A well-maintained tool becomes an extension of competence.

There is a point where a well-kept tool stops feeling separate from you. The sharp knife, the tuned instrument, the bike that fits: you stop managing it and start simply doing the thing. Poor maintenance breaks that, and you spend your attention fighting the tool instead of doing the work.

If there is something you use often and fight with regularly, treat it properly once. Sharpen it, service it, adjust it to you. The jump in how capable you feel will usually be larger than any upgrade you could have bought.