The Net Zero Effect

Have you ever asked somebody, maybe a friend, to help you move? Do you agree that moving from one home to another is a pain in the ass? So if your friend agrees to help you move, he/she is taking time out from his/her schedule to help you move. You gain that person's time and energy in helping you move but they lose their personal time that they could have done something else with. So you gain their time (+ time) in helping you but they lose their own personal time (- time). This is what I call the "net zero effect".

What if someone asks you to take them to the airport because they wanted to save some money by not calling a shuttle service, and you have to take time off your regular work day to take them to the airport? Again someone gains time or money and you lose time or money. This is what I call the "net zero effect".