No offense, Terry, but I wouldn't approach it this way. I'd strive for program correctness and quality before speed. The reason is simple, before I write the code, I have no idea where the bottle necks are.

Wouldn't you agree that a correctly designed program executes faster than a less correctly designed one? Is not fast execution, as long as accuracy and usability are not compromised, an indication of a well designed program.


But would the user notice?
I try to notice!

I think that you'll find that you can work a few less hours by concentrating on correct, high quality code rather than speed.
I'd probably spend my free time looking for loose nuts and bolts - which is what I spend most of my time doing anyway. If it was easy - anybody could do it!