When I want to buy a digital camera, not only do I read reviews for multiple cameras, but I also read reviews for the same camera from different sites.

So it should come as no surprise that when it was time to select a digital goods cart service to help me sell my eBook, I spent hours analyzing the pricing and features of various services.

This was not particularly cost-effective, since the price difference between all those service was pretty insignificant to begin with. So by trying to save $5, I used up a couple hours that could’ve been spent working for clients at $150/hour…

But I didn’t want to let those hours go to waste. I decided to share the results of my comparison with everybody, and so wrote an article comparing different cart services to sell digital goods for Smashing Magazine.

There’s actually a deeper point to all this: it’s all about using your time and effort effectively.

Indians supposedly used every part of the buffalo, and I try to do the same. For example, when designing for a client, I write about the design process on my blog.

Another example could be selling unused concepts as templates (with the client’s consent, of course!). And a developer might develop a piece of Javascript code into a new jQuery plugin.

So whenever you get a chance, try and make the most of every part of your work process. It might require you to invest a little more time in the beginning, but believe me, it’ll pay off in the end.

In fact, the Buffalo Principle is at play right here: I was originally just going to point out the Smashing Magazine article, but then decided to use the occasion to make a deeper, more general point.