I'm in the middle of extreme landscaping so my watering can, shovel, and axe all see equal action. I'll opt for watering can though because right now I'm breeding tons blue roses.
My first town probably watering can cause I only had the beautiful ordinance for 2 weeks while on holiday. And it took 30-40 minutes to water everything daily.
My 2nd town, I'd say bug net on the island. I was trying to pay everything off up to the point my first town was at for a long time. Then trading etc. Too much bug hunting...
My current OYC, probably Rod or maybe even wetsuit. I've rediscovered my old love for fishing in the games. And I don't even bother selling some of my fish anymore if I'm just enjoying fishing away, just strt throwing away more and more expensive catches until I decide to do another lap of my town.
The shovel, watering can and axe are the most important tools in the game. But I don't use an axe anymore because the trees in my town are in the areas I wanted.
Now I just use shovel and the watering can the most.
My town is on beautiful and just have to water one type of flower for hybrids.
Shovel just for hitting the rocks.
The net and fishing rod are used the most now.
I use the watering can and shovel the most, because of watering flowers and for more hybrids, and the shovel for digging stuff up (bamboo and gyroids) and i bury fertilizer everyday. Sometimes I use the axe to replant perfect fruit trees.
I use the shovel and the axe the most! Trying to pick up fossils and ores to sell or give away! Axes to landscape with cedar sapling and saplings--re organize or cut so that there is a special pattern stump!
i use my watering can and shovel the most as i've gone crazy on breeding hybrids.
i also don't dig up all the gyroids/fossils that spawn until a week has passed so when that happens, i use my shovel the most.
It's the shovel for me. Gotta get the fossils, plant fertilizer, dig up unwanted flowers, and bury time capsule. I feel like most of the things you can do require the shovel.
The shovel and the watering can mostly, although in my old town there was a time I chopped down every single tree in my town and replanted them in perfect order so I used that golden ax of mine quite a lot that day.
On the island I only really use the net and fishing pole though, so with that considered I probably use the shovel and net about the same amount...
I use my shovel the most. I check for the bell rock, the ore rock, and dig up fossils every day. I only catch fish and bugs a few times a week. I have the Beautiful Town Ordinance, so there's no need to water flowers. And I have all the trees where I want them, so I don't use my axe anymore. (I still keep my gold watering can and gold axe, though.)