Why you need to invest in your tools
Greg Taieb · · 5 min read
An Australian proverb says that a bad workman blames his tools.
I have to tell you a secret, if one day you have something to reproach me for in my work it won't be the fault of my tools.
Because if there is one thing that I have learned over the years, it is that it is essential to invest in your tools. Invest time first of all to identify the tools best suited to your needs and learn how to get the most out of them.
But here I would like to talk about another investment, one that involves spending on your tools and why it is a state of mind that changes everything.
To illustrate my point I will give you 2 examples in which sometimes investing a few euros can make a big difference.
I have always worked in large structures in which employees are provided by the company with the hardware and software that it considers suitable for the missions. It’s up to employees to make do.
Thus was born, among certain employees, this feeling that the company MUST bring them everything, provide them with everything and that under no circumstances should they have to spend on their work tools. In the same way that you don't ask a butcher to bring his knives, why should an employee bring his work tools?
Until when should we be content to use tools that are not suitable... just because they are provided?
Basically I can understand this way of thinking. Only until when should we apply these principles? Should we persist and continue to work with unsuitable (or non-optimal) tools just because we think the company must provide them to us? If the company gives you good equipment and by investing a little you could have excellent equipment, equipment that you chose, what would you do?
Personally, I made the choice several years ago that, where a small investment could improve my daily life and my working conditions, I will never hesitate to spend.
Here are 2 concrete examples where I applied this principle and how much it helped me.
When an application saves you hours per month and opens up new perspectives.
I take dozens of screenshots per week. Need to illustrate something, save information or share a remark with a comment, it's really an essential application to my daily workflow.
But I really wasn't helped by the tools installed by default on my PC. I then looked for an alternative that was simple, quick to use and easily allowed me to take a screenshot, edit it and share it. And I quickly became a fan of Fastone Capture. This light, powerful application quickly became indispensable to me. I paid 20€ for its license and have used it every day for years. I can't say how many hours it has saved me but I think it takes me 2 to 3 times less time than if I had to do the same tasks with the tools provided by default.
On top of that, I discovered a few years ago when I needed to do a screencast that Fastone also excelled at this task. So I created dozens of video tutorials using software purchased years before and which I already mastered. This is also a big time saver.
In the end, a few euros invested to efficiently do a daily task is a great investment.
When a small change in equipment is good for your health...And that of your colleagues.
If you are, like me, glued to a computer most of your day, you are certainly putting a strain on your eyes. Did you know that you are also hurting your wrist and especially your carpal tunnel? In some cases this can even go as far as an operation.
And yet the fix is simple, you just need a vertical mouse.
Your wrist is constantly relaxed and you are immediately more rested. Such a mouse requires a few days of adaptation but you instantly see the benefit. Price level, count 15 to 20€ for a good quality wired mouse.
The other area of improvement at the hardware level is of course the keyboard. I know that mechanical keyboards are in fashion but I personally prefer flexible keyboards with quiet keys like those on MacBooks because it is much more pleasant for your colleagues in Open Space. You can also count on less than €20 on Amazon for a perfectly decent keyboard. Once again, assume that you will not have the best by default; you will have something standard which will be “not bad” at best. Why settle for that? You're on that keyboard and mouse all day. So take the 30 or 40€ which will make you feel like you are in business class where your colleagues stay in low cost. Don't do it to stand out, do it for you.
As you will have understood, the idea of this article is not to tell you that you will work well by spending money. Having good tools will never be enough. On the other hand, sometimes investing just a few euros in your tools can make a real difference if it meets a search for efficiency and performance.
And you? Have you ever paid for work tools out of pocket? What type of tool and what benefits did you get from it