During Apple’s “One More Thing” virtual event this past Tuesday, the Cupertino-based company announced new laptops which include their innovative Silicon computer chips. One of the devices refreshed was the legendary MacBook Air, a device I have been waiting for—instant buy! With the order not being fulfilled a few more weeks, I questioned myself—do I need this?

My reflection reminds what my mother would say to me as a kid, “do you want it or need it?” Of course I would say the new Metroplex Transformer toy was vital for my survival. The temptation remains as an adult, now acting as justification to start something. My wandering mind is the worst enabler. “If I had this new state-of-the-art device, I’ll start that side project I’ve been eyeing to start.”

Perhaps the MacBook Air made me nostalgic for simpler times in my life in 2012, when I last had the iconic sub notebook. I lived in Europe (mainly Barcelona and Paris) running a tech company I co-founded with a good friend. All I owned was my MacBook Air, an iPhone 4, and a backpack full of clothes.

I was able to run a company on a medium-powered laptop. Of course, I would have benefitted from a more powerful machine, but it was not necessary. The simplicity of what I had then helped me have better output by pushing everything to the limit. As I second guess the purchase, I wrote down a list of times I felt I needed more power than I needed to get started:

• the best mirrorless DSLR camera to reignite my passion for photography

• startup funding to begin building a product idea I have

• hiring a designer to come up with the brand for this newsletter

• and of course, buying the perfect website domain before starting that side project

I recognize there are times when certain people that full power and pro hardware is what they need to be effective. However, we can trick ourselves in thinking we need more than we do.

One of our guest speakers in the On Deck Writing fellowship I’m part of was Polina Marinova, creator of The Profile. As a huge fan of Polina, she’s the reason I started this newsletter on Substack. During a Q&A, one cohort member asked Polina what her tools she uses for writing. Her answer was a laptop, Google Docs, and Pocket. A professional writer’s tool stack was a humbling reminder that I need less than I do to write. I don’t need to look for a new writing desk, mechanical keyboard, and accessories to write more. This weekend I took a page from Polina’s playbook to simplify—just an iPad and keyboard.

I canceled the MacBook Air order. I want it, but don’t need it.

Work was generous in giving me a powerful laptop for my day job. My additional ambitions of writing and investing in startups requires email and basic word processing.

The feeling of wanting over needing doesn’t pertain only to commerce but a mindset. mindset. We as humans sometimes find reasons to not initiate something and come up with justification. As someone who advises startups, a top reason I see for failure is the inability to right size short-term need and long-term need.

Years ago at Ritual Coffee in the Mission District in San Francisco, I had a coffee conversation with my friend Eric. I shared an idea for a book club I wanted to do. As I was imagining what the app experience was like, Eric mentioned I could buy a large inventory of books and get people interested over email to see if it’s a viable idea. He was absolutely right. Why was I even thinking of an app? I can get started now. The majority of startup ideas can be started with a spreadsheet, a way to collect information, and a minimal website. 

Try it

What is something you have been wanting to do where not being equipped enough has got in the way of you starting? Is it a YouTube channel to share something you’re passionate about, but you don’t have the right audio and video equipment? Perhaps it’s the desire to make music and not feeling like you have top notch audio equipment when you could use music software on your phone or iPad.

Challenge yourself to start creating without the optimal tools. When you get to the point where you’re so engaged in the work and need better tools, treat yourself with an upgrade. Until then, you need less than you think you need to start.