Optimize for Flow, a Response to Lessin's Over Value Your Time Suggestion

Sam suggests consciously and aggressively over valuing your time is a winning bet and I agree 100%.

I have noticed over the past few years exactly the same trend in my own behavior. I never hesitate to pay for something that will save me time. I pay to have my laundry done and have a concept 2 rowing machine and olympic bar in my house.

10 minute trips back and forth to the gym (in the best case), plus locker room changing and prep time of packing a gym bag before you go out, yield at least 40min in wasted transit/transition time per day that you go to the gym (about 5x average workouts per week in my case).

The large expense of the rower/oly bar are instantly justifiable because they help me reclaim several hours per week.

Perhaps more importantly, the added freedom of being able to hop on the rower for 10 minutes whenever I want means I can “flow” much better. Consider: traveling to the gym means I need probably a 1.5 hour block of scheduled time in my day to get in a workout. Working out at home, whenever I reach a good stopping point in writing software, decide to take a break from email, or am in between tasks, I can spend 15 minutes exercising, take a 5 minute shower, and get back to work. No planning required. So, when I’m in the “creative zone” I can keep the flow going and then just do my workout whenever I exit the zone, instead of interrupting the zone with a scheduled trip to the gym.

If you dig over-valuing your time, try optimizing for flow by un-scheduling as much as possible.