Looking back today, I was like a cyber hamster, or more accurately, a cyber dragon, hoarding various software and tools every day, and I would even take time to compare and admire my various "trophies." 😭
My previous obsession with hoarding and comparing various "productivity tools" had even become a kind of affliction.
- Every day, I was caught up in various note-taking software, and in the end, I didn't note down anything, just a mind full of keywords like paid, free, sync, etc.
- I liked comparing different browsers, even starting to seek out and try out some niche browsers that no one used; in reality, the unique features of these browsers could be covered by a single plugin.
- I compared various blogging platforms, leaving no trace behind, which even led to choices about different VPS options.
- I was well-known in the company for my input method expertise, fully aware of the characteristics of various input tools.
- I became addicted to phone ROMs and flashing, even experimenting with various setups on my main device.
- …
At that time, I had my own set of justifications: as a programmer, I knew there was no perfect tool, but I tried my best to make my tools as useful as possible.
In reality, paid software is mostly closed-source, and after using it, I always felt that some features were missing and not user-friendly enough; open-source software felt like a half-finished product, as if I had been following a recipe for ages, only to end up ordering a bad takeaway. I always told my team members that when developing, they should treat users like fools, yet when using various software myself, I started to get clever, thinking, "This thing isn't really that great; maybe I should try something else?"
Looking back, I was tirelessly wasting time, energy, and money on these things every day, leaving only a mess behind. If you are like I was back then, I think it's time to make some changes.