Since Dragon Ball is such a long-lived franchise, it's understandable that some details would slip through the cracks, but one slip-up involving Goku actually means the entire plot of the franchise shouldn't have been possible.
At the end of the first arc in Dragon Ball, Oolong makes a miracle wish from the Eternal Dragon Shenron, putting the Pilaf Gang’s plans for world conquest to an end. Because a wish was granted by Shenron, the Dragon Balls erupt into the sky and are scattered around the world, having been rendered inert for a year. This timeframe was also confirmed by Bulma in chapter 1 of Dragon Ball, and again by Kami, the equivalent of Dragon Ball's God, after the events of the 'King Piccolo Saga.' Despite this, after the 21st World Martial Arts Tournament, Son Goku canonically finds and uses the Dragon Balls before this one-year time frame has elapsed.
Goku’s usage of the Dragon Balls before their dormant period has elapsed is a gigantic plot hole that is never addressed by creator Akira Toriyama for the remainder of the series. In the manga, it is confirmed that Goku's training with Master Roshi at Kame House only took 8 months, and the World Martial Arts Tournament was immediately after this time period. Not only that, but Goku leaves to find the Dragon Balls almost immediately after the tournament is over. There is no window of time which would allow for Goku to wait out the remaining 4 months until the Dragon Balls could be used again. Furthermore, the Dragon Balls have clearly not been rendered inert stone for this time period either, as when Goku finds the 6-Star Ball, it is visibly active.
The Dragon Balls becoming lifeless husks of stone is seen again later, on Planet Namek prior to the battle with Frieza. Upon the passing of Elder Guru, the Dragon Balls lose all color, as well as their stars, and they no longer hold any power. The Dragon Balls that Goku finds during the time period directly after his participation at the 21st World Martial Arts Tournament appear completely normal with no visual changes whatsoever. This massive narrative oversight has quite literally zero explanation.
While Toriyama is known for sometimes absent-minded writing, this particular error cuts right to the heart of the franchise. Goku being able to use the Dragon Balls before a one-year period had elapsed is a plot hole that sends the entire Dragon Ball timeline into disarray, suggesting either that his wish shouldn't have come true or that the Dragon Balls' rules aren't as set in stone as literally everyone seems to think. This plot hole, occurring so soon in Goku's saga, has a domino effect on Dragon Ball's timeline, making everything that happens after the World Martial Arts tournament dependent on an event that's firmly impossible by one of the franchise's most important rules.