The OPEX Tools Series | #14 - Time is Money: Calculate Your Real ROI on Daily Tasks

Busy ≠ Productive: How to Stop Wasting Time on Low-Return Work.

Jun 23, 2025

∙ Paid

Welcome to the unique weekly article for the Paid subscribers-only edition.

This is the #14 article of The OPEX Tools Series.

Outlines and Key Takeaways

Why This Matters
OPEX Tool: The Cost‑Benefit Matrix
Step-by-Step: Apply It to Your Work Week
Challenges of Using the Cost‑Benefit Matrix—and How to Overcome Them
Action Step: Calculate Your Real ROI
Final Thought: Time Is Capital. Spend It Wisely.

In today’s high-velocity work environment, it’s easy to confuse activity with impact. Calendars are jammed, inboxes overflow, and meetings fill every available hour. Many professionals feel overwhelmed yet underaccomplished—because they’re stuck in a cycle of doing more, not necessarily achieving more.

Here’s the reality: being busy isn’t the same as being productive.

If your day is filled with motion but not forward progress, you’re spending valuable energy on low-return activities. And while it might feel like work is getting done, the real question is—is it the right work?

Why This Matters

1. Most of Our Work Isn’t Value-Adding

According to the McKinsey Global Institute’s 2023 productivity study, knowledge workers spend nearly 60% of their time on “work about work.” These are activities like managing emails, updating reports, sitting in status meetings, and tracking down information—tasks that don’t contribute directly to outcomes.

In a standard 8-hour workday, this means over 4.5 hours are consumed by activities that feel productive but often don’t move business objectives forward.

2. Task Switching Destroys Efficiency

Research from the University of California Irvine has shown that employees switch tasks, on average, every three minutes, and it takes up to 23 minutes to return to full focus. This “time tax” adds up: in a given workday, nearly 2–3 hours can be lost purely from context switching.

This means multitasking and frequent interruptions may cost more than any one low-priority task—they collectively erode deep work and quality output.