Software creeps. You add a tool to solve one problem, then another, then another, and a year later you’re paying for six apps that overlap, two you’ve forgotten, and one nobody remembers signing up for.
A bloated stack isn’t just a money leak. It’s a focus leak. Every tool is one more login, one more place data lives, one more thing to keep in your head.
Run a stack audit
- List every tool you pay for and what it actually does.
- Circle the ones two or more tools both do.
- Flag anything nobody has opened in 30 days.
- Cancel, consolidate, or commit; every tool gets a verdict.
» Rule of thumb
If you can’t say in one sentence what a tool does that nothing else does, it’s a candidate for the chopping block.
Fewer tools, fewer decisions
The point isn’t to be cheap. It’s to stop spending attention. A lean stack means less switching, fewer places to check, and a much clearer picture of where your work actually lives.
Every tool you keep should earn its spot every month, not just the month you bought it.