I’m not a handyman.

“So what are you doing here then?” I can almost hear you thinking.
I’ll tell you.

You work with your head and your hands. To build, make, or repair something.
I work with my head and my mouth. I mainly use my hands to type, to write, and to reinforce my spoken words with gestures.
A big difference.

And yet we are more alike than you might think.

Just like you, I’m self-employed. I have to keep up, innovate, and stay visible. Because in my profession too, standing still means falling behind. But you know how it goes: the workweek is full, and the calendar is overflowing. Meanwhile, everything is changing. New techniques. New regulations. New customers with different—and ever higher—expectations.
So much to do and so little time.

In the locker room of the gym where I train, there’s a sentence on the wall: **“YOU ARE THE BEST PROJECT YOU WILL EVER WORK ON.”**
This applies to your muscles and to your business. Good craftsmanship requires maintenance.
Not only of your tools, but also of your mind. That’s easier said than done, because our brain finds renewal and change rather inconvenient. It prefers safe and familiar. Stay where you are and don’t move. But we all know: that’s not how it works. If you stop learning, you fall behind. And if you fall behind, sooner or later you’ll get the bill. In declining quality, reduced job satisfaction, or lower revenue.

So: let your hands AND your head wave!

Read trade magazines (you’re doing that now—good job!). Go to trade fairs. Talk to colleagues. See how others approach things. Peek over fences. Try something new.
The great thing is that knowledge is everywhere these days. Online, and often free or almost free. Articles, research, white papers, podcasts, webinars. Just looking at the valuable webinars produced by Eisma Bouwmedia, the publisher of *KlusVisie*, you could keep learning from those for years. And the beauty is: you can watch or listen to a webinar or podcast whenever and wherever you want—even in between two jobs.

Working on yourself isn’t a side issue; it’s the most important job you have.

This column was published in February 2026 in *KlusVisie*, a professional platform for professionals in the repair and maintenance sector