When I’m in the car, or out for a walk, I’ve noticed that I have this habit of reflexively reaching for something to listen to. Some people may gravitate towards music, but for me, I’m usually looking for things like podcasts or ebooks.
And although I learn a lot from all the things I listen to, I’ve found that if I spend all my time continuously listening to things, but never take time to unplug and chew on what I’ve heard, I can easily miss out on the impact the content could have.
If I hear something that could affect the way I live my life, or the way I view the world, but I then move quickly on to the next thing, I may fail to fully understand or implement what I just learned.
The same is true of reading. I could read an incredible book that has the potential to radically alter my perspective, but if I’m always in a hurry to get to whatever’s next, I may never fully internalize the implications of what I just read. The seeds are there. But if I’m in a hurry to consume more content, those seeds may never germinate.
In today’s world, there are so many books and podcasts and shows and blogs that we could give our attention to. And there’s an abundance of good things that we could be feeding on. But what we feed on is only part of the story. The question is, are we also allocating enough time to fully digest what we choose to consume?