Forced slowness

October 31, 2021

1y ago I bought a scooter.

It allowed me to move fast around the city and do many more things. See more people, have more nights out, fill my days with activities. It dramatically reduced the friction and effort required to move around.

Before buying it, I used the metro to move around (where I am writing this note, since I got a flat tire yesterday).

Reflecting back on this purchase, it wasn’t such a clear win though.

I have been missing the quiet time and forced slowness of public transport, where I usually read a book, write or listen to podcasts.

This got me thinking.

When you get more of something, you need to be more intentional about what you make of it.

Artificial constraints can be a good thing, especially when they counterbalance some of your most unhealthy tendencies.