Ask if a tool removes work or adds work

Before I let any new tool stick around, I watch closely for one thing: is it actually taking tasks off my plate, or is it just giving me a new place to do the same amount of work. Plenty of software feels productive without truly lightening the load.

This matters because a tool can look helpful while quietly adding its own upkeep, its own notifications, and its own learning curve on top of the task it was meant to simplify. If checking and maintaining the tool takes nearly as long as the old manual way did, you have not actually gained anything, you have just moved the effort somewhere else and added a bill for the privilege.

The honest test is time, not feelings. A tool earns its place in your stack when the hours it saves clearly beat the hours it costs to run.

Try this today: pick one tool you use daily and honestly track how much time it saves versus how much time it demands from you in upkeep and checking. If the balance looks off, that tool is worth reconsidering.