# Tools

I tend to care a lot about the tools I'm using. Sometimes that results in choices that might be hard to understand from the outside. Clojure is a programming language that even many programmers I meet haven't heard of. Vim is a text editor that requires years of building muscle memory to really feel that extra power it gets you.

With both of these there are fundamental differences to their alternatives that seemed worthwhile at the time and still do. Clojure provides a feedback loop like no other language I've used. Vim just helps me looking like "a guy who knows things" in front of my coworkers. We all know it matters.

Anyways, I care about tools.

I believe the tools we use shape how we work in subtle, yet significant ways. I hope you agree that the logical conclusion to this is that we should always question the tools we use. Do they serve us well? Are they a reflection of how we want to work? How we want to collaborate? Do they feel like a sharp knife or more like a dull one?

I've been thinking about this in the context of my own tool-use. I'm writing this in Roam, an app that feels a bit like Vim. It almost looks broken the first few times you look at it but there's something at a lower level that I agree with and for which I'm willing to feel lost every now and then.

As a software engineer I use plenty of "tools" every day. Some of my own choosing, some chosen by the group of people I work with. There are certain defaults. Google Docs, Trello, GitHub, Asana &c.

I'm writing this because I think it is important to question those defaults. Try new things. Find tools that spark joy and don't underestimate the second order effects of having sharp knives in your kitchen.

“We shape our tools and our tools shape us.” — Marshall McLuhan

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