Editing 1205: Is It Worth the Time?
Warning: You are not logged in. Your IP address will be publicly visible if you make any edits. If you log in or create an account, your edits will be attributed to your username, along with other benefits.
The edit can be undone.
Please check the comparison below to verify that this is what you want to do, and then save the changes below to finish undoing the edit.
Latest revision | Your text | ||
Line 8: | Line 8: | ||
==Explanation== | ==Explanation== | ||
− | + | The comic is a straightforward chart showing the amount of work (time) one can dedicate to making a task more efficient, in order not to spend more time optimizing the task than the total time saved. This may illustrate the fact that computer scientists often try to optimize tasks they are likely to perform again in the future - a common goal in their work - even though the work needed for that optimization can itself prove much longer than the time saved when doing the task again; this was previously referenced in [[974: The General Problem]]. | |
− | The comic is a chart showing the amount of work (time) one can dedicate to making a task more efficient, in order not to spend more time optimizing the task than the total time saved. This may illustrate the fact that computer scientists often try to optimize tasks they are likely to perform again in the future - a common goal in their work - even though the work needed for that optimization can itself prove much longer than the time saved when doing the task again; this was previously referenced in [[974: The General Problem]]. | ||
E.g. if you do some task every week once, and you are able to save 1 minute of time by doing some preparatory work (e.g. build or buy a tool), you can spend 4 hours doing this preparatory work, and you will, across five-years time, come even. Any less time spent doing the preparatory work, and you will profit from it. | E.g. if you do some task every week once, and you are able to save 1 minute of time by doing some preparatory work (e.g. build or buy a tool), you can spend 4 hours doing this preparatory work, and you will, across five-years time, come even. Any less time spent doing the preparatory work, and you will profit from it. | ||
Line 22: | Line 21: | ||
:Total time shaved off across 5 years = 5 × "How often you do the task every year" × "How much time you shave off" | :Total time shaved off across 5 years = 5 × "How often you do the task every year" × "How much time you shave off" | ||
− | The | + | The blacked out areas represent times which are either impossible to save, or where if you could save this much (say 6 hours on one day) it would almost be worth it no matter how long it take; it is impossible to shave 1 hour off a task if you perform 50 times a day – the total time shaved off per day would amount to 50 hours, far more than the 24 hours a day. On the other hand 6 hours shaved of for one day is not impossible, but the net benefit would be so great, that it would very quickly earn it self in again almost no matter how long it took (almost as fast as it took to make this automation). |
− | The comic assumes that equal amounts of time have equal value, which is not necessarily true. For an extreme example, consider programming a telephone with speed dials to be used when there is a fire or to call an ambulance or the police. This may take longer than the time saved when the call is placed, but it is worthwhile | + | The comic assumes that equal amounts of time have equal value, which is not necessarily true. For an extreme example, consider programming a telephone with speed dials to be used when there is a fire or to call an ambulance or the police. This may take longer than the time saved when the call is placed, but it is worthwhile spend a large amount of free time to save any time during an emergency. |
− | Of course, all these conclusions presume you are the only one that benefits. If the savings can be easily adapted by others - for example, computer code for a program that automates a task for hundreds of people - then the amount of time that can be spent increases. Indeed, in some cases, when | + | Of course, all these conclusions presume you are the only one that benefits. If the savings can be easily adapted by others - for example, computer code for a program that automates a task for hundreds of people - then the amount of time that can be spent increases. Indeed, in some cases, when optimising for others, spending far more time than they save can be worth it, if the people you're working for are paying you for the product and the time savings keep them happy and likely to keep paying you. |
− | The title text points out the time you spend studying this comic detracts from your overall efficiency, and concludes that maximizing efficiency would require optimal use of every second | + | The comic derives humor from the absurd conclusions of hyper-efficiency, which have been examined in [http://what-if.xkcd.com/22/ ''What if?'' - Cost of Pennies]. The title text points out the time you spend studying this comic detracts from your overall efficiency, and concludes that maximizing efficiency would require optimal use of every second. |
− | + | One more comic devoted to insufficient economy is [[951: Working]], where the money saved is compared to the time wasted while looking for a bargain. | |
==Transcript== | ==Transcript== | ||
:[Above the frame is written the following text:] | :[Above the frame is written the following text:] | ||
− | :How long can you work on making a routine task more efficient before you're spending more time than you save? | + | :How long can you work on making a routine task more |
− | : | + | :efficient before you're spending more time than you save? |
+ | :::::(across five years) | ||
− | :[The | + | :[The table in the comic is not exactly as given here below. The text in the top two rows are written above the real table. The top line is written on the center part of a square bracket encompassing the horizontal time scale in the second row. Similarly the text in the first to columns to the left are not part of the real table. The first column to the left is also written on a square bracket encompassing the vertical time scale.] |
− | + | :[The number ''1'' in ''1 day'' or any ''n'' in ''n days'' are drawn in what looks like a sheet from a tear-off calendar. When it is a number of weeks, seven small squares, representing a week, is drawn above the text. For minutes and seconds these words are written below the number.] | |
− | + | :[The empty fields in the calendar are shaded dark gray] | |
− | |||
− | :[The | ||
− | |||
− | |||
− | |||
− | |||
− | :[The | ||
+ | :{| class="wikitable" | ||
+ | ! colspan="2" rowspan="2" | | ||
+ | ! colspan="6" | How often you do the task | ||
+ | |- | ||
+ | ! 50/day !! 5/day !! Daily !! Weekly !! Monthly !! Yearly | ||
+ | |- | ||
+ | !rowspan="9" width="10" | How much time you shave off | ||
+ | ! 1 second | ||
+ | | 1 day || 2 hours || 30 minutes || 4 minutes || 1 minute || 5 seconds | ||
+ | |- | ||
+ | ! 5 seconds | ||
+ | | 5 days || 12 hours || 2 hours || 21 minutes || 5 minutes || 25 seconds | ||
+ | |- | ||
+ | ! 30 seconds | ||
+ | | 4 weeks || 3 days || 12 hours || 2 hours || 30 minutes || 2 minutes | ||
+ | |- | ||
+ | ! 1 minute | ||
+ | | 8 weeks || 6 days || 1 day || 4 hours || 1 hour || 5 minutes | ||
+ | |- | ||
+ | ! 5 minutes | ||
+ | | 9 months || 4 week || 6 days || 21 hours || 5 hour || 25 minutes | ||
+ | |- | ||
+ | ! 30 minutes | ||
+ | | || 6 months || 5 weeks || 5 days || 1 day || 2 hours | ||
+ | |- | ||
+ | ! 1 hour | ||
+ | | || 10 months || 2 months || 10 days || 2 days || 5 hours | ||
+ | |- | ||
+ | ! 6 hours | ||
+ | | || || || 2 months || 2 weeks || 1 day | ||
+ | |- | ||
+ | ! 1 day | ||
+ | | || || || || 8 weeks || 5 days | ||
+ | |} | ||
{{comic discussion}} | {{comic discussion}} |