A conversation starter, by Jeanne

Most technology products/innovation seem to promise the same thing: Do more, faster. And I find myself wondering, is that actually what I/we want?

Speed is useful. In a crisis, for mundane/repetitive tasks, like admin maybe… But when faster becomes the default, as it has, in all areas of life, then I think it becomes a problem in that it suppresses the process of maturity, expansive thinking, creative problem solving. Ultimately, it makes us think less… which in itself isn’t great.

If you think about it, technology saves us time (in theory). But what do we actually do with it? Do we use it to think more carefully about a decision? To improve an idea beyond the obvious first draft? To have a longer conversation? To sit with something that makes us uncomfortable and really examine it? Or do we simply fill the space with more tasks, more scrolling, more urgency?

In my work, the best ideas rarely arrive first. They come after letting a problem sit, after questioning assumptions, after resisting the urge to land on the quick answer, after discussing each others opinions and perspectives. All this takes TIME.

I am not anti-speed. I am just not convinced “more, faster” is always the desirable outcome. 

Curious how others think about this: where in your life does faster/slower actually lead to better? And what do you do with the time saved?

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💬 A quick note: replies can be easy to miss here, so feel free to add a new comment rather than replying directly. This isn’t a fast-fire space, it’s intentionally slower, and shaped for thoughtful engagement with the ideas themselves, rather than back-and-forth responses.