You’re a podcast:

A mental model to think about yourself, your strengths and how you want to impact the world.

I was listening to a stellar podcast and shared it with a friend.

Typically I share podcasts and friends say: oh my gosh, it’s 2 hours long! To which I respond: it’s 1 hour on 2x speed.

The day I discovered 2x speed, Sept 30th, 2018, was a day so revolutionary I recall its date. The efficiency of 2x is a massage for my brain. Even content I watch for pleasure, like the Great British Baking Show, I do on at least 1.5x 😅.

But what about someone learning a new language via podcasts? It might be best to listen below normal speed, at 0.75 or 0.5x.

And people who listen to pods to wind down? They may prefer something normal-pace.

Perhaps a podcast contains many important details. Maybe 1.25x is the perfect balance of efficiency and catching the deats.

It depends: we each pick our means to achieve some end.

Self-reflection via a podcast lens:

• Pod pref x working style: I like listening to many different podcasts at high speeds. I’m a big-picture thinker and I like diversity because it helps me connect dots between ideas.
• Pod pref x impact: I have so many ideas !!! I talk fast !!! I want to be in a fast-paced, broad environment. If my work was a podcast, I’d want it to be extremely expansive and played on 2x & 2–4 hours long filled with interesting info nuggets.
• Pod pref x weaknesses: I struggle slowing down and thinking more locally.

World-reflection via a podcast lens:

• Impact happens at different speeds: non-profits + governments + big companies + ambitious startups, etc build a useful ecosystem. Their reach may not be equal, but neither is their depth. A big-picture thinker likes 2x, someone soaking in all the details likes 0.5x.
• I don’t have to be 2x always: maybe I start to learn another language. I don’t have to be 2x. Maybe I do a PhD. I don’t have to be 2x. Maybe I go a mega-awesome meditation retreat in Australia. I don’t have to be 2x.

Where’s your podcast style at now? Where do you want it to be? (This is mine).