Keep a want without buying it straight away

You see something, online or in a shop window, and the want hits all at once. The buy button is one click away. Nothing stops you giving in right there and then — except that repeated experience shows that the want of the moment and the want that lasts are two different things, and that only time can tell them apart.

Why the moment isn't a good judge

A well-made advert, an eye-catching colour, a price shown in big letters: it's all designed to make you decide fast. That's not a flaw on your part, it's the normal workings of a purchase triggered by a visual cue. The problem isn't feeling the want, it's confusing it with an actual need.

The method: note it down, don't buy it

Rather than saying yes or no straight away, there's a third option: set the item aside, in a list, and come back to it later. Not in six months' time — a week or two is usually enough to see whether the want holds or has faded on its own. This can be the same list where you file products scanned in store: the place matters less than the principle of waiting before deciding.

• A want that holds for two weeks has a good chance of being genuine.
• A want that fades on its own has just saved you an unnecessary purchase.
• Either way, you've gained clarity without losing anything.

What it actually changes

Plenty of people who start noting their wants before buying notice that half of them never cross their mind again. This isn't a method of deprivation: nothing stops you buying what really matters. It's simply a filter that lets time do the sorting, rather than deciding under the effect of the moment.

And if the want comes back at the right time

A want set aside also makes sense once an occasion comes up: a birthday, Christmas, a want you share with the people close to you because nobody quite knows what to get you. The item on hold then becomes a concrete lead, rather than a vague memory of something that caught my eye.

Common questions