I don’t always provide a link between what I write here and guests posts I have written for other blogs, but if you aren’t a regular reader of Lifehack.org, you may want to pop over there and look at my article entitled Productivity maybe . . . but for what purpose?

In the piece, I raise the question of what you will do with the time and effort you may have saved by becoming more productive or organized. Do you “spend these savings;” and, if you do, what do you buy with them?

There are many options, of course, but three stand out for me:

• You can go on working just as much, or more, and increase your monetary earnings. You will then have more cash, but still less time to enjoy it: the typical position of most “cahs-rich and time-poor” people today.
• You can keep your output (and probably your earnings) at the same level and devote the extra time to something else, whether that’s pleasure, volunteer activities, family time, or simply hanging out and enjoying life.
• You can “bank” your extra time by investing it in learning that will bring you “interest” in terms of future increases in earnings, productivity, or enjoyment.

Whatever you do, I believe it’s a critical decision we must all make. Jumping into simple answers and spending personal productivity gains on the wrong “purchases” can leave you with an almighty hangover.

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