Why I Started Making Small Tools

Overview

This is about repetitive creative work, the urge to build tools, and how a tiny add-on slowly becomes part of an everyday workflow.

It starts with repetition

Most tools do not begin with a grand plan. I simply repeat the same action three times and realize a person should not have to keep doing it.

The first pass solves a problem. The second teaches the process. By the third, it is ready to become a button.

Preserve the familiar workflow

I prefer tools that sit quietly inside an existing process. Buttons appear where people expect them, controls use familiar names, and an update does not demand relearning everything.

How a small tool stays useful

The tools that survive rarely call attention to themselves. They work every time, remove a few clicks, and do not unexpectedly change existing results.