It took a procrastinator only one day to buy a new television
There's a fine line between taking the time to do the research to make an informed decision and being a procrastinator. It's a very fine line. I cross that line, moving back and forth, often.
For instance, two years ago I needed a new laptop. I narrowed it down to two models. Then the research to make that informed decision began. It started with going to two local stores. I consider that as information gathering. When I increased the search to locations twenty-five miles away...well...I was certainly heading towards procrastination-land.
I'm not sure what you what call it when I decided to pull the trigger on a third model, had it shipped to my home, looked it over and decided to send it back without even hitting the power button. Maybe the words fucking nuts fit?
Finally, I did buy a new laptop. It was the model I originally wanted. What made me decide to make the purchase was a deal for $75 off of the base price. Oh yeah....I came within a day of returning it after a week. The salesperson talked me into trying it out a little longer. I did and here I am typing up this post on that same laptop almost two years later. Phew!
The time spent from the start of the research process to the actual purchase....six months. That's right...SIX MONTHS!!
Okay...I admit there was plenty of procrastination involved in that purchase.
Then there was the case of the new cell phone.
Last winter I decided it was time to upgrade my four-year-old cell phone. Actually, my old phone made that decision for me. The battery wouldn't hold its charge very long and it would turn itself off. Those were all signs that it was time to get a new phone. I take signs very seriously. If I see one, even if it's an imagined sign, I usually act on it. Yeah, it may take a few days to do it because of that procrastination thing, but eventually, I'll do it.
I narrowed my choice of cell phones to two models. Sound familiar? Time to do some informed research. The problem was this happened in March and it was the start of the pandemic. The stores where I would usually go to do the research were closed. I know you can do that same research on-line, but when it comes to this sort of thing, I like to see what I'm buying. I want to touch it, play with it, see if I can actually use the product before forking over the cash. So I waited....and I waited...and I waited!
March 2020...I used my old phone. April 2020....I used my old phone. May 2020....The stores opened.
It was time to buy a new phone....or at least do some research.
Store number one had both models. I looked at both of them. Held them both in my hand. I asked questions. I couldn't make a decision. I just wasn't ready. I left empty-handed. I waited a couple of days and then I went to store number two. They also had both models. They also had the same prices as the first place. I looked, I played, I asked questions....actually the same questions that I asked in the first store. I also left that store empty-handed. SIGH!
I went home, went online, looked at both phones, did some cost analysis and made a decision. I went back to store number one and bought a cell phone. Yeah!! Oh yeah, it was two weeks after leaving store number two, but at least I did it, right?
So was that procrastination or making the informed decision? Hmmm...some of it was due to the pandemic which was not my fault and some of it was because I procrastinated, which was my fault. At least it didn't take six months like the laptop.
That brings us to a week ago. I wanted to watch something on television so step number one was to turn it on. I hit the power button and the tv turns on, then turns itself off. Damn. I try again, the same thing. One more time, power on/power off. Hmmm...this can't be a good sign and remember how I am about signs. I find something else to do and try again a few hours later. Same thing as before. I decided to give it one more try before giving up. Of course, it works...and of course, the power on/off thing hasn't been an issue since then. But, in the back of my mind, I'm still thinking about the television issues from a week ago. Maybe it's time to get a new television.
Oh man, here we go again....
There are lots of places that sell televisions, but I narrow it down to two stores. I check out their websites. Both have pretty good deals. I can actually pick one, order it, pay, have it delivered and never leave the comfort of my bedroom. NAHHHH! That would be too easy. I want to see the televisions in person because apparently, I've never seen what one of these things look like or how they actually work. It's time for a field trip.
I head to store number one. I head to their television section. It takes less than five minutes to find the perfect one. It's the right size, the picture looks sharp and the price is excellent. It was almost go-time....almost. In the back of my head, I was thinking, I wonder what the other store has? Could I be missing out on something better?
It was off to store number two....
A half-hour later, I'm looking at televisions again. I didn't see anything that piqued my interest. Nothing even close. So I left empty-handed...again.
I was going to head home. I had enough of shopping for one day. But, then I made a decision. If I had found exactly what I was looking for, why wait? It was back to store number one. Ten minutes later, I walked out of the place with a new replacement television! Not six months. Not three months. TEN MINUTES!!!
EUREKA!!! The procrastination days are over.
I get the tv home. I'm a little concerned about setting it up because I have some issues with techie stuff. There's a lot of wires and plugs involved. It hurts my head thinking about it. I wonder if the old tv is working? Hey, look at this....turns on, no problem. Maybe I'll just watch this one for now. The new one can be set up tomorrow, right? There's always tomorrow, right?
Related Post: The obsessive hunt for a new computer
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