[haswell]

To me, the problem is “productivity culture” and the often projected idea/belief that a tool or system will make you productive.

Over the years, I’ve come to look at tools in this category this way:

1. If you’re struggling to get things done and especially if you don’t know where to start, productivity tools aren’t the solution.

2. But if you’re extremely busy and are having a hard time managing your workload, tools can be a godsend.

The “crap” part is the myriad of productivity influencers selling their particular system and the people who follow those systems like some kind of religion. This crowd often projects the idea that you just need to organize things to get unstuck.

But getting unstuck is a whole other ball of wax. Tools might help in some circumstances, but also might just be a huge distraction. Often the truly best approach is just to start.

Bottom line: use productivity tools to tame the chaos, assist your particular brain, etc. Don’t use these tools thinking they’re going to get you out of a rut or solve your procrastination problem.