DefinitionArticle · 5:00 — 6:00
The best test for whether a productivity tool actually works is longevity—whether you keep using it on new machines and can point to where it saves time.
The author argues that the most reliable measure of a productivity tool's value is whether you continue using it over years, install it on new devices, and can identify specific time savings. ✦ AI generated
Casey Newton · Platformer · 2026-08-19 · original ↗
Given how often I switch apps, the best test for whether something actually makes me more productive is longevity. Do I install the app on a new machine? Do I renew the subscription when it's time? Can I point to the places where it actually saves me time?
Read full article ↗excerpt · fair-use quotation
Around this claim
This moment responds to
gives example → Capacities' system of daily journaling with tagged news links eliminates the need for fruitless Google searches when writing about a topic I've previously covered.Casey Newton · Platformergives example → The LLM wiki automates my old blips system—each morning it generates new pages for concepts in the news and updates a home page highlighting current stories, which directly generates podcast segments and story ideas.Casey Newton · Platformergives example → The wiki is useful for fast-evolving, complex stories because it compiles detailed timelines with original sources, letting me quickly refresh my memory while verifying nothing was hallucinated.Casey Newton · Platformerprovides context → AI is just a tool like other tools developers use, and it is clearly useful.Linus Torvalds · Simon Willison's Weblog