Lydéric's Blog

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1 February 2021

The compound interests of learning

by Lydéric Dutillieux

When you learn productivity tips, there is hope for long term ROI on the time you invest in learning. If you know the power of coumpound interests, then you can infer that the soonest you know something, the more value it generates over time.

Investing 1 hour today to learn something that will make you spare 12 seconds per working day will spare you 1 minute per week so almost an hour per year for the rest of your career ! Well, I know what you mean, 1 hour saved per year won't change your life. But guess what happens if you invest one hour per week to perfect your workflow ? You literally save years, I am not kidding, do the math !

Let's compare someone who doesn't invest in perfecting their workflow and someone who does. Let's say both are given a 40-years-long task given their current skills (working 7 hours per day, 5 days per week, 47 weeks per year (5 weeks off per year)). The one that doesn't perfect their workflow will take 40 years to make it. The other invests 1 hour per week in learning, and for each hour invested, they spare 12 seconds per day over their workmate. It will take them 9.5 years less than their non-learning workmate to do just as much.

A one hour learning session sparing only 12 seconds each following day doesn't seem much, but it could make you retire 10years earlier. That's why one must learn.

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