technologyattention

When Enough Is Enough

Recognizing the moment when another improvement would cost more attention than it returns.

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The new version promises to save a few seconds.

I spend half an hour reading about it. Then another half hour considering whether the tool I already use is still the right one. By lunchtime, a small convenience has become a substantial occupation.

There is pleasure in finding something that works well. There is also a point at which the search begins to take time from the work the tool was meant to support.

Enough can be difficult to recognize because it rarely announces itself. The current arrangement feels ordinary. It opens the document, holds the notes, lets us continue. Its usefulness has become quiet through repetition.

I close the comparison page. The unfinished sentence is still where I left it.