I'm frustrated and I feel like I'm in a position that other, more experienced and talented, developers have probably gone through. I'm hoping that someone has a "magic bullet" answer for me, though I'm starting to think that there isn't one.

Right now, when I have an idea for a tool or library - something that would make my job easier, or just be generally useful - I almost instantly find someone that has done it. Most times more than one person, and most times more than one person who has done it better than I feel like I could. After going through this cycle a few times I'm getting a little disheartened.

Why waste time building something that someone has already done better?