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Build Tools to Shape Your Own Workflows
Product / Advice
Don't just use tools. Build the ones that make your work easier.
The Idea
The best internal tools come from people doing the work. A script, a spreadsheet, a tiny app — shaped by someone who feels the pain daily. Over time, these tools shape how the whole team works.
Why It Matters
- Off-the-shelf tools impose someone else's workflow. Yours is different.
- Small custom tools compound into real leverage.
- Understanding your own workflow deeply makes you a better product builder.
How to Apply
- Notice what you repeat. Automate the repeats.
- Start ugly — scripts and sheets before apps.
- Share tools with teammates; let them evolve the shape.
- Graduate internal tools into products if they solve problems beyond you.
The Trap
Building tools when you should be doing the work. Tooling is infrastructure — useful at the right dose, a distraction at the wrong one.
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