I remember a conversation I was having with my main man Nelson Leung. I remember talking about this new browser plugin that allowed you to read more with greater comprehension. What I loved about this new utility was that it enabled you to consume so much more information than you normally would. I’ve always been into ideas that accelerate learning. So much so that my ideal future is one where information is downloaded instantly, like in the Matrix. Nelson disagreed. He said that he preferred to read books over using digital tools precisely because of the time it takes to read words, sentence, paragraphs. The pauses between chapters. He then said something profound. He said that he needed all that time to think about what he just read. To let it soak in. To fully understand what is entering his mind.

Before this conversation I was all about uninterrupted, optimized consumption of information. I’ve since changed my approach to be one of more patience.

What I learned from Nelson was that although there is a lot we may want to learn, never forget the balance between volume and quality.