Gain a foundational understanding of programming, boost your personal productivity by eliminating tedious manual tasks, and acquire a valuable skill that's highly applicable in many fields. It's a rewarding experience to see your code make your computer do something useful.
Install Python on your computer. Find a beginner-friendly online tutorial or resource (e.g., 'Automate the Boring Stuff with Python' book or course). Identify a small, repetitive task you'd like to automate. Start with 'Hello, World!' then gradually build up to basic file operations or string manipulation.
A computer, an internet connection, Python interpreter (free download), and online tutorials/documentation.
1 weekend (for initial learning and first functional script)