102 | The Cost of Convenience

Convenience used to be the cherry on top, but it’s beginning to feel more like the ice cream itself - the primary ingredient instead of a nice bonus.

I think it’s become that way because proximity and speed are easy to measure, so in a data-first world, it's only natural to calibrate the scale to measure closer and faster.

But there is a little more going on under the surface.

Every time something is more convenient than the last time, you can’t help but fall deeper into a game that can’t be won.

It can’t be won because convenience is a relative game.

Each “improvement” further closes the gap between wanting it and getting it, but it’s a gap that can’t be completely closed.

No matter how convenient life becomes (or how much our financial resources grow!), today’s desire will never be met yesterday. And this moment’s longing will never be satisfied a minute ago.

The tricky part is that there isn’t a ledger that tallies up this cost of unmet desires.

Instead, the costs reveal themselves very slowly and in ways that are hard to see.

Daily expectations that were once reasonable and dynamic are now unrealistic and unmet.

Slightly less convenient alternatives that used to be a good substitute become silly, even ridiculous, to consider.

Patience that was once a calling card is now perpetual frustration with the system.

And “throwing someone a bone” is replaced with a desire to cancel the people who can’t keep up.

Just because it’s easy to measure doesn’t mean it’s easy to optimize. And just because there isn’t a price tag doesn’t mean it’s free.

Additional Reading

The half-life of magic by Seth Godin