Today I was thinking about why people are so attached to their content. I know I am very attached to some of the things I do. I work so hard on something, spend so much time with it that I start to get very attached. Then it is hard to see that what someone else is suggesting is going to make it better.

I thought I had left all that behavior behind me. Working to user needs and having crits is to improve a product, not judge someone’s skills. But today, I realised it may not be as far behind me as I thought.

It started when I looked in my wardrobe.

I dislike a lot of my clothes.

There’s nothing wrong with them.

They are not worn out.

They cover my body and stop me getting arrested.

They stop me spending hours online or trudging around shops (I hate shopping).

Basically, they work for the intended purpose.

Then it hit me.

Exactly the same thing with content.

If it works, if there’s nothing you can see wrong with it, why would you change it? Why would you invest all that time and effort into making it better when you have perfectly serviceable stuff right there.

When something is failing, it’s easy to change it – there is a reason to. But if it seems to be doing ok, the effort seems too bothersome. Especially when there is so much else to do.

If I wear clothes I don’t like, it doesn’t stop me completing whatever task I set out to do that day. But the experience isn’t as good. Because I know how I feel and that affects the way I think about the task.

Same with content. You can get through a lot of content on difficult sites. But you never want to go back, do you? You’ll look for another, more interesting, more enjoyable route next time.

Sometimes a little effort is worth it.

Off to do some shopping.