Is it worth picking up 5-cent coin if you're a $200 an hour consultant

A question is asked if it's worth doing your own laundry if you're a consultant that is paid by the hour at some generous rate i.e. $200 an hour. Since it will take an hour or two to do your weekly laundry, that is an opportunity cost of $400. You will be better off using a laundry service. Some people will even insist you make money by using a laundry service.

An extension of this is of course the question of whether a CEO should pick up a 5-buckaroo bill if he drops one on the floor. Given some maths based on his $10 Millo annual salary, that's about 1 buckaroo a second. Thus, if picking up a bill takes more than 5 seconds, he might as well walk off instead. He will make money by doing that.

In the end, life isn't just about optimising for maximum money earned per time spent. Your brain isn't wired for high net worth, and you will obsess over some little things no matter how much you make. Like feeling bad for throwing food away.

As for the laundry, doing your own laundry grounds you in the reality of your own self-maintenance. Looking after your cloth is looking after an extension of yourself. I think it gives you a useful way to remind yourself of what is required maintenance for your functioning within society. It is also meditative in a way similar to fixing your car or electronics. So it is indispensable in that way.