{
  "id": 3654352,
  "title": "We Overestimate the Value of Work",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/27/we-overestimate-the-value-of-work",
  "topic": "tech",
  "section": "Tech",
  "published": "2026-08-27T03:17:41.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Dev.to",
    "slug": "dev-to",
    "url": "https://dev.to/isurogi/we-saved-time-then-filled-it-up-22pb"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "For decades, I have worked in an office where the internet was yet to make its presence known. Salespeople relied on pagers, and Windows 95 introduced the idea that folders could reside within other folders, a concept that felt almost philosophical. Documents were delivered via fax or post, and work moved at a snail's pace. The introduction of mobile phones, email, and the internet in our pockets revolutionized the way we communicated, allowing us to transmit vast amounts of information to the other side of the world in mere seconds. We thought that this technological advancement would enable us to leave the office earlier. However, we quickly discovered that we merely filled the newfound free time with more work. Technology provided us with more time, which we promptly used to generate even more tasks, speed up our work, and reduce our personal space for relaxation. With the arrival of generative AI, capable of writing, calculating, summarizing, and not requiring a lunch break, we are once again presented with additional time. Yet, once more, we reward ourselves by taking on more responsibilities, pushing for quicker results, and sacrificing our much-needed downtime. Some worry that AI will replace our jobs, but the real issue may be that technology has not taken as much as it could. We have been led to believe that technology would simplify our lives, yet instead, we have become more efficiently drained. Why has this happened? Perhaps it's due to an innate human tendency to demonstrate a peculiar and rather useless seriousness. We don't simply work hard; we work hard to appear as though we are working hard. Perhaps the next major innovation does not involve creating another machine. Perhaps it lies in recognizing that a little idleness is not laziness. It could simply be the time technology intended to return to us.",
  "summary": "I have been an office worker for several decades. When I started, the internet was still clearing its throat. Salespeople carried pagers. Windows 95 was teaching us that folders could live inside other folders, which felt almost philosophical. Documents traveled by fax or post. Work was slow and inefficient. Then came mobile phones, email, and the internet in our pockets. We could send more…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}