Unless you’re a salaried employee or business owner who’s expected to work excessively for the good of the company, the more hours you work usually determines how much you’ll make. The prospect of working overtime or taking on a side job can be compelling, helping you save by having less time to go out and spend the money you’re piling up.

The difficult thing is to decide how much extra work is too much. At a certain point, the extra work no longer improves your quality of life because it doesn’t leave you with much of a life.
It’s an issue Punch Debt in the Face struggles with, in a post about whether or not to take regular overtime for the next few weeks.

If you’re buried in debt and have nothing much going on socially, it may be well worth it to plug away and sell your leisure hours for time and a half. There are other considerations, though. Extra hours could strain your social life and romantic relationships, as well as decrease the amount of time you have to spend with your kids.

In the end, you need to decide how much your free time is worth. If you decide it’s priceless, you’ve got to turn down extra work.

Work longer, make more [Punch Debt in the Face]

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