toilmeter · breakeven calculator
Is it worth the time?
Error rateRarely
Error rateRarely
occasionally botched
Cost per errorMinor
Cost per errorMinor
minute of fixup
FrustrationAnnoying
FrustrationAnnoying
Audible groan.
MaintenanceTrivial
MaintenanceTrivial
occasional poke
How much time you shave off, each time you do it
How often you do the task
| 1s1 sec | 5s5 sec | 30s30 sec | 1m1 min | 5m5 min | 30m30 min | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 50/d50× a day | 4.0 weeks | 1.9 months | 7.7 months | 1.2 years | 5.9 years | 35.1 years |
| 5/d5× a day | 1.7 days | 3.7 days | 3.3 weeks | 1.5 months | 7.1 months | 3.5 years |
| dayDaily | 45 min | 4.0 hr | 3.0 days | 1.2 weeks | 1.4 months◉ | 8.4 months |
| wkWeekly | 0 | 0 | 1.3 hr | 4.8 hr | 4.1 days | 1.2 months |
| moMonthly | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5.6 hr | 1.1 weeks |
| yrYearly | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1.5 hr |
cheapbuild the tool
over the next
· click any cell to pin it5years
a task done daily, automated to save 5 min
1.4 monthsbudget over 5 years
Hire someone to build the tool.
61%
37%
- Direct time saved3.8 weeks
- Errors avoided1.5 hr
- Frustration tax (×1.60)2.3 weeks
- Maintenance over 5y−2.5 hr
Without the extra axes (vanilla xkcd):3.8 weeks→1.4 months(1.6× higher)
how the cell value is computed
300s+5%×1.0 min×365/yr×5yr××1.60 frustration−30 min/yr×5yr maint.=1.4 months
base savings errors avoided frustration multiplier maintenance cost