At this point in my career, I’m using — and paying for — far more software than I ever expected. Gmail and Google Calendar are fine. They work. But Superhuman plus Akiflow? Genuinely better. I’m actually saving time, and the $10–15/month feels justified.

It’s a good place to be — finding tools that click. Still, part of me wishes the defaults were better. That I didn’t have to seek out niche products or pay others to fix what shouldn’t be broken in the first place.