The desire to actually go out and buy that new computer or software is likely to intensify if you have a big project coming up or a lot of work to do.

But times like those may be the worst times to upgrade your computer. The reason: upgrading your computer system isn’t as simple as turning off one computer and turning on another. In fact, upgrading your computer can be a major drain on your time – even if you have someone else (your IT staff or local computer guru) install it for you.

That’s because moving from one computer system to another involves a lot more than copying over programs and files. Even if you, or the IT person who installs the new computer, remembers to copy over your Windows Favorites file, there will still be things that don’t work the way you’re comfortable working. The specific things that will be different will depend on what the upgrade is, but among the things that might change are the size of the type you view on screen, the size of icons, the location of icons, the way type looks, and even what folders you see or don’t see.

All of the changes will take time to fix and/or to get used to. Time that you would otherwise be using to get out that big project or wade through all those smaller projects that need to be done.

So, when should you buy a new computer system or software?

The best time is during your slow season, or when your workload is at a minimum. That way you’ll be able to learn the new system and tailor it to your needs without feeling stressed out about other work that needs to be done.

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