How Much Is My Time Worth?
Your hourly rate is annual income divided by the hours you actually work — for most salaried people, that's roughly weeks worked per year times hours per week. Freelancers can skip the math and use their invoiced rate directly. Once you know the number, an hour of scrolling stops being abstract and starts being priced.
Calculate your hourly rate
Why your hourly rate matters more than your salary
A salary is a lump sum; an hourly rate is a unit price. "I make $90,000 a year" doesn't tell you anything about what a Tuesday afternoon is worth. "I make $43/hour" does — it means two hours of scrolling has the same value as $86, whether or not any cash actually changes hands. For founders, freelancers, and solopreneurs especially, time is the input that everything else gets built from, so pricing it correctly is the first step to noticing when it's being spent badly.
How to calculate your hourly rate from a salary
The formula is annual income divided by hours actually worked in a year: hourly rate = annual income ÷ (weeks worked × hours per week). A common baseline is 48 weeks (accounting for time off) and 40 hours a week — 1,920 hours a year — but a standard "2,080 hours" year (52 weeks × 40 hours, no time off) is the roughest possible estimate if you want something fast. The calculator above lets you plug in your real weeks and hours instead of guessing.
What if you're a freelancer or solopreneur?
Skip the salary math and use your invoiced rate directly — it's already priced per hour. If you charge per project, divide the total fee by the hours the project actually took, including revisions, client calls, and admin, not just the hours you quoted. Solopreneurs without a formal rate should estimate what they'd have to pay someone else to do the same work, or what they could earn doing client work in that hour instead — that's the real opportunity cost, even if no invoice gets sent.
Quick reference: common salaries to hourly rates
| Annual income | Hourly rate (2,080 hrs/yr) | Hourly rate (1,920 hrs/yr, 48 weeks) |
|---|---|---|
| $50,000 | $24/hr | $26/hr |
| $75,000 | $36/hr | $39/hr |
| $100,000 | $48/hr | $52/hr |
| $150,000 | $72/hr | $78/hr |
| $200,000 | $96/hr | $104/hr |
These are arithmetic reference points, not averages or statistics — your real rate depends on your actual weeks and hours.
Now price your screen time
Once you have your number, the next step is applying it to an actual habit instead of income in the abstract. Plug your rate into the doomscrolling cost calculator or the full screen time cost calculator to see what a specific daily habit is costing you in dollars, not just hours.
Frequently asked questions
How do I calculate my hourly rate from a salary?
Divide your annual income by the number of hours you actually work in a year — typically weeks worked per year multiplied by hours worked per week. A common baseline is 48 weeks and 40 hours (1,920 hours a year), but swap in your real numbers if you take more time off or work different hours.
What if I'm a freelancer or don't have a salary?
Use your actual invoiced rate directly — it's already an hourly figure. If you charge per project, divide the project fee by the hours it realistically took, including revisions and admin time, not just the hours you initially quoted.
Why does knowing my hourly rate matter for screen time?
Because "I spent two hours scrolling" means something different at $30/hr than at $150/hr. Once you know your real rate, you can price any block of screen time in dollars instead of a vague sense of wasted time, which is what makes the cost feel real enough to act on.
What if my income is irregular, like a founder or solopreneur?
Use a conservative estimate: your last 12 months of income (including a fair market salary if you're not paying yourself one), divided by the hours you actually worked. Founders often underestimate their real rate because early-stage pay is low relative to hours — but the opportunity cost of your time is about what you could be earning, not just what you're currently paid.
See your rate applied in real time, not just once
Hidden Value tracks the sites stealing your time in Chrome and shows the running dollar cost at your hourly rate before you commit — so the number above becomes something you actually feel in the moment.
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