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Opportunity Cost Calculator

Every hour spent on low-value tasks is an hour not spent on high-value work. Calculate when doing it yourself actually costs you money.

Your Time Value

$
What you earn (or could earn) per hour of focused work
$
What you could earn on your best opportunities

Task Details

hours

Outsourcing Option

$ /hour
What it would cost to hire someone
%
100% = same time as you, 150% = takes 50% longer

Cost of Doing It Yourself

Your Time Cost -- Per occurrence
Annual Time Cost -- -- hours/year
Opportunity Cost -- Lost high-value work annually

Outsourcing Analysis

Outsourcing Cost -- Per occurrence
Annual Outsourcing Cost --
Verdict -- --
Annual Savings if Outsourced -- Time freed for high-value work

Decision Matrix

Low Skill Required High Skill Required
Repeatable
Automate

Use software, templates, systems

Outsource

Hire specialist contractor

One-time
Delegate

VA or junior team member

Do Yourself

High-value, strategic work

Common Tasks to Outsource

Administrative

$15-30/hr

  • Email management
  • Calendar scheduling
  • Data entry
  • Travel booking

Bookkeeping

$25-50/hr

  • Transaction categorization
  • Invoice processing
  • Expense tracking
  • Reconciliation

Content

$30-75/hr

  • Social media posting
  • Blog editing
  • Newsletter formatting
  • Graphic design

Technical

$50-150/hr

  • Website updates
  • Automation setup
  • Tool integrations
  • Bug fixes

Thinking About Opportunity Cost

The real comparison: Don't compare outsourcing cost to zero—compare it to your earning potential during that time. If you can earn $200/hr and a task costs $30/hr to outsource, you profit $170/hr by delegating.

Mental energy matters: Low-value tasks drain mental energy you need for high-value work. Even if the math is close, outsourcing often pays off in focus and creativity.

Start with time tracking: You can't optimize what you don't measure. Track your time for a week to find your biggest time drains before deciding what to outsource.