Human time trade-off

Seems like there is a type of mental calculation we do in permaculture regarding the consuming of natural resources and creating time for humans. The example which made me think of it was that of kitchen appliances. While the price of purchasing high tech kitchen appliances may have a significant cost in terms both embedded energy and in terms of economic dislocation, there is a priced to be payed in lost time as well To make this calculation we have to believe that human time has importance. This includes both time as it relates to quality of life concerns as well as, and as in the role of interactor with the natural world. So by the latter I am talking about meeting the necessities of life, food, water, shelter, and also how humans fit in terms of natural world re-generator. To try and sum up, if we see the human time component of this equation as being positive in terms of providing for basic needs and for putting forth work in natural system restoration, then it becomes logical that the negative impacts of modern appliances are mitigated. I imagine i am stating the obvious but at time there seems a reluctance to openly acknowledge this, or talk about completely straightforwardly. I suppose i am also arguing that kitchen appliances seem to have a very HMA (hours made available) quotient, so I tend to support having them in a limited amount