I'm Dave.
I created one68.ai to share what I'm thinking about and what I'm working on. This is a place where I'll share experiments, systems, tools, software, hardware, workflows, and random ideas I'm testing to try to get more out of life. Not by grinding harder, but by building systems that actually work with real life.
My mission is simple: Help people create more space for what matters most.
Not through life hacks. Not through over-optimization. Not through tracking more data or downloading another productivity app. I'm interested in systems, workflows and routines that reduce friction and make life feel lighter instead of heavier.
The name
The name one68 comes from the 168 hours we all get each week. That number has always fascinated me. We all get the same 168 hours, but somehow it never feels like enough.
Also — strangely enough — this was my weight on my wedding day 16 years ago, and the number I still jokingly try to get back to every year.
But back to 168. It's never enough. Not enough time to do my job the way I want. Not enough time to work out consistently. Not enough time to spend with family and friends. Forget hobbies — most weeks it feels like I'm just trying to put out the most urgent fire in my life and keep the train on the tracks.
I think a lot of people feel this way.
What you'll find here
Every Sunday I'll share:
- What I'm building
- What I'm thinking about
- What I'm learning
- Where I've completely failed
Some posts will be about work. Some about family. Some about health, systems, business, or whatever is on my mind that week.
The archive tab will organize posts by topic. The systems tab is where I'll share tools I'm actively building and testing — some downloadable, some that may eventually become products. All of them are experiments.
If you use something and have feedback, send it to me. I promise I'll read it and think about it for future versions.
This week: micro entrepreneurship
Ironically, the thing I spent the most time on this week was building this website. I actually tore down the previous version because it felt way too preachy — it pretended to have answers I'm not sure anyone really has. This version feels more honest. It's a lab. A place to test ideas publicly.
What I'm thinking about this week is micro entrepreneurship.
I think starting businesses is awesome. I think building things that help people is one of the best ways to improve both your own life and the world around you. I've wanted to start businesses for most of my life.
Back in 2004, after getting fired from my first real job, I took my $5K severance, moved back in with my parents, and opened something called The Hub Café in Boston. My genius business strategy was to buy pretzels and fruit from BJ's, sell smoothies to tourists walking the Freedom Trail, and become wildly successful. The location was perfect — inside the lobby of a tour bus company. I thought it would be shooting fish in a barrel.
What actually happened was I sold about $40 worth of smoothies a day and ate the leftover pretzels and hot dogs because I couldn't afford anything else. I shut it down after three months.
At the time it felt like failure, but I learned two important things:
- Starting a business is risky. As you get older, it becomes harder to trade stability for uncertainty. Especially when you have a spouse, kids, bills, and people depending on you.
- Nobody really knows what people will pay for. You can think something is a brilliant idea and still discover nobody wants it.
So what I'm thinking about this week is this: there has to be a better way for people to test ideas. How can entrepreneurs experiment without risking everything? How can people build small things, test demand quickly, and learn without going broke?
I don't have the answer yet. But I'm interested in finding it.
Anyways. Welcome to the lab.