>Washing clothes by machine is orders of magnitude cheaper than by hand when you factor in the value of your time.

I'll also note that it is less resource intensive overall. Handwashing dishes and clothes will use more water and more energy to heat that water compared to the machines that do the same job (people often assume the opposite).

I don't like the op-ed but I would agree with the main point or what I understand as the main point, even if the argumentation is weak).

It takes a mix of willpower / routine / systems / laws to keep people in check, otherwise we predictably go back to the path of least resistance.