Before You Buy: Do You Really Need That Extra Tool?

I spent a solid 1000$ buying the laptop I wrote this article on.

I purchased it 3 months ago when I realized that as more meetings appear in my life I should have a laptop or device for notes. I had watched the homie Anu Budz start preparing an invoice mid meeting and realized how much time I was wasting recapping meetings after the fact. I quickly bought the computer. I was ready to get work done anywhere in life. 

Then 3 months went by and the first time I’m using the laptop, for any purpose, is today.

I’m waiting for a tire/oil change to finish. This gave me time to work on today’s article. While I can technically write on my phone I’m faster with a keyboard. The whole point of this machine is productivity and I may as well use it. It did get me thinking though.

Did I really need this laptop or did I just panic buy another tool?

Chances are that tool you’re eyeballing won’t save you

Let’s go back to 2019 when I got caught up in the VR craze.

I saw a lot of problems with live entertainment when it comes to older crowds. The farther you go past 25 years old, the harder it is to get regular civilians to come to a concert. As a customer service guy I have spent 12 years keeping track of the different excuses I was given for why people chose to stay home. Some of them are super valid. Parking concerns and 11 PM bedtimes are real deal concerns.

It seemed clear to me then that virtual reality offered the solution.

I became obsessed. I wanted to understand the tools and technology. I had big visions for how to integrate into a platform like Altspace VR and become a VR superstar. More importantly I figured all my peers across my network would see the brilliance and jump on board. I spent 600$ on the Occulus Rift S so I could make content with my VR.

3 months later they discontinued new apps on the Rift S. When all is said and done I barely used my VR set for content. Instead I used it to workout (so thankfully it wasn’t a loss). 

I was so focused on what could be I wasn’t paying attention to what was in my face.

Make sure you know all the tools you could be using now

While I was so focused on VR, sending my imagination into the 2030s, I missed all the initial signs that live streaming was going to take over.

At the time we had album review podcasts. We’d go track by track through each song and talk about them. While YouTube wouldn’t let us play the music, over on Twitch that would have been no problem. The craziest part was that in 2019 it was still mostly gaming. Hindsight is… 2020… but once the lockdown kicked in had I been live on Twitch already, I would have achieved what I set out to do with VR. 

As of 2024, virtual reality has not manifested the way I hoped it would.

Streaming on the other hand has blown up to a point where it’s almost impossible to pop now. I joined the Twitch wave at the end of 2020 and by the time I figured out what I was doing the saturation on the platform for music/podcasting was getting insane. Unfortunately now music represents less than 1% of Twitch and the Covid crowds have moved on. 

Twitch also goes hand in hand with Discord.

Instead of cultivating a Discord server to support the livestreams, leveraging YouTube as an archive, I was obsessed with Oculus. Twitch/Discord are practically free to use if you already have a solid computer. Instead I spent almost a year trying to understand VR.

There were clear indications that VR was not ready for what I was hoping for.

There was no VR ecosystem that people wanted to use

I regret renewing my website, spending another 500$ before I was ready.

One day when I have enough traffic, I can leverage that website. In the meantime I’m still working on building my brand recognition. I have a website where honestly, on its best day, because of another ecosystem, I got 500 people to click on a link.

This resulted in 0 sales by the way.

When I jumped into the VR world there was barely anyone there. All the early adopters were cool people but we’d float around these social apps where 15 people was considered a lot. Meanwhile Twitch has people raiding your channel with 50+ viewers. Don’t fight gravity. Go where you have a chance to win.

Recently I realized it was a blunder to not publish on platforms like Stubstack and LinkedIn. Writing thousands of words is cool, but to grow as a writer there needs to be an audience with feedback. Going to a place I can socialize with strangers and make my presence felt is a necessary evil in the writing game. 

Substack and LinkedIn are free to publish on whereas I needed to spend money to have my website. 

Companies have a selfish interest in convincing you that you need them

Good marketers will create a problem in your mind and solve it.

For me the VR reality was a way to cope with my antisocial behaviours. The people pushing pro VR propaganda all had a vested interest in what they said being true. Only it turned out that people like sweaty smelly rooms packed with strangers more than avatars with no legs wiggling.

As you plan out your future you will come across various apps and services that will promise you the world.

Monday.com has me cocnvinced an AI powered project management tool is exactly what will keep me on track. They neglect to mention in their advertising that I still need to dedicate the X hours a week necessary to keeping Monday.com organized. 

I’ve never used Monday.com but I have used project management tools before.

With the right workflow I’m sure Monday.com is wonderful. If I am going to be lazy either way it would be spending time/money investing in another tool I won’t use. I’m sure we all can think of several things we’ve purchased that we ultimately never used. Companies have a fiscal need to convince you to buy their product. Don’t be as foolish as me, determine what you really need before spending unnecessary money. 

Let the fancy tools be the reward for successful hustles.

Live Long and Prosper Everyone