NYT Editor's Book Says Slow Down Before Buying New Tech

Eric Athas spent years as the ultimate early adopter, camping out for the latest gadgets and testing every new app. Now the New York Times editor has written a book called "Saying No to New" that flips the script on our shopping habits.

The book tackles what Athas calls the "vanishing gap" between wanting and getting. When he was growing up, buying something cool meant driving to a store, spending actual cash, and waiting weeks if you ordered by mail.

Today that protective friction has disappeared. You tap your phone and the item arrives tomorrow. You don't even need money in the bank thanks to "buy now, pay later" options. Coming soon, AI agents will shop for you before you even realize you want something.

Athas says this collapsed gap used to protect us from impulse purchases. One-click ordering eliminated distance. Free shipping removed the effort of picking something up. Deferred payments erased the moment when you'd think twice about spending money you don't have.

His solution is refreshingly simple: pause and ask yourself if the new thing will actually matter a month from now. It's about reintroducing just enough friction to make intentional choices instead of instant ones.

The approach comes from someone who genuinely loves technology and innovation. Athas helps Times journalists discover useful new tools every day. But he's learned the difference between tools that solve real problems and gadgets that just create clutter.

Why This Inspires

This isn't about rejecting progress or living like a minimalist monk. It's about taking back control from systems designed to eliminate our thinking time. A simple pause transforms shopping from an automatic response into a conscious choice.

The most hopeful part? We already have the power to create that pause ourselves.