Screen Time Calculator
This screen time calculator turns your daily distracting hours into a dollar figure at your hourly rate — the money and momentum your screen quietly bills you while it feels free in the moment. Enter only the avoidable portion (not work or deliberate use). Pick a scenario below, or plug in your own numbers.
Pick your scenario
Why your screen time costs more than it feels like
Each session feels free because nothing is charged in the moment — no receipt, no notification, nothing that registers as a cost. But the time is still gone, and for a founder, freelancer, or solopreneur, time converts directly into money: a proposal not sent, a feature not shipped, a client not called back. The number above isn't a guess about your willpower — it's just what those hours were worth, priced at your own rate. That's why "how many hours of screen time" is the wrong question; "what is it costing me" is the one that changes behavior.
How to actually cut your screen time (and its cost)
- Make the cost visible before you open the site, not after. Knowing the yearly total doesn't help much mid-scroll — what helps is seeing the running cost in the moment you reach for the tab.
- Target the specific sites, not "screen time" in general. Distracting screen time concentrates in a handful of apps and feeds; work on those directly instead of a vague resolution to "use your phone less."
- Set a real limit and let it enforce itself. A daily time limit that auto-closes the tab, or a permanent block on your worst offenders, holds up better than willpower — Hidden Value does both, and keeps the dollar cost visible so you stop wanting the site in the first place.
Frequently asked questions
How is the screen time cost calculated?
Simple arithmetic: your distracting hours per day multiplied by your hourly rate, then multiplied by 30.4 for a monthly figure or 365 for a yearly one. It's not a study or an average — it's your own numbers, so the result is only as accurate as what you enter.
What counts as costly screen time?
Not all screen time — work, calls, and deliberate use aren't a cost. This calculator is about the avoidable portion: social feeds, short-form video, news refreshes, and "quick checks" that run long during hours you meant to be working.
What if I don't know my exact hourly rate?
Freelancers and contractors can use their invoiced rate directly. If you're salaried, divide your annual pay by roughly 2,080 (a standard 40-hour work-year) for a rough hourly figure to plug in — or use the hourly rate calculator to get a more precise number from your real weeks and hours.
How do I actually reduce my screen time, not just see the cost?
Seeing the number is the first step, not the fix. Hidden Value keeps the cost visible in Chrome in real time and enforces it: set a daily time limit and the tab auto-closes when you hit it, or turn on Always Block to keep a site off limits entirely — so the sites don't quietly bill you all day.
Cut your screen time, don't just measure it
Hidden Value tracks the sites eating your screen time in Chrome, shows the running dollar cost before you commit, and enforces a limit — a daily auto-close or a permanent block — so the number above becomes something you actually stop paying.
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