I often notice this pattern in myself, but didn’t have words for it until recently.
The pattern is in continuously getting stuck in a search for better tools, rather than doing things with my existing tools. Looking for better processes. A nicer text editor. Optimized productivity workflows and apps. Reading books around those methods.
The pattern is sharpening the sword for a battle that never comes.
I find this pattern exhausting, but often have troubling preventing myself from getting pulled in. Thinking about doing something is often easier, and can feel nicer, than actually doing the thing itself.
There are a few areas in which this issue is most prominent for me:
- Note-taking apps
- Productivity systems
- Programming languages
- Text editors
Exploration isn’t inherently problematic. However, it’s an issue when I find myself in seasons of my life in which I’m only exploring, and not capitalizing on any of the knowledge I’ve accumulated so far. It’s a problem of balance.
One heuristic I use to catch myself is noticing when I get into the theory of a field. While I do enjoy studying theory, this is often an indication that the balance is in question, especially when it’s outside of my primary field. I can justify computer science books, but how much should I really be studying the theory of note-taking? Or rather, do I really want to be studying this?
I don’t have a clear solution for this yet, but it helps to focus on the outputs rather than the inputs. What am I trying to accomplish? What are my goals? It’s difficult to improve tools, processes, and knowledge “in general”, because without a direction, it’s not easy to know when a something is truly an improvement.
Here are some other resources that have helped me think about this:
- The neurotic over-optimization trap that holds you back - where I encountered the phrase “sharpening the sword for a battle that never comes”
- Think more about what to focus on
- The Cult of Done