Tools don’t solve problems

I’m terrible at cleaning the house. I never think of vacuuming, and when I do, it’s always a hassle with the machine and the cord and all. Vacuuming just isn’t any fun. I often think I would do more vacuuming and perhaps even enjoy it, if I had one of those fancy battery-powered cordless vacuum machines, like a Dyson. Or better yet: a robot vacuum cleaner, so I don’t have to do anything.

We often think that to solve a problem we need better tools. A more convenient vacuum cleaner. A more powerful drill. A more versatile kitchen machine.

The truth is that getting a different tool doesn’t solve the problem. It’s knowing how to use the tool that solves it. Learning how it works, implementing it in your specific context and storing and maintaining it. Buying a tool is the easy part. Using and owning it takes work.

This is true for home appliances, but also for software like Figma or Miro or frameworks like Agile and OKRs. All tools require effort to implement. No tool does all the work for you. Not even a robot vacuum cleaner.

Tools don’t solve problems. People do.