Every Engineer Needs to Read "Every Day Is a Good Day"

Hey it's Buono. Today I wanna recommend a book. And no, it's not a tech book.

Here's the thing. Engineers — myself included — have spent our entire careers getting really good at one thing: building stuff that's useful and convenient. That was the game. Build something people need, get rewarded. Simple.

But that game is ending.

AI and what I call the "plateau society" (I've talked about this elsewhere) are flipping everything upside down. Useful things? Convenient things? AI handles that now. Maybe not overnight, but the trend line is clear and it's going down.

So what do engineers do when the thing we trained our whole lives for stops mattering?

I think the answer has something to do with impulse — following what genuinely excites you — and something I'd call the ability to enjoy the ordinary.

And that's where this book comes in.

Every Day a Good Day: Fifteen Lessons I Learned about Happiness from Japanese Tea Culture (JAPAN LIBRARY)

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How I Found This Book

During my year of paternity leave, I was basically wandering bookstores with a baby strapped to my chest. No energy to do anything productive. Just reading constantly.

My favorite spot was the Tsutaya Books in Futako-Tamagawa. Their staff picks section was always incredible.

That's where I found "Nichinichi Kore Koujitsu" (Every Day Is a Good Day) — a book about the Japanese tea ceremony.

Now look. I had zero interest in tea. None. But I remembered seeing Nakata from ORIRAJIO on his YouTube channel saying "I'm getting into tea ceremony." And I thought — why would someone so modern and internet-savvy care about something so old?

There had to be something there.

So I picked it up. And honestly? It kind of blew my mind.

What the Book Actually Taught Me

The book talks about things like how to bow properly, types of flowers, the shift between seasons. Tiny things I'd never once paid attention to in my life.

That was the whole world of tea ceremony. Finding beauty and meaning in the smallest, most ordinary moments.

Normally I would've read that and gone "cool I guess" and moved on. But at the time I was deep in a motivational void — months into paternity leave with nothing to work toward. I think I was subconsciously desperate for some kind of stimulation.

And then this book made me realize: stimulation was everywhere. I just wasn't looking.

The ordinary stuff I'd been ignoring my whole life — seasons changing, the way light hits a room, the rhythm of a daily routine — all of it could be interesting if I actually paid attention.

I never started doing tea ceremony after reading it. I still don't care about flowers tbh. But knowing that the everyday can be a source of genuine enjoyment? That shifted something in how I think about life.

By the way — "日日是好日" comes from Zen Buddhism. It roughly means: "Sunny days and rainy days, every single day is irreplaceable. Living fully in the present is what makes a day truly good."

Pretty hard to argue with that.

Find Your Own North Star

Here's why this matters for engineers right now.

In the AI era, the old north star — "build useful, convenient things" — is fading fast. You used to be able to just follow that and you'd be fine. Not anymore.

Now you need to find your OWN north star. Something AI can't replicate. Something that's yours.

And that starts with learning how to find what genuinely moves you — even in the most ordinary moments. This book doesn't hand you the answer, but it gives you the mindset to start looking.

It's an essay-style book, super easy to read. If any of this resonated, give it a shot.

Catch you later ✌️