This scarcity of free time can contribute to productivity pressure: we have so little discretionary time available that we feel we must not waste it. Fulfilling but nonessential activities start to feel like a waste of time—reading, going for a walk, puttering in the garden, snuggling on the couch with a lover. Perhaps it’s no coincidence that these are the very things that don’t cost a thing. The best things in life might be free, but we don’t have the time for them. When the equation is flipped—we earn less and have more time—the guilt can soften. We might not question spending an afternoon
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