Last week on a trim job, my whole team stopped to watch me cut a piece without measuring first (they all use tapes for everything). I just lined it up and cut, and it fit right in place with no gap. Now I'm not saying to toss your tools, but for simple repeats, your eye can be good enough if you've been doing this a while. It made for a pretty funny moment when they all just stared at me.
I always thought speed squares were just for rookies. My angles kept coming out wrong on a garage build. Finally caved and watched a tutorial online. Now I mark every cut with one, and it's so much faster. Feels good to fix a dumb habit.
As a kid, my dad and I spent weekends in his shop. He showed me how to measure twice and cut once. Now, my own kids watch videos instead of working with their hands. I miss the smell of sawdust and the quiet focus we shared, because those moments built more than furniture.