“Choose your weapon,” is one of those phrases that conjures an image to mind. A table with a variety of weapons arrayed upon it, usually all manner of swords, knives, and blunt instruments used in hand to hand combat.
In this case however, I’m referring to your digital weapons of choice, the apps and software you use every day to get the job done.
So often when we feel our productivity start to wane a bit, or we feel that things aren’t going just right, we blame the tool we are using and then go in search of a new one. I’m not saying that’s a bad thing if there is indeed a need for change, maybe the friction to use the tool is too much, it doesn’t support a required item or format you need to get the job done (square peg round hole?). As long as you have a solid reason that you can clearly state you then may just have to change the tool.
More often the blame is misplaced and we spend far too much time looking at alternate tools only to end up back where we started and that much further behind.
There is a hidden benefit though to sticking with the same tools, you learn the tips and tricks that can actually help boost your productivity. The keyboard shortcuts, the integrations, and of course a workflow that over times becomes second nature so it fades into the background and the real work becomes the focus. That’s the real benefit of sticking with a tool, it becomes that old friend or colleague that helps you get the work done so you can get on with other challenges or spend time with family and friends.
So, before you ditch your tool, before you go chase that new software package just hitting the market, give some thought to why you’re making the shift. Do you really need to?