Why do productivity apps end up creating more busywork than actual work?

I tried tracking where my hours actually went last month and the reality was pretty brutal. Between jumping across different project boards checking notifications and trying to find lost files I realized only a fraction of the day was spent on deep focus.

We keep adding tools to our workflow expecting them to save time but most days it just feels like we're spending half our shift managing the tools themselves.

Have you ever audited your daily apps to see if they're actually helping or just adding to the noise?