You think you make €50 an hour. You don’t.
Let’s do the math most people are too scared to do.
You earn €100,000 a year. That’s €50/hour on paper.
But that number is a lie.
Here are the hidden “𝗧𝗶𝗺𝗲 𝗧𝗮𝘅𝗲𝘀” you pay every week:
• Commute: 10 hours
• Recovery (Netflix zombieing because you’re fried): 5 hours
• Work prep: 3 hours
• Venting to your spouse: 2 hours
• Sunday Scaries: 3 hours
You’re not working 40 hours.
You’re dedicating 63 hours a week (or more) to your income.
Then subtract what work actually costs you:
Commuting, work clothes, €15 lunches, €40 takeouts, and the biggest one — the expensive car and gadgets you buy to numb the pain of the grind.
Conservative estimate: €20,000 gone.
€80,000 ÷ (63 hours × 48 weeks) = €26/hour.
Half of what you thought.
This isn’t just math.
This is 𝗟𝗶𝗳𝗲 𝗘𝗻𝗲𝗿𝗴𝘆 — the only currency you’re actually born with.
Every low-value meeting. Every task you could delegate for €30.
Every “yes” when you should say no.
You’re not being productive.
You’re being cheap with yourself.
The goal isn’t to work harder. It’s to make every hour worth more than the last.
Design your income around your life. Not your life around your income.
What’s your real hourly rate?
(Inspired by the book ´Your money or your life´ by Vicky Robin)
PS: Enjoy this?
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