[17&18/24] Advent of Writing
When I was in high school, my least favorite assignments were reading. I remember being assigned the book “As I Lay Dying”, and all I wanted was to get through it as quickly as possible. My teacher was smart enough to read the Sparknotes for the book and design quizzes so it wouldn’t be helpful. I had no choice but to actually read it. But I needed to find a better way. One where I could take in the content, without spending the 30-40 minutes physically reading the book.
My solution was pretty hilarious. With an audio version of the book I found, I would turn off all the lights in my room, lie on my bed, cover my face with a pillow, and play it at 4x speed. Removing all stimulation except for the book’s audio was the only way I could focus on the sped-up content. I was able to “read” the required chapters within 15 minutes.
It got me by at the time, and it makes a great story, but I can’t say that I’m proud of myself for doing it. The truth is, I probably missed out on the books because of this. There’s something about letting things stew, allowing yourself to absorb and reflect while consuming, that can make books special.
But it’s so easy now to rush through content. We often put audiobooks, YouTube videos, and even short-form content at 2x speed. Believe it or not, I knew someone in college who would listen to songs sped up, too. We speed up this content because we don’t have time for it, are trying to maximize consumption, and/or it’s too boring at normal speed. But you get so much less from doing this.
When you get caught in this cycle, it’s hard to adjust back. Eventually, you get to a point where your mind can’t process incoming information anymore, and it just becomes noise. All too often, I’ve done this with educational content, deluding myself into believing I’m being productive because I’m cramming so much into my brain so quickly. It’s exhausting, and it doesn’t work.
The best thing that I’ve found to cure this is to remove the stimulation for a bit. Go on a cleanse. A walk with no phone can help. Then ease back into it without touching the speed dial. If you start to find something boring, it’s better to switch to something else instead of rushing through it.
Just slow down a bit. It’s okay. You might feel like you’re not getting enough, but you really are getting more.
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