How much is too much?
I struggle with this question a lot. I want every gadget that Apple sells. I’d like to go on a vacation every couple months. I’d also like to have a savings account with tens of thousands of dollars but also have a full funded IRA and no debt.
Screen Time for 10/6 - 10/12
When it comes to using my iPhone, like I stated in my last post, I feel I use it too much. Over the past week my screen time usage average is over 7 hours. (It is up 155% because I forgot to turn it on when I got my iPhone 15 Pro Max so this was the first full week with it on)
An average of 7 hours a day is probably too much, so is wanting an iPad Pro, a MacBook Pro, a MacBook Air, a Mac Mini, Beats Studio Pros, AirPods Pro, a Vision Pro, etc. I love technology I love gadgets, not just Apple products either, I also want a OLED switch and a pair of Meta Sunglasses.
I am rereading Ryan Holidays book about the stoic value temperance, Discipline is Destiny, which is a good book and reminder of what it means to have moderation and to temper your desires. I have also been a follower of minimalism for many years that has been engrained in my mind to never want too many things that provide the same benefit.
Having an iPad Pro and a MacBook Air is something I strongly want, but also conflict with it being extremely wasteful and excessive. Many people do it and I am not shitting on anyone else’s choices, this is just me and how I feel about buying things for myself.
So when does it feel like too much? I’m not entirely sure, but I’m realizing that my bigger struggle is identifying what I truly want. I have a hectic life right now, so every opportunity to get something or try a new path seems great and I should go for it.
Having a MacBook Air provides the opportunity for me to code more, but I have yet to do any coding. I want to write more, and the Mac is great for that, but an iPad feels like more of the platform I prefer for writing. I also don’t need a Pro if I want an iPad, but I also like ProMotion and very beautiful displays.
My mind is in a constant loop of wants versus needs and I am starting to realize that I want too much. I need to much, and I find myself consuming too much of the things that I don’t truly care about—like my iPhone usage.
I don’t need every Apple product. I need to reestablish what my goals are for the tech that I want and need and go from there. My life is a whirlwind and it’s better for me to address what it is I’m striving for before I keep buying things thinking it is going to solve all my problems.