The 125-Hour Tax: How Slow Compilation Steals Three Weeks of Your PhD

The Two-Minute Wait That Costs Hours

You fix a typo. You hit compile. You wait. And wait. Thirty seconds pass. A minute. On busy conference-deadline days, two minutes or more.

For a single compilation, this seems trivial. But here's what most researchers don't realize: you're not compiling once. You're compiling thousands of times over the life of a document.

When we calculated the actual numbers, the result was startling. Keep reading—you might want to sit down for this.

The Mathematics of Waiting

Let's work through realistic numbers for a PhD thesis:

The Variables

| Factor | Conservative | Moderate | Heavy Writing | |--------|-------------|----------|---------------| | Compile time | 30 seconds | 45 seconds | 60 seconds | | Compiles per hour | 6 | 10 | 15 | | Hours writing per week | 15 | 20 | 25 | | Weeks on thesis | 40 | 50 | 60 |

The Calculation

Moderate scenario:

• 45 seconds × 10 compiles = 7.5 minutes lost per hour
• 7.5 minutes × 20 hours = 2.5 hours lost per week
• 2.5 hours × 50 weeks = 125 hours lost over thesis

That's more than three full work weeks of your life spent watching a progress bar.

Heavy writing scenario:

• 60 seconds × 15 compiles = 15 minutes lost per hour
• 15 minutes × 25 hours = 6.25 hours lost per week
• 6.25 hours × 60 weeks = 375 hours lost over thesis

That's over nine work weeks. Two full months of 40-hour weeks, gone.

But Wait, There's More

These calculations assume no queues, no timeouts, and no need to recompile after failures. In reality:

• Peak time queues can add 30-120 seconds per compile
• Timeout failures require retries
• Complex documents may need multiple passes
• Network issues cause additional delays

The real numbers are worse than the theoretical ones.

The Flow State Problem

The time cost is only part of the story. The cognitive cost is far greater.

What Research Shows

Studies on workplace interruptions reveal troubling patterns:

• Interruptions lasting just 15-20 seconds can break cognitive focus
• The average time to return to deep focus after distraction is 23 minutes
• Even anticipating an interruption reduces performance
• Frequent interruptions increase stress and reduce job satisfaction

Applied to LaTeX Writing

When you hit compile and wait 45 seconds:

1. Focus breaks - Your active thought process stops
2. Attention drifts - You check email, social media, or other tabs
3. Context switches - You mentally shift away from your writing
4. Recovery required - When the PDF appears, you need to re-orient

By the time the PDF appears, you've lost the thread of your writing. Where were you in that paragraph? What argument were you developing? What was the perfect word you had in mind?

The Compound Effect

This isn't a one-time cost. Every compile cycle:

• Breaks your flow
• Requires recovery time
• Reduces your overall writing quality
• Increases frustration and stress

Over thousands of cycles, the cumulative impact on your thesis—and your wellbeing—is substantial.

Why Cloud Editors Are Slow

Understanding the problem helps identify solutions.

The Queue Problem

Cloud LaTeX services compile on shared server infrastructure. When you click compile:

1. Your request enters a queue
2. If servers are busy, you wait for an available slot
3. Your document is compiled
4. The result is sent back to your browser

During peak times—conference deadlines, end of semester, weekday afternoons—the queue grows. Free tier users wait while premium users get priority. The same document that compiles in 10 seconds at 2 AM takes 2 minutes at 2 PM.

The Upload Problem

Before compilation even starts, your content must travel to the server:

• Source files upload to remote servers
• Images and figures must transfer
• Bibliography files go over the network
• Large projects take longer to sync

For documents with many high-resolution figures, this overhead alone can take 10-30 seconds.

The Timeout Problem

Complex documents—extensive TikZ diagrams, large bibliographies, computationally intensive packages—may exceed server time limits:

• Free tiers often have 1-minute limits
• Even premium tiers have ceilings
• Timeout errors require retrying later
• Some documents simply can't compile on cloud services

The Consistency Problem

Server load varies by:

• Time of day (higher during work hours)
• Day of week (higher weekdays)
• Academic calendar (spikes at deadlines)
• Geographic factors (timezone overlaps)

You can't predict your compile time. Sometimes it's fast. Sometimes it's slow. This unpredictability itself is stressful.

The Psychological Impact

Slow compilation doesn't just waste time. It changes how you write.

Avoiding Experimentation

When each test costs 45+ seconds, you stop testing. You don't:

• Try different table layouts to see which looks best
• Experiment with figure positioning
• Test alternative equation formatting
• Compare bibliography styles

You accept "good enough" because "better" costs too much time.

Batch Editing

Instead of iterative refinement, you:

• Make many changes before compiling
• Hope everything works
• Face multiple errors simultaneously when it doesn't
• Spend more time debugging than you would with faster feedback

Reduced Quality

The net effect:

• Documents contain more formatting compromises
• Errors go unnoticed longer
• Final polish gets skipped due to time pressure
• Your work doesn't look as professional as it could

Increased Frustration

The psychological cost compounds:

• Waiting is frustrating, especially under deadline pressure
• Unpredictable wait times are more stressful than consistent ones
• Repeated timeout failures create anxiety about whether work will compile
• Deadline crunch compounds all these effects

What Fast Compilation Enables

When compilation takes seconds instead of minutes, your entire workflow transforms.

Iterative Writing

With fast feedback, you can:

• Check formatting changes immediately
• Verify equations render correctly
• See how figures fit in context
• Adjust spacing and try again
• Polish as you write rather than all at once at the end

This tight feedback loop enables better writing. You catch issues early and refine continuously.

