Forget the whole “time is money” thing. The key isn’t that time can generate money, but the other way around—time is our most important (but limited) resource, and money can be a means to gain more of it. We face these decisions all the time: is it worthwhile to spend an hour surfing the internet for a discount code in order to save $10? Should you hire someone to clean your place, or do it yourself? It Depends.
忘了“时间就是金钱”这件事吧。问题的重点不在于时间能产生多少钱，而是其他一些关键因素。时间是我们最重要的有限资源，而金钱却可以变得越来越多。我们一直都面临着这样的抉择：到底值不值得花一个小时在网上找优惠券只为了节约十块钱？你是应该雇人来打扫家务还是自己动手做？这要看情况。
Figuring out what your time is worth isn’t about what you are worth as a person, and how much you make at work is just the starting point. We’ve created a calculator to help you estimate that magic number so that you have a gauge to keep in mind when you’re making decisions.
要搞清楚自己的时间到底值多少钱，并不取决于你个人的价值。而你在工作中的薪酬也只是一个参考的起价而已。我们找到了一个计算方式来帮助你评估你的时间价值，这样在做决定的时候，你就可以有个大致的标准了。
How Did You Get This Number? If you don’t have a lot of disposable income, your time “value” goes down because you are better served saving money. If you have less time, your time value is higher than if you have a lot to spare. Finally, your current priorities matter. All these factors weigh into our algorithm. (These calculations are based on working a 40-hour week, 50 weeks a year.).
你要如何才能估计出自己的时间值多少钱呢？如果你没有一些可支配收入的话，那么你的时间价值就要低一些，因为你现在最需要做的是存钱。如果你的时间较少，那么你的时间价值就要高于那些有很多时间的人。最后，你当前最主要的任务也会影响到你的时间价值。所有的这些因素都会在计算时间价值中被考虑在内（该计算是基于一周工作40小时，一年工作50周的人的情况来完成的）。
Say that your free time is worth roughly $12 per hour: If that taxi ride will cost about $10 and save you an hour compared to taking the subway, then it might be the right call. If it’s going to cost you $20, maybe you should think again. Use this to help you figure out:
假设你的时间每小时价值约12块。如果打车一次花费10块钱，比坐地铁节省一小时，那么你还是叫车吧。如果打车一次要花费20块，那你就要再想一想了。利用这个原则，来考虑以下这些问题：
*Whether you should order in or cook
你是应该点外卖还是自己下厨
*Whether you should hire someone to clean, organize, fix things, or do it yourself
你是应该雇人来打扫、整理、维修还是自己动手
*Whether time spent on the phone with customer service to save $X is worth it
你是不是值得花时间打电话跟客服沟通就为了省下X钱
This calculator is just a rough guide, so obviously your budget comes first — and the enjoyment you get from some of these activities (like cooking or DIY) should factor in. But it can be useful to start thinking of your time as the most precious commodity of all…and weighing it with as much value as you do your dollars.
这个计算只是一个简单的指导而已。显然在此之前，你的预算情况，以及从事一些活动是否能带来的乐趣（比如烹饪或者自己动手制作），这些因素也要考虑在内。但是，这给了你一个很好的启示，从现在开始就要把时间当成是你最宝贵的商品，要把它看得和金钱一样有价值。
