Life could, and should, be less convenient. Conveninece is very attractive. We’ve sold ourselves on it. Everything you could want is a click away. You can have everything delivered. From dinner to groceries to clothes. It’s all just a quick click from your phone to your porch
We’re now paying the cost, or seeing the unintended consequences, of a life of convenience. People spend hours at the gym when they could be changing their lifestyle. Biking to work is a good example. A way to simply be more healthy without seeking out some way to pay someone to give us the tools to be more healthy.
Going to the shops in your neighborhood give you changes to talk to people, to strike up conversations that you normally would not have. Seeking out that box of plant food from your local nursery keeps money in the community, gives you opportunities for human connection, and makes you go somewhere outside of the house.
These inconvenient parts of life contribute to our overall wellbeing. Optimizing the human connection out of our lives comes at a huge social cost. Creating opportunities for joyful inconvenience can reopen these avenues.
Inconvenience is frustrating but frustration is growth. Comfort is stagnant. Seeking and doing are things humans are driven towards. Putting more opportunities into our lives to do these things can contribute to our sense of wellbeing.