Sometimes I feel really overwhelmed with technology. Like this past weekend when I decided (for the second time in about a year) that I needed a new computer.
Although it might seem exciting to most to start fresh and upgrade, I always dread the idea of having to spend a lot of money and reorganize my chaos of hoarded files and the long list of my current to-do projects.
This time, my switch wasn’t just to a new computer though. This time I had to do the dreaded PC to Mac switchover, which is probably ten times worse than just moving from one PC to another PC, or a Mac to a Mac. Now, I could be making this harder on myself than it is just by having a negative attitude about it, but it still is going to eat up a lot of time no matter how positive I am about it. And just like everyone else, I only have 24 hours in my day to get things accomplished, and like many others out there, those 24 hours usually aren’t enough as it is.
And so, I sat at the new computer installing program after program, messaging friends to ask questions, while continuing to work on my PC. I found myself grabbing the wrong mouse, typing on the wrong keyboard, and second guessing my decision, even though I knew it was a decision that had to be made.
When I’m not at the Journal working on stories and laying out pages, I spend my “free time” running my own business, which requires a whole lot of gigabytes worth of memory on my computer, specific programs, and a lot of time. It became a necessity to take the plunge and buy the bigger, better, and more efficient computer, more tailored to my needs, even though I tried to fight it.
I’m sure my husband thinks I’m crazy with how I approach technology. It took me a few months to fully switch from my old iPhone, which was slowly dying, to a newer version. The old phone, even though it didn’t work well and wasn’t even connected to a plan, sat in my purse for about four or five months after I got my new phone. And for the first month or two of getting my new phone, I would often forget it places, as if I hadn’t bonded with it yet.
And that’s exactly how my husband described the process. Now, I can say I’ve fully bonded with my new iPhone. It comes with me everywhere, and I’m capable of draining its battery every day and using up all the data on my plan every month.
Sadly, my need to bond with inanimate objects extends even further. Both of my jobs require a high quality camera. So, when I made the decision to upgrade that piece of equipment a couple years ago, I was excited, followed by disappointment. Although I knew, realistically, the new camera had much better capabilities than the last one, it again took me a good two months (or more) to learn to love it.
I don’t know if I have an unhealthy relationship with technology, or if it’s just a sign of my personality. Commitment can be hard. But if you give it time, it usually works out for the best.
