 8, 2026, is: Write about something that didn’t work.

I think failure is a huge part of learning.

I remember when I got my first contract job—my first full-time teaching job. It was with a Grade 6 gifted class, or I should say students who had been identified as gifted. I remember telling them, and telling their parents, that my job was not to give them assignments and tasks they could complete, but to challenge them to the point of failure.

Prompt: Write about a tool that matters to you.

All right, the prompt for today, June 7th, 2026, is: write about a tool that matters to you.

The first tool that comes to mind, outside of my hands, is a pen. I think that’s probably the first tool I’ve picked up and used, and one that I continue to use and continue to embrace. In many ways, literacy is a democratizing, equalizing skill. As the world has become more literate, the opportunity for people to engage with one another and express themselves and their opinions has expanded. Being able to do that through writing and reading extends your reach. So I think the pen is a wonderful tool.

Prompt: Write about a craftsperson or maker you admire.

Okay, the prompt for today, June 6, 2026, is: write about a craftsperson or maker you admire.

YouTube has done a fantastic job of giving people a platform. With smartphones being so ubiquitous, it’s become a very democratic way for people to express themselves and show what they’re doing. I think YouTube has done a wonderful job of that. The ads and monetization side of things are starting to get to me a little, but that’s another discussion.

Prompt: Write about something you have made.

All right, the prompt for today, June 5th, 2026, is: Write about something you have made.

The first thing that comes to mind is that a lot of what I’ve made—and I have made a few things—doesn’t feel complete. I think where I get stuck is that I see the faults before I see the progress.

For example, I made a custom wall unit for our living room. Because of the way the house is designed, it’s a really narrow space, and there’s a closet door that needs to open. We couldn’t find a solution that worked, so I built this narrow wall unit with bookshelves and storage.

Prompt: Write about something you return to again and again.

The prompt for today, June 4th, 2026, is: Write about something you return to again and again.

I think that has to be writing.

The morning pages are one thing. I do them regularly, and they’ve become embedded in my routine. Not being able to do them with pen and paper lately has been quite difficult.

Prompt: Write about what your hands have taught you.

The prompt for today, June 3rd, 2026, is: Write about what your hands have taught you.

I think what I want to say is that I can’t think without my hands.

When I was studying philosophy at university, I thought that my mind—my brain—was what did the bulk of the work for me. I thought I could be that person whose life and work were done with their head, essentially.

Prompt: Write about something unfinished in your creative life.

The prompt for today, June 2nd, 2026, is: write about something unfinished in your creative life.

The title for this prompt is Restlessness.

Today I was supposed to get my cast off. I was hoping to get my cast off, and I did for a few hours. Then they put on a new cast because I have to wait for more scans to see if my wrist has healed.

Prompt: Write about the first time you felt drawn to make something.

Hey folks,

The prompt for today, June 1st, 2026, is: write about the first time you felt drawn to make something.

Thinking about this, I can’t really remember making anything as a kid. I remember chasing my dad around with a toolbox because he used to fix TVs and VCRs and all sorts of other electronics. I’d follow him to people’s houses or watch him fixing things there. He had a workshop in the basement, which we weren’t actually allowed to go into, but there were always parts and tools around. I remember that.