Kill a tool before you add a new one

I set myself a rule: before I bring a new tool into the stack, I have to find one old tool to remove first. It keeps the whole system from just growing forever without anyone stopping to clean it out.

This matters because it is much easier to add software than to remove it. Adding takes a single decision and a sign-up form. Removing means checking who still uses it, moving any data out, and canceling the plan, so most people skip that step and the stack just keeps swelling. Left unchecked, a business can end up paying for a dozen overlapping tools that nobody remembers choosing.

This rule forces a trade-off mindset. If a new tool is worth bringing in, it should be worth the effort of also cleaning something out, and if you cannot find anything to cut, maybe the new tool is not as necessary as it seemed.

Try this today: the next time you want to add a tool, pick one existing tool to fully retire in the same week. Do not let the new one arrive without the old one leaving.