Are you struggling with IGS (Instant Gratification Syndrome)? Spinning around watching TikToks, ordering everything on Amazon Prime with same or next-day delivery?
Hey, I know how painful IGS can be. I have been suffering from it for years. I abandon purchases if delivery is not nearly immediate. I struggle to watch a full feature film and limit my entertainment to 7, maybe 15-minute YouTube videos. And that’s only after breaking away from Instagram Reels and the TikTok feed.
So what is the cure?
The answer is simple. But you won’t like it.
Mechanical keyboard hobby.
Wait, what?
Yes, what!
If you get into the custom mechanical keyboard hobby, you will have no choice but to be patient.
First, you will spend days and weeks researching which keyboard you want or which one you want to build. Full size? TKL? 60%? Or maybe go for a split keyboard. If split, which layout? Corne, Lily, 3w6, Piantor…
Next, you have to get the keyboard and the parts. And oh boy, this gets tricky. It starts with scouting for pre-builts because it seems like the easy solution. Right? Right?! Wrong. Pre-builts are fine, but you quickly realize there isn’t a single perfect one. You start scouting for custom switches, and then, the next thing you know, you are browsing keycap sets. Even more choices.
Finally, you get to order. You are already multiple weeks in, and you finally sit down to make an order. Cue horror. One store will have the keyboard, but the keycaps will be out of stock. The next store will have switches but no keyboard in the right color. If you went down the split keyboard path, you are already compiling a long BOM (Bill of Materials) from across 6-7 online vendors, trying to get the perfect plate, PCB, MCU, switches, keycaps, etc.
The Cost
You persevere. You are done. You picked the keyboard. You your perfect design. All parts are accounted for. Ready to order.
What’s that? It is €300?!
Yes. Turns out, the custom keyboard hobby is darn expensive. But we are invested. We poured so much effort in. We have everything.
But the money! Oh, the money. 💸
That’s when we go and visit AliExpress, the mothership of cheap goods from China. 🇨🇳
Finally, things once again look affordable. You make your order. Project looks good at a fraction of the original cost.
There is just one tiny issue. It will take 30+ days to ship. 🚢
The Wait
As a software engineer, I know that crafting good software takes time, effort, skill, and ownership.
But somehow, I dismiss the time and process when it comes to being a consumer. The involvement in custom keyboards made me realize that the time and research, combined with long delivery times yielding cost savings, forces me to be more patient. It might not cure me of IGS, but it definitely pushes me out of my comfort zone.
I want my new Lily58 keyboard so badly that I can wait for it. Then, painstakingly solder it together, make a mistake, and repeat the process until finally, I have the perfect keyboard I crafted myself.
Final words
If you suffer from Instant Gratification Syndrome, get yourself a hobby that requires patience. In my case, it is custom mechanical keyboards. Whatever you do, make it a forcing factor to make you wait. Enjoy the process.
Disclaimer: Instant Gratification Syndrome – IGS, is not a real medical condition that I know of. I am using it for comical effect.
