Gear up
The right tools are important when your livelihood relies on your ability to work efficiently. I could easily halve, or even quarter the number of craft and sewing tools I own and still work; the problem is that doing so would require more of my time to complete certain jobs.
Beyond economizing time, you are going to want to consider the wear and tear that your body will take if you need to forge forward without the proper tools. Jobs come and go, but nerve and tendon damage can last and last.
In the office that means a good monitor, eye glasses, keyboard, and proper office chair. In the sewing room it means sharp blades on shears and rotary cutters, table heights set to comfortable levels, bulbs in the sewing machines, proper lighting throughout the room, various reading glasses to magnify my work according to the fineness of each piece, and what seems (at least when I’m organizing) like 5 million assorted thingies of various shape and sizes that assist me in everything from threading my serger to banging out pant hems to turning corners and setting grommets.
Various needle, thread, and pressure foot configurations save time, but can also save wear on my machines (as do specialty vacuum attachments meant to clean out dust.) Less time working means more time doing more enjoyable things, which also means more often than not I actually enjoy working.