"Every craftsman starts his or her journey with a basic set of good-quality tools. A woodworker might need rules, gauges, a couple of saws, some good planes, fine chisels, drills and braces, mallets, and clamps. These tools will be lovingly chosen, will be built to last, will perform specific jobs with little overlap with other tools, and, perhaps most importantly, will feel right in the budding woodworker's hands."
I read the above paragraph from the pragmatic programmer, and thought it made a lot of sense. My appreciation for tools continues to grow, and grow. And as I learn to use different tools, I find different sorts of productivity gains.