Easier to Buy Than to Use

It is much easier to buy exercise equipment than to use it to get into shape. I’m taking advantage of that right now by creating a home gym of used equipment for about 1/3rd the cost of new. Exercise equipment isn’t the only thing that is easier to buy than to really use.

It is very easy to become enamored with high-tech devices that promise to save hours of time when we are in the purchasing stage, but fail to execute when it comes to really implementing them. This isn’t just a problem for individuals. I routinely see businesses spend hundreds of thousands of dollars on software designed to make them more efficient, only to lose most of the advantages because they don’t have the discipline to follow through in the implementation stage.

When you are looking at buying a new device or new piece of software, be sure to consider the expense of really learning how it works and using it. Here are a couple things I do to lower the amount of time I need to spend learning new technology:

Upgrade my primary computer every 3 to 4 years. I tend to buy at the very top end, but keep it a long time. Switching computers can be a big time drain.
Skip versions of software. On one hand, I need to stay up-to-date in order to get support, but on the other, if everything is working, I don’t want to take the risk of running into a bug by trying to follow the manufacturer’s update cycle.
Don’t be the first. I usually try to wait a while before upgrading software or hardware. There are plenty of people who simply must have the latest and greatest and I’d rather learn from their experiences than join them.
Standardize. When my family was switching cell phone providers, I got everyone to go with the same Blackberry that I use. One reason is so I don’t have to spend a lot of time figuring out a new phone if they need help. The other reason is so they can help each other.
Learn from other people’s experiences. Amazon reviews are a great way to find out what people don’t like about something. Also, a search for “product name review” will find a lot of other reviews that are helpful.

Regardless of where you fall on the technology adopter spectrum, keeping a focus on the true productivity benefit of every new device will help you save time and money.

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