When I run into a problem, my first instinct used to be finding the right tool.
There's probably an app for it.
A plugin.
An automation platform.
An API.
Something with an integration.
I've gotten a little better at slowing down.
Now I try to understand the process first.
What actually happens?
Who does what?
What information needs to move?
Where does it currently get stuck?
Only then do I start thinking about tools.
This sounds obvious, but it's surprisingly easy to skip.
Especially when you're comfortable with technology.
You see a problem and immediately think:
"I can automate that."
But sometimes the process itself is the problem.
Automating a bad process just gives you a faster bad process.
So lately I've been trying to spend more time understanding the problem before deciding what to build.
It's probably made my solutions simpler too.