If something goes a bit wrong, or breaks, or stops working efficiently, I don't usually rush to fix it. Instead I make do, or try to cope, or put up with second best, rather than act, make a change or replace something. It might be procrastination, might be inertia, might be thrift, but I'm not convinced it's the best way to run my life. Here are ten things I've left, indeed am currently leaving be, rather than acting to improve how things are.
I bought it to replace something that had broken - several things really - to ensure I still had capability going forward. But I didn't go for the quality option, I went cheap, and it turned out my replacement wasn't quite as good as what had gone before. It still works with most of what I feed in but not with everything, not as much as previously, which annoyingly restricts the selections I can make. I could probably fix the issue by buying a more expensive version, indeed I probably should before the day comes when I can't, but having invested in the lesser model it'd be a lot of additional outlay to go a fairly small extra step. I ought to act but I'm making do.
It broke last year so I got it checked and was told it was fine, which was excellent, but six months later it broke again, and then it broke a third time. I decided it didn't need checking again and carried on, like you do, because it still seemed to be fine so I assumed it probably was. It didn't work quite as well as before but a few sensible adaptations mean it hasn't really made a difference, or so I tell myself in those moments when my subconscious tries to argue otherwise. It'd be pretty obvious if it wasn't fine and then there'd be consequences to deal with, but I reckon that could be a long time off so I'll hold off thanks. I ought to act but I'm making do.
It never sounded quite right after they fixed it, although it continued to do its job perfectly fine. Then a week or two ago it sounded differently wrong, then rather more obviously wrong, then blatantly wrong in a highly audible way. I should have dealt with it then but because it still worked, other than the noise, I carried on as before. I told myself I'd deal with it today, because that would cause least fuss, then last night the bad thing unexpectedly stopped. I have a feeling it stopped because it's much more broken now, not less, so it would be wise to act anyway while this window remains, and technically it's not my problem anyway. I ought to act but I'm making do.
It broke years ago if I'm honest, I've just been stringing it out. Had I behaved sensibly I'd have realised it was long past its best and invested in a replacement but I didn't, then lockdown made the act of replacing really difficult and I soldiered on. It had never been designed to last this long and I probably hadn't helped by repeatedly doing something I now try to avoid. I did eventually stump up but I kept the old version and I still maintain it on a regular basis despite almost certainly never needing it again. I worry that if I let it slip it'll fade away forever but basically I'm fooling myself, I should have properly retired it. I ought to act but I'm making do.
This wasn't so much a breakage as a steady decline, a sequence of tiny steps that imperceptibly made things worse. Compare now and then and it's obvious, but there was never one day when I thought damn, that's gone beyond the point of no return, I must get that fixed. It's ridiculous because it could be swiftly fixed and would have a positive effect on several other things, but there'd be a substantial outlay so I can save a shedload if I continue with my suboptimal ways. Also the way I'd fix it has changed, and I'm not always a fan of finding new ways of doing things, but equally I know one day I'll look back and wonder why it took me so long. I ought to act but I'm making do.
It's going to break, sure as eggs is eggs, the only question is when. It always happens eventually and it's much easier to replace if you start your preparations before it does. It definitely doesn't work as well as it used to, which is either a sign of age or else it's my unwillingness to change engrained behaviours that's helping to grind it down. What I'm fighting against is the perceived aftermath of sourcing a new one, which always seems briefly painful, even though it'll be followed by a far lengthier nirvana when I won't believe I didn't do it sooner. But it hasn't broken yet, and one day I suspect I'll regret thinking that. I ought to act but I'm making do.
It's the battery more than anything. It still works but the battery wears down much faster than it used to, so much so that I can't rely on it any more. It means I have to rely on my backup, which admittedly is phenomenal but sadly lacking in certain situations where the original was brilliant. It still surprises me when I check back on past output and see how good it was, indeed how good it could be again, but I'm just not willing to fork out for a replacement. I've done that in the past and ended up with something I wasn't entirely happy with, which would be frustrating, and the easiest thing is always to carry on without and basically miss out. I ought to act but I'm making do.
I hate it when this breaks so I've gone to extremes to try to make sure it doesn't. I now only use it once a day in an attempt to extend its life, and on all intermediate occasions use a frankly substandard alternative that might not even be 100% safe. This works in that I haven't had to buy a replacement for years, but it's also made every day during those years less good than it ought to be. A simple solution would be to buy a replacement in advance - it wouldn't even be expensive - rather than always faffing around in a panic after it breaks. I could even buy several, which would also solve the problem of remembering where they come from. I ought to act but I'm making do.
Sometimes it's hard to judge the fine line between 'really quite damaged' and 'broken'. If I'm honest they should have gone in the bin some time ago, given the state of them, but functionally they still perform so long as you don't look at them too closely. Nobody gets hurt by this, except potentially me in very specific circumstances which as yet have not occurred. If I lived with someone I'm sure I'd have replaced them by now, long before being told to, but when nobody judges your life to your face it's much easier to hold out. I don't want to become that man who never replaces things, because eventually it gets obvious, but I'm not there yet. I ought to act but I'm making do.
Personally I don't think it's broken but others do not share this view. They have a point. I've left things far too long because what was OK then is not what's OK now, but so long as it still works I prefer to leave it alone. It'd be a lot of work to change, indeed a mighty upheaval, and I also know lots and lots of smaller things would probably go wrong. The end result might be broader approval, even wider acceptability from those that make things happen, but that's not the way I choose to judge my life. I remain happy in my backward bubble because if it's not completely broke then don't fix it. I embrace inertia. I ought to act but I'm making do.
