How this calculator works
Each resolution mode is a small arithmetic model rather than a prediction. Reading multiplies your daily minutes by reading days and weeks, converts that time to words with your reading speed, and divides by the length of a book. Quitting smoking counts the packs you avoid each year and multiplies by the pack price. Learning divides the total hours a skill needs by the hours you can give it each week, then converts weeks to months. Saving divides the price of the thing you want by the monthly amount. Screen time multiplies the daily minutes by the days in the period and applies the share you cut. The figures ignore interest, price changes and the uneven pace of real habits.
Formula
books per year = minutes per day x days per week x 52 x words per minute / words per book. money saved = cigarettes per day / pack size x 365 x pack cost x share cut x years. months to learn = hours needed / hours per week x 12 / 52. months to save = target cost / monthly saving. hours saved = daily minutes x 365 x years / 60 x share cut.
Worked example
Twenty minutes of reading on seven days a week is 7,280 minutes a year, or 121.3 hours. At 250 words a minute that is 1,820,000 words, which is about 20.2 books of 90,000 words. Smoking 20 cigarettes a day at 16 dollars for a pack of 25 costs 0.8 x 365 x 16 = 4,672 dollars a year, and avoiding 7,300 cigarettes. A 600 hour skill practised 3 hours a week takes 200 weeks, about 46.2 months. Saving 100 dollars a month reaches 2,000 dollars in 20 months. Cutting 25 percent of 180 daily screen minutes saves 273.75 hours in a year, or about 11.4 days.
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Frequently asked questions
Is the smoking figure medical advice?
No. It is arithmetic on the numbers you enter. Quitting smoking has well-documented health benefits, and a health professional or a quit-smoking service can give advice suited to you.
Why does the reading figure assume 52 weeks?
It assumes the same habit every week of the year. If you skip holidays, reduce the days per week or use your own lower average. The result is a planning estimate, not a guarantee.
How accurate is the learning time?
The 600 hour default is a rough figure for reaching competence in a complex skill, not a measured constant. Languages, instruments and sports differ widely, so replace it with a figure from a syllabus or a teacher.
Should I include interest on savings?
This page keeps it simple and ignores interest. With a positive interest rate you would reach the target slightly sooner, but for short goals the difference is small and for long ones a dedicated savings calculator is better.