Think going old school feels like stepping into the Stone Age?

What if it’s actually the shortcut to making life simpler, not harder?

I learned this lesson firsthand one weekend, clearing land for the cabin I’d always dreamed of building. The property was beautiful, tucked deep into the mountains. The kind of place where the only sounds you hear are the wind in the trees and your own footsteps crunching through fallen leaves. But there was a catch—old, dead trees littered the land, some standing tall like skeletal sentinels, others lying in heaps, blocking the entrance to the property. It was a long drive up a winding, rugged mountain road to get there, the kind of trip you only make when you're ready to dig in and get things done.

I had it all figured out—or so I thought. I packed my trusty chainsaw, planning to make short work of the trees, the deadfalls, the brush. This wasn’t going to be more than a 4-5 hour project. I’d be done by the afternoon, standing on the land where my cabin would someday sit, satisfied with a job well done.

But just 15 minutes into it, as I was making my way through an old oak trunk, my chainsaw snagged hard. The chain kinked and then, with a snap that echoed through the trees, broke. I stood there in disbelief for a moment, staring at the twisted metal. There was no way to fix it, not out there in the middle of nowhere.
That’s when it hit me—I had a choice. I could pack up, drive hours back down the mountain, spend a day or two trying to get a replacement part, and put the whole project on hold. Or, I could go old school.

I went to the back of my pickup, pulled out my felling ax, and took a deep breath. There was something about holding that ax in my hands, feeling its weight, that brought everything into focus. No fancy machines, no shortcuts. Just me, the ax, and the trees.

I started swinging. It wasn’t easy, but every chop felt like progress. I quickly realized that when you’re working manually, you get strategic. You don’t waste energy cutting down trees you don’t need to. You focus on exactly what needs to be done to get the job finished.

And here’s the kicker: I wasn’t done in 4-5 hours like I had planned. I was done in three.

It doesn’t seem to make sense, right? A chainsaw should’ve been faster. But when you go old school, when you have to rely on skill, determination, and the right tool for the job, you become more efficient, more thoughtful in your work. You realize you don’t need to do everything, just the right things.

That day on the mountain taught me a lesson that I carry with me in life—and in business. Sometimes, we get so caught up in looking for the next shiny tool, the newest gadget or strategy, that we lose sight of what really matters. We think we need to do it all, cut down every tree in sight, when what we really need is focus.
In business, it’s easy to fall into the trap of chasing the latest trends, the next “game-changer.” But maybe, just maybe, we need to go old school more often. Stick to the tried-and-true tactics that have worked for years. Take a step back, simplify, and focus on what really moves the needle.

Because just like that mountain clearing, you might find that going old school doesn’t slow you down—it actually helps you get to the finish line faster, with less wasted effort.

Sometimes, the simplest approach is the most effective. So, before you run to the newest thing, ask yourself—what’s the felling ax in your business? What’s the tool or strategy that’s always worked, that maybe you’ve set aside for something “better”? Maybe it’s time to pick it up again. You just might be surprised at what you can accomplish.