Experimentation

When each experiment costs 2 seconds instead of 45:

• Test different table layouts freely
• Try multiple figure positions
• Experiment with alternative notation
• Compare bibliography styles side-by-side

You find better solutions because exploring is cheap.

Reduced Frustration

Fast compilation means:

• Less waiting-induced stress
• More time in flow state
• Higher quality output
• Better relationship with your writing process

Writing becomes more enjoyable when the tool responds at the speed of thought.

Error Recovery

When you make a mistake:

• Find it quickly with fast compile
• Fix it immediately
• Move on without losing your train of thought
• Avoid the cascade of errors that accumulate with delayed feedback

The Local-First Alternative

Local compilation—running LaTeX on your own device—eliminates the infrastructure problems entirely.

How Traditional Local Works

Install a TeX distribution (TeX Live, MiKTeX, MacTeX) on your computer:

• Compilation uses your CPU
• No network latency
• No queue delays
• No timeouts from server limits

How Modern Local Works

WebAssembly-based editors run LaTeX in your browser:

Your browser → Local LaTeX engine → PDF

No network round-trip for compilation. The same LaTeX engine runs locally using your device's processing power.

The Benefits

No queues: Your compilation starts immediately, every time. No waiting behind other users.

No timeouts: Complex documents compile without arbitrary limits. Your hardware is the only constraint.

Offline capable: Work without internet access. Flights, trains, coffee shops with bad WiFi—your work continues.

Consistent speed: Compilation time depends on your document, not server load. The same speed at 2 PM as at 2 AM.

Privacy: Your documents never leave your device unless you choose to share them.

The Trade-offs

Uses local resources: Your device does the computational work. Modern computers handle this easily, but very old hardware might struggle with complex documents.

Initial download: WebAssembly engines need to download once (typically 50-100MB, cached afterward).

For most researchers, these trade-offs are obviously worthwhile.

Measuring Your Compile Time

Before dismissing compile time as unimportant, measure your actual experience:

How to Measure

1. Time your next 10 compilations with a stopwatch
2. Note the variance (best case vs. worst case)
3. Track how many times you compile per writing session
4. Multiply to estimate total waiting time

What to Track

| Metric | What to Record | |--------|----------------| | Average compile time | Mean across measurements | | Variance | Fastest vs. slowest | | Compiles per hour | Count during active writing | | Peak time difference | Compare morning vs. afternoon | | Failure rate | How often do timeouts occur? |

Calculate Your Cost

Annual hours lost =
  (average compile time in minutes)
  × (compiles per hour)
  × (hours writing per week)
  × (weeks per year)

You might be surprised by the results.

Making the Switch

If you're considering local-first LaTeX editing, here's what to expect.

What Transfers

Your LaTeX knowledge and files transfer completely:

• All .tex files work identically
• BibTeX bibliographies function the same way
• Standard packages are fully supported
• Custom style files continue to work
• Your LaTeX skills remain applicable

What Changes

The experience changes:

• Compilation becomes nearly instant
• You can work offline
• No subscription tier determines your compile priority
• Your documents stay on your device by default
• Privacy is built in rather than opt-in

The Transition

Most local-first editors can import Overleaf and other cloud projects directly:

1. Export your project as ZIP
2. Import into the local-first editor
3. Compile and verify
4. Continue working

The switch typically takes minutes, not hours.

Gradual Transition

You don't have to switch everything at once:

1. Try new projects in the local-first editor
2. Keep existing collaborations where they are
3. Import completed projects when convenient
4. Make the permanent switch once comfortable

LaTeX's portability means you're never locked in.

Beyond Compile Time

Compile time is one factor among many. When evaluating editors, also consider:

Collaboration Needs

Can you still work with co-authors? Real-time collaboration matters for team projects. Modern local-first editors support peer-to-peer collaboration without central servers.

Feature Requirements

Are the tools you need available? Verify that essential packages work. Most standard LaTeX is universally supported.

Learning Curve

How much adaptation is required? Switching editors takes some adjustment, but LaTeX syntax is identical everywhere.

Long-Term Costs

What happens when pricing changes? Cloud services can raise prices or change terms. Local-first tools reduce external dependencies.

Privacy Requirements

Does your research have data handling requirements? Sensitive research may need local-only processing.

For many researchers, local-first editing wins across all these dimensions. For others, cloud editing remains the right choice despite the speed cost.

The key is making an informed decision—not defaulting to the obvious option without considering alternatives.

The Real Question

This isn't really about compile time. It's about how you want to spend your limited time as a researcher.

Your Time is Finite

PhD programs have deadlines. Postdoc contracts end. Grant periods close. Every hour spent waiting is an hour not spent:

• Writing better prose
• Reading more literature
• Analyzing more data
• Thinking more deeply
• Living your life outside work

Small Inefficiencies Compound

Three hours per week doesn't sound like much. But over a multi-year project:

• 150 hours over a PhD
• 300+ hours including recovery time
• Equivalent to writing another chapter or paper

The Tool Should Serve You

Your LaTeX editor is supposed to help you write. If it's actively working against you—stealing your time, breaking your focus, limiting your experimentation—something is wrong.

Better tools exist. The cost of switching is low. The benefit is substantial.

Conclusion

Compile time isn't just a minor inconvenience. It's a friction that compounds across every document you write, every edit you make, every day you spend writing.

Cloud LaTeX editors democratized LaTeX access for millions of researchers. That accessibility came with trade-offs—trade-offs that many users accept without question.

But alternatives exist. Modern browsers can run LaTeX locally, eliminating queues, timeouts, and network dependencies. The same documents compile in seconds instead of minutes.

Time is the one resource you can't get back. Spend yours writing, not waiting.

Experience the difference. Thetapad compiles locally in your browser—instant feedback without queues or timeouts.