I just got new eyeglasses and suddenly, the ones I wore every day for two years seem useless. The prescription didn’t change that much but I haven’t had the “old” ones on since the day I brought the new ones home.
The same thing happens when I buy new athletic shoes — the pair I was perfectly happy wearing into the store now seems haggard and ready to retire. It also happens with cars — mine seems to age a decade as soon as I drive onto the lot — and televisions, as my old one now seems to be the size of a computer monitor.
I’m very conscious of this bias-toward-new and regulate the things I expose myself to that may tempt me to replace “fine” with “latest.” I don’t need to peruse in the Apple store lest my iPhone 11 suddenly pales next to the fancy new 14. I’m not going to open houses or home shows. I especially need to stay away from office supplies.
Consider your propensity to be seduced and perhaps limit your intake of temptations. Don’t do that demo of the latest and greatest new software unless you’re really in the market. Scroll through the ads on your social media feed that offer must-have products that will make your life easier. Have a cycle of planned replacements for your big purchases and ignore those impulse buys.
Things that are perfectly acceptable can seem obsolete far sooner than they actually are.
