* This is the translation of a
text I published in Portuguese this week in the online magazine
Papel. As far as I have the time to do it, I'll try to translate my
new texts as I write them, as well as some of those that have been
previously published. The translation will not be perfect (I'm not a
translator), but at least my blog readers who can't handle Portuguese
will be able to read them too.
For most people, money is the
main yardstick when it comes to assess someone's success. It's no
wonder, since it can be exchanged for almost anything: a big house, a
luxury car, long holidays at exotic places... But if it is true that
money is incredibly valuable, it is also generally agreed that it is
not the most important thing on earth. Family, friendship,
health and so many others usually come first on opinion survey
results.
And yet... when we look at our
daily lives, we see that we usually do not behave in accordance to
these priorities.
When we work, we trade the
result of our labor – and the time we dedicate to achieve it – by
money. We can make a simple calculation and divide our monthly income
(or annual income, for those working on their own like me) by the
number of hours spent working. This way, we get an approximate idea
of how much one hour of our time is worth.
Why would we want to do this?
For me, once the threshold of basic housing, feeding, health
insurance, education and comfort is met, time becomes a more valuable
asset than money. Unlike money, I can use extra time and spend it
with my family or friends or take better care of my health – by
exercising, walking or spending more time cooking my own meals, for
instance. This is why I find it useful to know how much one hour of
my time is worth. And I have got used to evaluate potential new jobs
not just in terms of how much more extra money or professional
satisfaction they could bring me, but also in function of how much
time they will take away from me.
At a certain point, I started
making a similar exercise when I go shopping for non-essential items.
To my surprise, I found that in more than one occasion my initial
decision to buy something ends up radically changing. I don't need
new clothes, but when I go through a storefront and see the most
lovely dress on sale for half the original price, I feel really
tempted to bring it home with me. But then I make a quick mental
calculation and conclude this dress will cost me an afternoon's worth
of my time. Suddenly, it doesn't look like such a big bargain
anymore... Would I rather spend another afternoon – possibly on a
weekend - sitting by my PC wearing a lovely new dress, or jump into
my old jeans and head out with the kids to play some football? Or, if
the weather doesn't allow it, make a batch of delicious cookies and
savor them in front of the fireplace while playing a board game or
reading a book? I don't need to think twice. I come back home empty
handed but with an empowering sense of freedom...
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