"At some point, consuming content at 2x speed became a badge of productivity. "I only listen to podcasts at 2x" gets said with the same energy as "I wake up at 5 AM." Impressive, I guess? But why do we want to consume things faster? The answer, if we're being honest, usually comes down to FOMO or anxiety (or a mix of both). The feeling that there's too much to consume and not enough time. That you're falling behind if you're not optimizing every minute."
"Life happens at 1x. Every conversation you've ever had. Every walk, every meal, every meaningful experience. None of it comes with a speed dial. We're biological creatures wired for real-time processing. When someone speaks to you in person, you don't get to fast-forward through the parts you find boring. There's something strange about trying to shortcut how humans communicate. A podcast is just a conversation you're eavesdropping on. The pauses, the rhythm, the way someone builds to a point. That's all part of it."
Everything is consumed at 1x speed: podcasts, videos, and audiobooks. A personal rule requires that if something is not worth consuming at natural speed, it is not worth consuming at all. Speed-listening as a productivity badge encourages FOMO and anxiety by implying constant optimization and a never-ending backlog. The emphasis on consuming more becomes a treadmill that sacrifices depth. The priority should shift from quantity to quality. Human communication and meaningful experiences occur in real time and cannot be legitimately fast-forwarded. Conversations include pauses, rhythm, and buildup that provide important texture. The brain requires empty space for processing and reflection.
Read at Terrible Software
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