I am not generally given to New Year’s resolutions (and judging by the conversation surrounding resolutions, it seems that many share this disinclination). So this may not specifically qualify as a resolution as much as a desire to have resolve: I commit not to purchase any new technology this year.
No new devices. No new toys. No new gizmos.
It turns out that I have enough.
I’ve enjoyed being an early adopter of new tech toys. From buying the first iPad on the day it came out to cycling through various cell phones in any given year, I like to try things out and try out new things. Yet it seems that things have gotten to a point where there is very little dramatic change and improvement in tech and there is instead incremental improvement.
With things having reached this plateau, it seems to be a good time to try out this experiment and be a better steward of my tech. So I am not going to buy a new tablet or phone or computer in 2014. It helps, of course, that I am quite well-equipped with technology at this point. I have a great phone (HTC One) and am in the middle of a two-year contract. My laptop is a relatively new Asus machine that’s updated to Windows 8.1. My go-to tablet is the new Dell Venue 8. I have an assortment of iPods that just keep kicking. And I’m typing this post up on an Acer Chromebook.
That’s an embarrassment of riches and, quite frankly, I’m feeling a bit embarrassed.
So I’m going to use – and use up – what I have instead of seeking after the hot new thing. I hope to better utilize what I have so that I can do more writing and creating and less looking and consuming. That’s perhaps my greatest hope: that these technological marvels can be tools that support a productive and faithful life instead of being things sought after for status or novelty.
I’ll check in from time-to-time to see how I’m doing with this all. For now, happy new year!
Waiting for Green 