Driving through San Francisco, it’s hard to go more than a few blocks before seeing an advertisement for some new AI company that promises to make your life easier. All sorts of tedious tasks that your computer can now do for you. In many ways, it’s yet another continuation of what humanity has been doing for all of recorded history – creating tools to make our lives easier.
Recently, while trying to find ways to increase the amount of free time in our schedules, my partner and I have been looking at the various meal prep boxes that have become popular in recent years. Instead of spending time grocery shopping and cooking, they promise they will simply send you pre-prepared meals that you can heat up. You don’t even have to take the time to select the meals you want – simply answer some questions about your preferences, and the app will select them for you. It’s easy.
Now, I’m a big fan of the idea of spending less time on tedious chores. But I do feel that there’s a point where these conveniences remove some of the meaning from our lives. While it does take effort, taking the time to create something ourselves – whether that’s food, art, writing, or anything else – gives us a sense of agency in the process that these modern conveniences don’t quite manage. So, while I certainly appreciate the extra free time, as we start seeing more and more of these tools that promise to make our lives easier, I want to remind myself that, on occasion, I should still take the time to do things from scratch to give myself the opportunity to enjoy the journey, rather than jumping straight to the destination.
