The Unwanted Side Effect of Speed Listening to Books and Podcasts

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Abstract

ust become the norm for podcasts, audiobooks, and YouTube videos. Eventually, it can find its way into your real-life interactions and affect your relationships with others.</p><p id="15ff">After marathon sessions of listening at 2x speed, regular conversations feel like they are going in slow motion. You might even start talking faster than usual.</p><p id="ce31">It changes the vibe.</p><h2 id="94b6">In an effort to maximize productivity, it’s possible to end up cultivating impatience in areas where patience matters most.</h2><p id="5991">You might wish people would just talk faster and get to the point. But they need time to think. And so do you.</p><p id="ff54">Unlike casual conversation, audiobooks share fully formed, highly polished, and edited ideas. At double speed, it sets a near-impossible standard to match in real-life speech.</p><p id="6149">Real conversations don’t always have a particular point or reason for them. Communication is often non-verbal. Often, it’s not so much about <i>what</i> people say as much as <i>how</i> they say it.</p><p id="ec82">It’s about sharing our thoughts, feelings, and emotions to create a connection.</p><h2 id="7e08">So, how do we fight this unwanted side effect?</h2><p id="02d2">Fortunat

Options

ely, just recognizing the problem can sometimes help solve it. When we notice we are impatient with others, we can remind ourselves to be more mindful and engaged at the moment.</p><p id="c17d">If that fails, we can reduce our exposure to high-speed audio by simply consuming less. And we can slow speeds down from 2x to 1.5x instead. As long as we apply the 80/20 principle to what we consume, we shouldn’t lose out on much “productivity” at all.</p><p id="ea86">Lastly, before interacting with other people, we can take a few moments to slow down and re-normalize.</p><p id="94ea"><i>If you found this helpful, you might also like:</i></p><div id="57cd" class="link-block"> <a href="https://readmedium.com/repurpose-wasted-time-to-get-more-out-of-life-abd16b3b9584"> <div> <div> <h2>How to Repurpose ‘Wasted’ Time to Get More Out of Life</h2> <div><h3>undefined</h3></div> <div><p>undefined</p></div> </div> <div> <div style="background-image: url(https://miro.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:320/1*wIhEzB_MBJ0JY_3-aErDfQ.jpeg)"></div> </div> </div> </a> </div></article></body>

It’s not an issue of comprehension or productivity.

Do you listen to audiobooks and podcasts at double speed or higher?

It’s a great way to get through nonfiction at pace. It helps us get more out of our time. But it comes with a few drawbacks. Some people would argue you don’t enjoy the books as much, especially when everyone sounds like a chipmunk. Others argue that you don’t give yourself enough time to digest and reflect on ideas at the moment.

Those are genuinely valid points. But neither of those is the side effect I’m talking about. The unwanted side effect of listening so fast is that you get used to it. It becomes the norm.

Wait? How is that a bad thing?

The problem is that it doesn’t just become the norm for podcasts, audiobooks, and YouTube videos. Eventually, it can find its way into your real-life interactions and affect your relationships with others.

After marathon sessions of listening at 2x speed, regular conversations feel like they are going in slow motion. You might even start talking faster than usual.

It changes the vibe.

In an effort to maximize productivity, it’s possible to end up cultivating impatience in areas where patience matters most.

You might wish people would just talk faster and get to the point. But they need time to think. And so do you.

Unlike casual conversation, audiobooks share fully formed, highly polished, and edited ideas. At double speed, it sets a near-impossible standard to match in real-life speech.

Real conversations don’t always have a particular point or reason for them. Communication is often non-verbal. Often, it’s not so much about what people say as much as how they say it.

It’s about sharing our thoughts, feelings, and emotions to create a connection.

So, how do we fight this unwanted side effect?

Fortunately, just recognizing the problem can sometimes help solve it. When we notice we are impatient with others, we can remind ourselves to be more mindful and engaged at the moment.

If that fails, we can reduce our exposure to high-speed audio by simply consuming less. And we can slow speeds down from 2x to 1.5x instead. As long as we apply the 80/20 principle to what we consume, we shouldn’t lose out on much “productivity” at all.

Lastly, before interacting with other people, we can take a few moments to slow down and re-normalize.

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