When choosing whether to add one more thing into your schedule, toolbox, or life, how do you decide what to say yes to, and when to pass? Since there’s a seemingly never ending supply of new gadgets to buy, groups to join, and  social media platforms to use, how do you decide what to give your time and attention to?

The Any-Benefit approach

One option is to determine whether there are any potential benefits associated with this addition, or if there’s anything we may possibly miss out on if we decline. And if either of these are true, we’re justified to add it in.  Cal Newport, in his book Deep Work, call this mentality the “Any-Benefit” approach. It’s simply looking to see if there’s any benefit involved, and if so, that alone is enough to justify the decision.

The Craftsman approach

The alternative to this is what Newport calls the “Craftsman” approach. This approach not only looks for potential benefits, but also

  • Evaluates all the potential costs, not just the benefits; and
  • Ensures that there are significant net benefits in the areas that matter most

A craftsman doesn’t simply choose a tool because it offers at least one benefit.  The choice is made based on a variety of factors, and whether it helps them in the areas they deem important.

If I’m a carpenter, for instance, and I care about the quality of a cut, I’m not going to buy just any new saw that comes out solely because it’s lighter or may last longer. If it doesn’t cut better, all the other benefits are irrelevant.

The same principle applies outside of choosing tools for the workshop. Instead of starting by looking for any benefit, we start by identifying the key factors that define happiness or success in a certain area. And then, with these factors in mind, we only add in things whose positive impact significantly outweighs any negative impact they might have in those areas.

Down on the farm

As an example of how this mentality plays out in the real world, Newport shares the story of a farmer named Forrest, who he met at the local farmer’s market.  In talking with him, he learned that after taking over the operations of the farm, Forrest was faced with the decision of whether he should continue to bale his own hay for the livestock, or whether he should pay for it to be brought in.

Using the Any-Benefit approach, Forrest could have justified continuing baling his own hay. He already had the baler, and he already had the land. So why not do it himself, and save the money of buying it from someone else?

His final decision, though, was based on more than just this one factor. He also had to consider the cost of maintaining the machinery, as well as the long-term impact that baling the hay would have on the land. He also had to consider the opportunity costs involved in tying up both his land and his time, and what he may be able to do with them if he weren’t baling his own hay.

In the end, he sold the baler and now purchases all the hay he uses from outside the farm. And it’s turned out quite well for him. But the decision was a nuanced one that took all the various costs and benefits into account.

Weighing the costs

There are always costs involved with our decisions, whether we’re aware of them or not.  And it’s the awareness of these costs that can help us make better decisions about what we give our time or attention to. Otherwise we may jump at every new thing that comes across our path, although the true benefits they offer may be negligible at best. The may offer something that seems great, but there may be other costs that also need to be accounted for.

For instance, I’ve known people who have turned down job offers or promotions because of the costs that came with them. Yes, the new position offered more money (a benefit), but there were other costs involved — like more stress and less time with their family —  and so they decided against it.

Not all benefits are created equal

But it’s not about simply tallying up the number of pros and cons.  It’s also crucial to know which factors are most important to our decision. Because not all benefits and costs are created equal. We may come up with a dozen benefits of saying yes, and only a couple of negatives. But what if the benefits are inconsequential to the things that matter most, and the negatives are of great consequence.

What’s the cost?

There will be plenty of times where it will makes sense to add something new into our schedules, our toolboxes, or our lives. But there will be other times, where if we’re honest about the tradeoffs, we’re either gaining little, or nothing at all. But if we get caught up in the “Any-Benefit” approach, we may feel justified, or possibly obligated, to say yes and add it in anyway.

But the question isn’t, Is there any benefit? Rather, When we’ve taken all the other costs into account, how much benefit will it bring in the areas that matter most?