AI is saving us an average of one hour each day. But most people use that time to jam in even more work.
History tells us this is nothing new. From the personal computer to the mobile phone, every leap in technology promised more freedom. More time with family, more time for exercise, more room to breathe. But what happened? We became busier.
Here’s why.
What We Know: The Productivity Paradox
AI boosts the output of each hour, and that makes rest feel expensive.
Economists call this the productivity paradox: as technology gets better, we get busier because the perceived value of each hour goes up.
The opportunity cost of downtime feels too high.
What I’ve Learned: Freedom is a Choice
Nobel Prize–winning economist Christopher Pissarides offers a different take: we should invest the time we gain from AI into our well-being — our health, our relationships, our communities.
My take: we can do both. Use the gains of AI to lift your work and your life.
When you feed your own energy, you build staying power — and that energy rubs off on the people you work with, lead, and love.
What You Can Try: Split the Savings
Here’s a simple practice:
Reinvest half the time AI saves you into your most valuable work. And the other half into your well-being. Into time with family, movement, nature, breath, music.
This isn’t just a recipe for wellness. It’s a path to sustainable performance. When you feed your own energy, you build staying power — and that energy rubs off on the people you work with, lead, and love.
Let’s keep playing the Game of Now.