Tranquility Transactions

When a friend recently asked me what my favorite purchase of last year was, my answer was immediate: daycare! Why? Because daycare is a “tranquility transaction” and buys a new parent the two most important things 

1. Time 
2. Stress Reduction 

Fleshing this out further, I’ve realized my approach in when we pay up to pay more for physical goods used often should apply doubly so in cases involving non-physical goods. 

My metaphor is that there’s a daily battery of “mental bandwidth” and the energy I can output into each day is determined by the total amount of focused time I can spend. This focused time can be spent on any activity personal or professional, but to be able to focus I need to have the two things daycare provides:

1. Time 
2. A clear mind 

#2 is particularly important now as our trust in daycare means I know our child will be ok and I don’t have any stress sitting constantly in the back of my mind. This is worth paying up more than anything else and I’ve been thinking of how we can apply this mindset to other “tranquility transactions” like:

1. Better timing on plane flights (ie 5PM takeoff vs red-eye)
2. Grocery delivery
3. Maids for house/apartments

It’s taking me a while to fully internalize it, but the saying “time is money” goes the other way too. For new parents, focused time is at a premium and you should pay up for it more than you have in the past.