This isn’t an entry about Avicii’s 2013 hit single, nor is it an entry about the half brother I discovered I had last year (that’s a blog entry for another day). Today, I want to comment on resourcefulness. For the sake of this entry, I am referring to material resources. In particular, I am referring to my tendency towards anti-obsolescence. It seems as though technology is replaced so quickly these days that I can’t keep up.
For many years, I have used my possessions such as clothes, books, and gadgets until they are no longer workable. I must have been a magpie in another life because I keep a lot of random stuff and I don’t easily replace things. I guess I feel bad for throwing anything away as I don’t want to contribute to polluting our environment. I’m also not one to go along with current hype so I won’t buy the latest anything. My phone works just fine thank you, when it breaks I probably still won’t buy the latest model. So where is this all going? Yesterday, I watched in hurried desperation as my 12 year old HP printer tried to print a single black and white page which took an aggravatingly long time. I knew the time had come. Sadly, I resigned myself to the death of my printer:
HP Printer Eulogy
On this day, 6 January 2017, I bid a heartfelt farewell to a faithful office companion. HP 1210, you were a loyal worker. You followed me from state to state in all my gypsy travels and you never complained once, except for when you ran out of ink. I am saddened by your obsolescence but you really outlived your warranty so I’m proud of you. I’m so proud of you! Thank you for giving me value-for-money printing. You will always be my first printer, I’ll always cherish you. Goodbye.
Yesterday, I purchased the Brother MFC-J5720DW. It was on special with a cash-back offer, and came with a lot of cool features including wireless printing, Linux compatibility, ADF scanning, Fax (does anyone still use this?), and the ability to print A3 which will come in handy if I need to print posters for future productions. I was excited about my new technology and I know that Gretchen Rubin’s advice about ‘indulging in a modest splurge’ was very practical in this case.
As frugal and resourceful as I am financially, I did not want to waste my own time and decrease productivity for the sake of hanging onto an old printer. I needed to be as resourceful with my precious time as I was with my material resources. So is there any technology in your life worth replacing in order to increase your productivity?
Recommended read:
http://www.xsolutions.com/2014/10/you-waste-17-hours-per-year-on-this/
