If you want true cost-performance and time-performance, stop watching at double speed

The more we think about not wanting to waste time, the more we try to speed everything up.

YouTube at 1.5x speed.
TV dramas at 2x speed.
Watching movies only for the parts that interest us.
Reading summaries first for long videos.

Admittedly, this allows you to watch a one-hour video in 30 minutes.

Looking at the numbers alone, the time-performance is good.

However, when you consider whether you are truly using your time effectively, a slightly different picture emerges.

Perhaps, if you are looking for true time-performance, you should stop watching at double speed.

Time-performance is not about finishing things in a short amount of time

Because of the term time-performance, we tend to think about

how much we were able to consume in the shortest amount of time

instead.

However, what we should really be thinking about is

how much we gained for the time we spent

is it not?

Even if you watch a movie in 30 minutes, if you barely remember the content the next day, was that 30 minutes really efficient?

Conversely, if you spend two hours watching a movie and spend days thinking about it, or if your perspective on life changes slightly, that has a much greater value per unit of time.

Shortening time and increasing the value of time are two different things.

When you use double speed, the 'white space' disappears

Movies and dramas have moments that are separate from the story itself.

The time when characters are silent.

The time when only the scenery is shown.

The time someone spends searching for words.

The time when only music is playing.

If you think only in terms of efficiency, these parts look unnecessary.

However, it is often through that negative space that emotions are born.

The silence in a movie has meaning.

The pauses in conversation also have meaning.

The fact that a shot lasts a few seconds longer also has meaning as a directorial choice.

When you watch at double speed, even if you receive the information of the story, the "time" that the work possesses is lost.

Knowing the plot is not the same as experiencing the work.

"Watching" turns into "consuming."

When watching at double speed becomes a habit, the very way you engage with content changes.

Watching.

Savoring.

Thinking.

These acts become,

Consuming.

Processing.

Moving on to the next.

These acts.

As soon as you finish one, you move to the next.

You finish one, then move on to the next.

Strangely, even though you have watched so much, nothing remains.

This is somewhat similar to eating.

You can eat a large amount in a short time.

However, whether you call that a "rich meal" is another matter.

Content is the same.

Consuming quantity is different from receiving it in a rich way.

Cost-performance is not just about "cheap and plenty"

The same can be said for cost-performance.

If you pay 1,000 yen a month for a subscription and watch 50 movies a month,

"It's 20 yen per movie, so it's good cost-performance"

is one way to think about it.

But is the number of movies really what matters?

If you watch one movie carefully and encounter a work you can remember for years to come, that one movie alone is enough to get your money's worth.

Conversely, if you digest 50 movies at high speed and cannot even remember the titles by the next month, it cannot be said that the cost-performance is that good.

Getting a lot for a low price is not the only definition of cost-performance.

How deep an experience did you gain from the money you paid?

You need to consider it including that aspect.

You don't have to try to be a "person who knows a lot"

There might be a bit of impatience behind watching at double speed.

I have to keep up with the conversation.

I have to watch popular works.

I want to watch YouTube, too.

I want to watch Netflix, too.

I want to read books, too.

I want to check social media, too.

There are too many things in the world that one must see.

That is why we increase the speed.

However, there is no need to watch everything in the first place.

Rather than watching 100 things shallowly, watch 10 things deeply.

Rather than knowing the content of 100 books, read 10 books multiple times.

Rather than being exposed to a massive amount of information, choose what is important to you.

In the long run, this can sometimes be overwhelmingly more efficient.

Efficiency is not just about increasing speed.

Reducing unnecessary things is also a form of true efficiency.

The luxury of "watching slowly"

Watch a movie at normal speed.

Do not touch your smartphone while watching.

Watch until the end credits.

After you finish watching, soak in the lingering emotions for a while.

At first glance, this seems like a very inefficient act.

However, during that time,

Thinking, 'What was that scene about?'

Thinking, 'I understand how that character feels.'

Thinking, 'What would I do in that situation?'

Thinking about these things.

I believe that time is precisely when a work truly becomes a part of you.

In a world where everything is accelerated, experiencing things slowly has become a luxury in itself.

True time-performance is 'time that remains in your memory'.

When you look back on your life,

'I efficiently watched 1,000 videos'

might not hold much meaning.

Rather than that,

'I remember the night I watched that movie'

'My way of thinking changed after reading that book'

'I listened to that music over and over'

These are the moments that stay with you.

Time is not just for processing as much as possible.

It is also for feeling something.

It is also for thinking.

It is also about leaving an impression on your heart.

When you stop watching at double speed, you start choosing what you watch.

If you stop watching at double speed, the amount you can watch in a day will naturally decrease.

Then,

you will start to wonder,

Do I really want to watch this?

Actually, I think this is the important part.

Because you start solving problems with selection instead of speed.

You don't speed things up just to watch everything.

You watch only what is important.

That way, how you spend your time becomes much simpler.

Increasing the value of time rather than saving it

We are susceptible to phrases like "save 5 minutes" or "save 10 minutes."

However, what is important in life is not just the total amount of time saved.

It is how you spent that time.

Time-performance is not just about shrinking an hour into 30 minutes.

Making an hour an unforgettable hour is also time-performance.

True cost-performance and time-performance are,

not about consuming more in less time.

Rather,

Choosing what is valuable to you and fully savoring that time

might be the answer.

If you are tired of watching things quickly, try returning to normal speed for once.

Watch just one movie.

Listen to one song all the way to the end.

Read just a few pages of a book, slowly.

The world does not need to be consumed in such a hurry.

Rather than just thinking about saving time, make the time right in front of you richer.

I believe that is a way of living that is truly better in terms of both cost-performance and time-performance.