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Use your own hourly wage to decide which chores to outsource

  • High value
  • Evidence B
  • Saves time
  • Costs a lot
  • Takes minutes
  • No willpower

In plain words

People in China spend an average of 1 hour 17 minutes a day on housework. Among those who actually did housework that day, it is 1 hour 59 minutes. People who spend money to buy time are more satisfied with their lives. The same amount of money spent on buying time makes people happier in the moment than spent on buying things.

Cost

It costs the money you pay to outsource, and how much depends on what you buy. You also need to spend time once working out your own hourly wage.

What you get

Residents of China spend an average of 1 hour 17 minutes a day on housework. Counting only those who did housework, the average is 1 hour 59 minutes. This is from a 2024 survey covering 38,500 (3.85万) households and 107,000 (10.7万) people. Another study took a sample of 6271 people in four countries, and people who spent money to buy time were more satisfied with their lives. The researchers also ran experiments in real life: the same amount of money spent on buying time brought higher happiness in the moment than spent on a physical item.

Notes

First work out your hourly wage: one month's after-tax income divided by the hours you actually work in a month. Then see how much it would cost to outsource this chore. If the outsourcing price per hour is lower than your hourly wage, and you would really use the time saved for earning money or resting, outsource it. Everyone's hourly wage and outsourcing price differ, so work out the answer yourself. Also, Whillans measured how happy people were after spending money to buy time, not how many hours were saved.

Evidence grade
B : Supported by research but without a precise number, or based on small or single studies.
Sources
  1. Whillans, A. V., Dunn, E. W., Smeets, P., Bekkers, R., & Norton, M. I. (2017). Buying time promotes happiness. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1706541114
  2. 国家统计局 (2024). 第三次全国时间利用调查公报（第二号）. https://www.stats.gov.cn/sj/zxfb/202410/t20241031_1957216.html

Translated from the Chinese original. Original book, section 4, tip 14. Content may be out of date and rules differ by place. When you actually deal with an agency, a doctor or a court, follow what local officials, doctors and lawyers tell you. Disclaimer