Use your own hourly wage to decide which chores to outsource

On average, Chinese residents spend 1 hour and 17 minutes each day doing household chores. Among those who actually do them, the average time spent is 1 hour and 59 minutes. People who pay to save time tend to report higher life satisfaction. For the same amount of money, spending it on time rather than goods brings greater immediate happiness.

Outsourcing chores comes at a cost, which varies depending on the service chosen. You’ll also need to spend some time upfront calculating your own hourly wage.

According to a 2024 survey covering 38,500 households and 107,000 individuals, Chinese residents spend an average of 1 hour and 17 minutes daily on household chores; for those who actually perform them, the average rises to 1 hour and 59 minutes. Another study involving 6,271 participants from four countries found that people who purchase time report higher life satisfaction. Researchers also conducted real-world experiments showing that spending the same sum on time rather than physical goods results in greater immediate well-being.

First, calculate your hourly wage by dividing your monthly after-tax income by the total number of hours you actually work each month. Then determine how much it would cost to outsource a particular chore. If the outsourcing fee is lower than your hourly wage and you truly plan to use the saved time for earning money or resting, then outsourcing makes sense. This guide provides a method rather than a definitive recommendation, since everyone’s hourly wage and outsourcing costs differ. Additionally, Whillans’ research measures how happy people feel after buying time, not how many hours they ultimately save.

Whillans, A. V., Dunn, E. W., Smeets, P., Bekkers, R., & Norton, M. I. (2017). Buying time promotes happiness. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1706541114；国家统计局 (2024). 第三次全国时间利用调查公报（第二号）. https://www.stats.gov.cn/sj/zxfb/202410/t20241031_1957216.html