humansvsrobots

If a person is wealthy and doesn't need to spend that amount during the entire duration of Z, since they have other wealth to spend, they would likely choose Z for the higher return over the same time period.

So only a relative poverty would encourage the person to choose A.

Assuming they have unlimited life span. If not and their lifespan is uncertain, then the value of Z is reduced by the chance of not surviving long enough to profit from it.

If they can invest A and get a higher return than waiting for Z, then A is a more profitable choice.

That's probably the most effective way to increase productivity. I would automate this if I could.

Learning Arduino might be a good starting point, since they are easy and popular. You'll probably need to learn C, since Arduinos (or the controllers on the Arduino boards) are programmed in C or assembly.

There is a cost for equipment and parts when working with hardware.

Creating effects in the physical world with your code feels awesome. Learning and building physical tech is just awesome all around.