If I’m listening to a podcast or an audiobook, it’s almost guaranteed I’m listening to it at a higher-than-normal playback rate. Playing it at 1.5-2x the normal speed is common, but 2-3x isn’t unheard of. Once you’re use to the higher speed, you can consume way more content in less time. And many times, that is often my goal: to extract any helpful information as efficiently as possible.

But there’s one time when I’m guaranteed not to try to mess with the playback speed. And that’s when I’m listening to music. Sure, I could try to get through albums at 2x the normal speed, allowing me to ‘listen’ to twice as much in the same amount of time. But with music, getting through it as fast as possible isn’t the point. And trying to rush through it will only cause me to miss the experience as it was intended.

The same kind of dynamic is true of life: it isn’t meant to be lived in a hurry. You can try to rush it if you want, but getting through it as fast as possible isn’t the point. It doesn’t add anything to the experience, but rather causes you to miss out on so much along the way.