The Joy of Building Tiny Tools

Why a pear-banana might be the most honest product strategy I’ve ever had

A few days ago, I posted a picture on LinkedIn of a fruit that shouldn’t exist.

A banana shaped like a pear. Just a visual joke, nothing serious. But the comments made me realize something.

I’ve been doing this thing for years without giving it a name.

I build tiny tools for myself whenever something annoys me for more than three minutes. Not to save the world. Just to save my own sanity, and because it’s fun.

The 3-minute irritation rule

If something in my daily life keeps bothering me past the three-minute mark, I end up building a tool.

A small image-optimizer. Something to keep track of my messages. A web app to decide which Arnold Schwarzenegger movie I should watch. Yes, it now exists. You’re welcome. Feel free to try it. It works suspiciously well.

These tools aren’t impressive. They aren’t marketable and they aren’t even meant for anyone but me, but they make my day slightly less dumb and that feels like a superpower.

There’s a famous principle in software culture called

“Scratch your own itch”

from Eric Raymond’s The Cathedral and the Bazaar. And honestly, that might be the entire explanation for my hobby.

The quiet magic of useless tools

What surprised me most wasn’t that I build weird tools. It was how many people do exactly the same.

When I posted the pear-banana the comments rolled in. Someone built a tool that measures read-aloud time for video scripts based on the speaking speed of a specific actor. Someone else dreamed of a kitchen AI that could factor in a toddler’s nap length before suggesting dinner. Another person wanted a tool that could stop them from doomscrolling. And one brave soul tried to invent a hyper-specific sanding machine for a five-centimeter gap between wooden planks.

None of these are problems that make headlines. But they’re real and exactly the kind of thing that sparks creativity.

These tools aren’t “products”, they’re expressions of curiosity and sometimes curiosity is enough.

Toys come first

One of my favorite quotes in tech comes from Alan Kay (or it’s more or less how it goes)

“Some of the best ideas look like toys at first.”

I love that. It frees you from the pressure to build something big or important. It gives permission to play and to experiment. To follow the strange ideas that only make sense to you.

Tiny tools aren’t a distraction from creativity. They are creativity. In its purest, lowest-stakes form.

Build your own 3-minute tool

So here’s my encouragement. Next time something annoys you for longer than three minutes why not build a tiny tool? Even if it’s useless or ugly. Even if you suspect no one else will ever need it. It might solve your problem or it might make your day better.

It might even make someone smile, like a pear-banana did.

Oh, and if you need inspiration my Arnold movie picker is always ready at https://jarllyng.github.io/get-to-the-movie/