Luxuries and entitlements

Kristen McQuillin wrote a very thought-provoking article about how luxuries in your life progress to habits, and on to entitlements — things you just have to have. She describes it with this simple diagram:

Luxury –> Habit –> Entitlement

I can think of a few things in my life that have progressed this way. Coffee in the morning. Annual ski trips. Computer gear. There's probably a few more.

It's sometimes good to take some time and think about the things you really need. Like my post yesterday about web browser features, it's sometimes surprising how little you actually need when you really think about it.

The article that spurred on her post, 12 new ‘necessities’ that drain your cash, is also interesting reading.

Portrait of Matt Ryall

About Matt

I’m a technology nerd, husband and father of four, living in beautiful Sydney, Australia.

My passion is building software products that make the world a better place. For the last 15 years, I’ve led product teams at Atlassian to create collaboration tools.

I'm also a startup advisor and investor, with an interest in advancing the Australian space industry. You can read more about my work on my LinkedIn profile.

To contact me, please send an email or reply on Twitter.