Episode 206 The cost of convenience
From Your Time With James Sweetman by jamessweetman
May 20, 2026 · 15 min · Season 8 · Episode 206
About this episode
This episode explores the hidden costs of convenience and the concept of opportunity cost neglect in our daily lives.
This week I explore the hidden cost of convenience and how it masks what economists call opportunity cost neglect, the unseen trade-offs when it comes to how we spend our time, energy and attention. From self-service checkouts to AI tools, tasks once outsourced now land in our ‘to do’ lists, stealthily sapping our mental bandwidth. I reflect on why a little inconvenience isn’t always a bad thing and how we equate convenience with freedom, when in reality, it’s awareness that is liberating.
People in this episode
Host: James Sweetman
Topics covered
- cost of convenience
- opportunity cost
- time management
- mental bandwidth
- self-service checkouts
- AI tools
- inconvenience
Keywords
- convenience
- opportunity cost
- mental bandwidth
- self-service checkouts
- AI tools
- time management
- inconvenience
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- Episode 203 Book Review 2025 · November 19, 2025 · 50 min
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