Marginal increases in efficiency can have large impacts over long periods of time. This is especially the case because invasive plants are propagating exponentially. This is similar to paying off the mortgage on a house. Making a small extra payment can reduce the amount of time it takes to pay off a house markedly, because the interest on your debt compounds. When you pay off a little more, you aren’t just paying off that amount of debt, but the extra debt that would accrue on that money in the future. This implies it pays to think hard about how to work more effectively.

 

Multiple small increases in efficiency can also cumulate to make large increases in efficiency.