Definition

Toolishness (tool + foolishness) is the tendency to attribute magical powers to tools, especially new or not-yet-understood ones.

Why it matters (the costs)

Toolishness is expensive in a few predictable ways:

• It burns attention (rabbit holes, constant switching).
• It doubles the learning curve (new process and new tool at once).
• It creates false progress (configuration feels like forward motion).
• It can delay shipping (waiting for the “right” tool instead of using what you already have).

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My flavor of toolishness (foraging tools)

When I feel stuck, I tend to forage tools: I survey what’s out there, go broad, then (sometimes) go deep.

A useful distinction:

• Surveying is quick scanning to understand the landscape and name the categories.
• Going broad is trying multiple candidates just enough to feel their affordances.
• Going deep is committing to one tool long enough to build skill and integration.

Toolishness often happens when I confuse surveying/broad exploration with real progress.

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Dx ⇒ Rx (Diagnose before prescribing)

A mini-framework for resisting toolishness.

Dx: Diagnose

1. Outcome: What am I trying to achieve with what I already have?
   • (A supply-side stance: capability-first, constraints-aware.)
2. Failure mode: What is failing right now?
   • What is not meeting its potential?
   • Where is friction showing up?
3. Constraint: What is the binding constraint?
   • Time, attention, money, privacy, trust, or coordination?
4. Baseline: What is the current workflow without a new tool?

Rx: Prescribe

1. Smallest change: What is the smallest intervention that could help?
   • A rename, a template, a daily note habit, a single hotkey, a tighter question, a smaller scope.