I know that certain things are forbidden on the Sabbath and if a non-Jew does them, a Jew can only benefit from them if he waits a certain length of time. This has been covered in this question and this one. So if a non-Jew (unbeknownst to me) calls a cab to arrive for me at the end of the Sabbath, I have to wait to get in for the amount of time that it would have taken me to call, and him to arrive. And if the non-Jew turns a light on for me intentionally on the Sabbath, I have to keep my eyes closed.
But does the same logic hold in areas beyond the Sabbath? For example -- one is forbidden to think Torah thoughts in the bathroom. But what if my mind wanders while I am in there, and I think of a great chiddush! Do I have to wait after I exit for the amount of time it would have taken me to think of it outside the bathroom before I can tell anyone?
