What is the cost of improvements?
To explain the idea of opportunity cost let’s give an example where this principle is applicable. One of the moments it can be used the most is how you fill in your saturday. You could watch a movie, lay in the couch all day, sleep untill the afternoon or so much more things that fills in your time rapidly. If you take into consideration how much time you spend on it and the reward you start to realise that you can also do some productive activities. This can be reading a book, writing articles, learning a new language and so on.
During the weekend most people don’t look how much time every activity takes. This is because during the week they are working for their company, their boss that tells them what to do. People have no control over their daily activities, the control returns in the weekend. It is very tempting to enjoy this freedom for the entire weekend. When you utilise this freedom completely your weekend passes without knowing it and without being productive.
Productivity is being able to do things that you were never able to do before. – franz Kafka
Whenever you do an activity you have to consider the time you are using to do it compared to using your time for something usefull. A great way to improve your productivity is being carefully thinking about moments to improve yourself. Instead of sleeping untill the afternoon wake up a bit earlier and go for a morning run, meditate or read a few pages of a book.
When you think about what you could do if you focus yourself you will realise that you are capable of doing so much more in life. The more you are being productive compared the others the better you will come out in the end. For example your studying will become more effective and you will be less distracted with social media. When you are more focussed you are getting through a lot more materials in a shorter time span. This allows you to continue your hobbies during the exams and are even able to go out for a short amount of time. As long as you dedicate your study hours to hard work you will have more free time.
Determining the opportunity cost isn’t meant to make you feel bad. Nor is it meant to only make you do productive activies. It is only a method for seeing how you can spend your time the best way. For your own sanity you will need some moments to not think about anything, to do whatever you feel like. You have to allow yourself some time to do this. Everyone needs it from time to time. Taking some time to relax also allows you to become even more productive when you need to be.