5typos.net
On the Speed of Consumption
Looking at a painting to remember it, to analyze it, or hoping that it awakens something in you1 — are very different activities.
I’m able to listen at up to 2x to podcasts with information I want to skim . But on other podcasts want to savor the discussion. To be part of the conversation in my head, requiring the pause to assemble my ideas.
Same with books — on many, I want to enjoy each line, but others make want to tell the writer to hurry along, to get to the point. Which thanks to the marvel of reading doesn’t require changing the text in front of you — just how you engage with it.
The amazing variety of content nowadays makes it impossible to define the correct way of consuming any of it. The question then becomes: do you want to expose yourself to as much as possible — risking misunderstanding it, or invest in acquiring fewer content, but of the best quality.
I’ve answered this very differently over the last 20 years, but the overall trend is to use each of these methods as tools — and not be a purist about either corner.