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"Stop treating errands as burdens. Instead, use them as time to focus on doing one thing, and doing it right. Errands and chores are essentially rote tasks that allow you time to think. They function to get you away from your phone, the internet, and other distractions. Focus and attention span are difficult things to maintain when you’re focused and attentive on X amount of things at any given moment."

This is a great point. It's exactly why I've never liked suggestions to "automate" chores, and I've never felt a huge need to use services like TaskRabbit. Too much of life is already dedicated to the pursuit of productivity. Going to the grocery store is one of those little tasks that gives you room to breathe. There's a relevant quote by Thich Nhat Hanh that I like a lot:

"While washing the dishes one should only be washing the dishes, which means that while washing the dishes one should be completely aware of the fact that one is washing the dishes. At first glance, that might seem a little silly: why put so much stress on a simple thing? But that's precisely the point. The fact that I am standing there and washing these bowls is a following my breath, conscious of my presence, and conscious of my thoughts and actions. There's no way I can be tossed around mindlessly like a bottle slapped here and there on the waves."

http://www.abuddhistlibrary.com/Buddhism/G%20-%20TNH/TNH/Fro...

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