How to Handle Tech Lust

It starts with rumors, Sony’s new PS3 was going to be latest and greatest gaming console ending any doubt about who's going to own the gaming industry.  

“Wow, this sounds interesting, I wonder when it's coming out"

Specs start to slowly trickle out to the public, 3.2 GHz PowerPC-based processor, full 1080p HD, NVIDIA RSX 'Reality Synthesizer' graphics, wifi, support, blue tooth, and Blue-ray on models ranging from 20 to 80 Gigs of storage.  A few citings in the wild are being reported and blogged about, along with an official announcement of the release date.

“What the f*&%, that is crazy! I have to have this!” (at the time, those specs really were crazy)

After countless leaked screen shots, demos, big announcements, reviews, press releases, and commercials, I had no chance.

On the week of the launch I found myself along with three other friends taking 6-12 hour shifts for 3 days, camping outside the local Best Buy hoping to grab one of the thirty tickets identifying who will be walking home with a brand new PS3.

Hopefully my little story illustrates some of the dangers of tech lust.  With access to so much information, it’s so easy to build up a product in your mind to an obsession, leading you to throw away big time money on something you may not even need in the first place.  So how can you prevent yourself from falling into the same trap I’ve been falling into for years?  Here are some tips that have helped me greatly reduce the unwanted side effects of tech envy.

Banish the Advertising!

Most people don’t believe that advertising has any major effect on them.  I believed this myself until I came across an article at SebastionMarshall.com explaining why advertising works on you.  The point of the article is that just because you don’t get hungry for a Big Mac after a McDonalds commercial, it doesn't mean the commercial hasn’t affected you.  Exposing you to the product has a large enough effect on its own.

A friend of mine recently bought a used Chevy Cobalt.  I'm not a huge car enthusiast so I had never heard of or seen this car until she got a chance to show it off to me.  After I got a chance to admire it, I feel like I see this particular model everywhere I go.  It just stands out a little bit more to me now.

For  me, banishing advertisements means deleting blogs like Gizmodo and Engadget from my google reader.  I still get my tech fix (something I really enjoy) from podcasts (buzz out loud, the engadget show) and other blogs.  But at least I don’t get the daily barrage of gadget rumors that the engadget blog provides.  For others, banishing advertising might mean less television, taking the long route home to avoid window shopping, or taking advantage of more on demand content with services such as Netflix, Hulu, TiVo, Pandora,or Slacker Radio.  These types of services deliver the content you enjoy with much less advertising.  

30 Day rule

The 30 day rule is something I picked up from Trent over at the Simple Dollar.  The 30 day rule states that you can’t buy any big ticket item without waiting for at least 30 days.  This small and simple rule has an enormous amount of benefits.  The most obvious advantage of following a rule like this is that it eliminates impulse buys.  Most times, when I see something I really want, I’ll hold off and tell myself to revisit the decision in 30 days, only to completely forget about the item when time is up anyway. 

Another advantage that most people don’t think of when they first hear about this rule is the extended enjoyment of the buying process.  Similar to how planning a vacation can be as fun as actually going on the vacation, researching the best products and prices can extend the joy of making the actual purchase.  If you’re looking for a phone, go out and find out about all the operating systems available, which carrier has the best coverage in your area, which data and voice plans will match your use, who has the best apps.   You might even research phone manufactures release schedules so you can find the best time to buy your phone at the cheapest price.  Sometimes, you'll find out that the new gadget you were dreaming about isn't so hot after all.  One last note, don't be afraid to extend the waiting period for larger purchases.  A good rule of thumb is to wait as long as it takes to save up the money to make the purchase without any impact on your normal budget.

Don’t Torture Yourself

So you’ve waited and waited and you still feel that your life just isn’t complete without that new iPad 2.  But of course you don’t want to waste all this work you’ve done to hold off from buying another expensive toy for so long.  Others might disagree with me, but my best advice to you at this point is to just buy it.  You’ve already done the research to know it’s the best product for the best price that will meet your needs.  You’ve had enough time to think about whether it’s just more tech lust, or something that you honestly need.  And you’ve already saved the money needed to buy it without affecting your budget. 

Not many gadgets have made it past this rigorous test for me (just my iPod Touch, and Kindle come to mind), so at this point, I no longer have any fear of buyer’s remorse, and I feel confident in making the purchase.  I still have a hard time giving myself permission to put a large amount of money toward a non-life essential.  I just try to have faith in my system and trust that all my work led to the best decision, and now it’s just a matter of being confident in myself and my decision.  

This process isn’t limited to gadgets for me.  I try to apply it to any big time purchase I’m thinking about.  Right now I’m in the process of planning a month long vacation I’ve needed for a while now.  Hopefully I can post some pictures soon!

leave a comment: how do you handle tech lust?