Buy Back Your Time: A High Earner’s Guide

Posted on November 3, 2025 by Dan Pascone

TL;DR: At high-income levels, growth comes from doing less, not more. Use a simple framework: if a task can be outsourced for less than your hourly rate, delegate it; if it doesn’t bring joy, delete it; if it increases income, energy, or fulfillment, keep it. Start with one delegate and one invest move this week to buy back hours—and your life.
Last updated: October 27, 2025

Buy Back Your Life: The High Earner’s Guide to Outsourcing for Time and ROI

Q: How do I estimate my hourly rate for the buy-back decision?

Divide annual comp by hours spent on core high-value activities. If a task costs less to outsource than this rate, delegate it.

Q: What if outsourcing feels wasteful?

Treat it as a trade: buy back focus for work and relationships only you can do. Track outcomes from redeployed time to validate ROI.

Q: Which tasks should I delegate first?

Recurring, low-skill, energy-draining tasks like scheduling, email triage, errands, basic bookkeeping, or research.

Q: How much of my budget should go to buying back time?

Start with 3–5% of income for 90 days, then scale when you see ROI in revenue, health, or family outcomes.

Q: How do I avoid quality drop-offs when I delegate?

Use simple SOPs with a clear definition of done, checklists, examples, and a feedback loop; delegate outcomes, not just tasks.

A framework for high earners to reclaim hours, protect focus, and multiply impact.

If you’ve built a successful business or career, you already know how precious time is—yet many high earners treat it like an unlimited resource while guarding money like it’s scarce. The next stage of growth doesn’t come from doing more; it comes from buying back your life.

The Buy Back Principle

Every hour you spend has two currencies: money or meaning. If something can be outsourced for less than your effective hourly rate—or it doesn’t bring genuine joy—delegate or delete it.

If it can be done for less than your hourly rate, delegate.
If it doesn’t bring you joy, delete.
If it increases your income, energy, or fulfillment, keep.

Apply this lens at work and at home to reclaim hours you can reinvest into growth, relationships, or recovery.

The Hidden Cost of Doing It All

“Productive suffering” feels virtuous—but it builds fatigue. Leaders make hundreds of meaningful decisions daily; each low-value task (laundry, errands, scheduling) taxes the mental bandwidth required for strategic judgment. Outsourcing isn’t indulgence—it’s energy management and focus protection.

How to Decide What to Outsource

The Time Value Lens

Estimate your effective hourly rate. If you earn $500/hour, any task you can delegate for less creates direct ROI.

The Joy Lens

Not every decision is financial. Keep activities that refuel you (cooking with family, coaching your child’s team). Joy is a form of wealth.

The Investment Lens

Some experts don’t just save time—they make you money. A skilled advisor, tax strategist, or operator can add six figures to your bottom line. Ask: does delegating here create greater long-term returns?

Why Letting Go Is Hard

Control and grit got you here—and can keep you stuck. At a certain level, doing more no longer scales. The leaders who keep growing build support systems that protect their attention and energy.

Start small: pick one task this week to delegate—ideally something energy-draining and non-core. Spend the reclaimed hour on a revenue lever or a relationship that matters.

Learning From Those Who’ve Mastered It

Two perspectives shape this approach:

Jacob Warwick on the hidden support systems behind top leaders—how top operators invest in infrastructure that protects energy and focus.
Alex Hormozi on trading money for time: podcast episode “Give Me 20 Minutes and I’ll Give You Back 20 Years of Your Life” (watch here).

Both point to the same conclusion: build infrastructure that preserves your best attention for your highest-impact work.

10-Minute Next Step (D/J/I Exercise)

List everything you did outside your core work last week. Label each item:

D — Delegate: someone else can do it cheaper.
J — Joy: it genuinely fuels you; keep it.
I — Invest: a pro here likely creates measurable returns.

Now choose one D and one I to act on this week. Book it. Put the saved hours on your calendar for a specific income, energy, or family outcome.

Key Takeaways

Time is your scarcest asset; treat it like capital.
Delegate below your hourly rate; delete low-joy tasks; keep the work that compounds.
Outsourcing protects focus and reduces decision fatigue.
Start with one delegate + one invest move; let the flywheel build.

FAQs

How do I estimate my hourly rate for the buy-back decision?

Divide total annual comp by hours actually worked on core, high-value activities. Use a conservative figure. If a task costs less than that to outsource, it’s a candidate to delegate.

What if outsourcing feels “wasteful”?

Reframe it as a trade: you’re buying back focus for work and relationships only you can do. Track wins from redeployed time (revenue closed, projects finished, stress reduced).

Which tasks should I delegate first?

Start with recurring, low-skill, energy-draining items (email triage, scheduling, errands, routine bookkeeping, basic research). Then move up the ladder.

How much of my budget should go to buying back time?

Begin with a small, fixed percentage (e.g., 3–5% of income) for 90 days. Expand when you see clear ROI in revenue, health, or family outcomes.

How do I avoid quality drop-offs when I delegate?

Create simple SOPs: definition of done, checklists, examples, and a feedback loop. Delegate outcomes, not just tasks.

Educational content only—this is not financial, tax, or legal advice. Evaluate vendor reliability, data security, and compliance for any outsourced work.