ISSUE #013
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You open your laptop to actually get something done and spend the first ten minutes trying to remember where the thing lives.
Was that note in Google Drive? Notion? The project tool? The email thread? Did somebody put it in a spreadsheet for reasons nobody fully understands?
Then there are the passwords, notifications, subscriptions, integrations, browser extensions, and the app somebody added six months ago because it was definitely going to solve everything.
This is usually the point where I start wanting to delete things.
I love a good purge.
Tools are supposed to remove friction
Most tools enter our lives for a perfectly reasonable reason. Something wasn’t working, so we found a thing that promised to make it easier. Then another problem showed up, so we added another thing. And another.
Eventually, you can end up with a stack where every individual decision made sense... but the whole thing together is a mess.
Now people need to know which system is used for what, information lives in multiple places, and two tools are doing slightly different versions of the same job. Instead of supporting the work, the stack starts requiring work of its own.
That’s the part I pay attention to.
The warning sign is not the number of tools
I don’t think there is some magical correct number. Twelve tools can be completely reasonable for one organization and absurd for another. Three badly chosen tools can still create plenty of chaos.
I care much more about whether people know what each tool is for. If I ask, “Why do we use this?” and nobody can give me a clear answer, my eyebrow is already going up.
The same thing happens when the answer is, “Well, technically we use this one for X... except sometimes Y lives there too... but Sarah keeps hers over here.”
Yep. We have a systems problem.
Start with the brutal inventory
Before adding anything new, I like seeing what already exists.
Make one list of every tool your work depends on. Paid software, free apps, platforms, extensions, storage systems, communication tools... all of it.
You do not need a gorgeous dashboard. A spreadsheet will survive.
For each tool, capture a few basics:
What problem is this supposed to solve?
Who actually uses it?
How often?
What does it cost?
Is anything else already doing basically the same job?
This part is strangely satisfying because tool creep is sneaky. You may find things you forgot you were paying for, things only one person still uses, or two systems that somehow became permanent despite doing almost exactly the same thing.
Make every tool earn its place
Once you can see the stack, I’d run each tool through a simple test.
What specific problem does this solve?
If the answer is vague, keep digging.
Would we choose it again today?
This helps cut through the well, we already have it logic.
Could something we already use do this well enough?
Notice I said well enough.
This is where teams can get trapped chasing the perfect specialized tool when an existing one could handle the job just fine.
What does this tool create that we now have to manage?
That question matters too.
A new platform can solve one problem while creating new logins, training, maintenance, data entry, approvals, and another place for information to disappear.
Sometimes the feature is worth it. Sometimes you just bought yourself another job.
I have a One-Tool Rule
Here’s one I still like from the original version of this article: If you cannot clearly explain why you need two tools doing similar things, you probably don’t.
There are exceptions. Of course there are. But overlapping tools need a reason.
If two platforms both hold project information, which one is the actual source of truth?
If you have multiple places for notes, where should somebody look first?
If three communication channels are all considered appropriate for the same kind of request, congratulations... you’ve created a scavenger hunt.
The slight inconvenience of using one imperfect system is often easier than the ongoing mental load of remembering which version of the work lives where.
Then comes my favorite part: cut things
I am not sentimental about software. If nobody uses it, cut it. If another tool already does the job, consolidate. If everyone avoids it because it is annoying, that is data. If you genuinely cannot tell whether you need it, put it on probation. Give it 30 days and see whether anybody actually misses it.
Just make sure you deal with the boring important stuff before deleting anything. Export information you need. Check dependencies. Make sure somebody isn’t running the entire finance operation through the app you were about to nuke.
Then... purge away.
New tools need to solve an actual problem
Tool creep usually starts again when someone sees a shiny new platform and immediately begins imagining all the things it could do. I understand this deeply. I am extremely capable of convincing myself that new software will change my life.
So I like a simple rule:
Name the problem before you shop for the solution.
What is currently not working?
What would need to be different for a new tool to be worth adding?
Can something already in the stack solve it?
And if you add this, does anything else get to go?
That last question is especially useful. Because otherwise the stack only moves in one direction: bigger.
The goal is not fewer tools
I would not simplify a system just to brag that it is simple. The goal is to make the work easier to do. Sometimes that requires a very specific tool. Sometimes paying for the good version saves hours of frustrating work. Sometimes an integration genuinely removes a whole manual process.
Great. Keep it.
Every tool in the stack should earn its place by solving a real problem without creating more friction than it removes.
That’s the standard.
Make it obvious where the work lives
The best outcome of a tech-stack cleanup is not a smaller software bill, although I will happily take that too. It’s people knowing where to go.
Where does this information live?
Where do I make this request?
Where do I track this project?
Which tool owns this part of the work?
When those answers are obvious, the tools fade into the background. Which is exactly where they belong.
You should be spending your time doing the work. Not managing the pile of things you bought to help you do the work.
Cheers to getting unscattered,
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