The Goblyn Way: Qualitatively Measuring Your Tool Curation Insight
The Problem: Tool Fatigue and the Cost of Curation BlindnessEvery development team I have encountered wrestles with the same modern paradox: an overwhelming abundance of tools, yet a persistent sense of inadequacy about the ones they have chosen. Tool fatigue is real—it drains cognitive energy, splinters workflows, and often leads to a costly cycle of adoption and abandonment. The core problem is not a lack of tools; it is a lack of curation insight. Without a qualitative method to measure how well your tool choices serve your team's actual needs, you end up making decisions based on hype, convenience, or the loudest voice in the room.From my experience working with dozens of teams over the past decade, the consequences of curation blindness are measurable in human terms: reduced morale, longer onboarding times, and a silent accumulation of technical debt disguised as “flexibility.” One team I advised had adopted five different