Effort matters more

Interesting thought exercise in the car this week.

I asked my wife, if you received a home-made greetings card, would that make you feel more or less special than a printed card from the card shop?

The answer, perhaps unsurprisingly, was, “Much more”.

I then asked, if that home-made greetings card was generated rather than done by hand, does that influence the choice?

“Much less, it’d suggest they didn’t want to spend their money OR their time.”

As ease, reduction of effort, and increased productivity become celebrated as “features” of an AI-saturated environment, many are quick to forget that effort is in many cases a feature, not a bug.

As many people move to make less effort in their duties, the value of effort is increasing. Good news, for those who like to make an effort.