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Tan Shun Yuan
Tan Shun Yuan

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Consuming Video Resources

Background

The learning process of a self-taught developer is time-consuming, from reading documentation to watching videos on how to build applications or a developer conference that usually lasts about 30 minutes or more. I find myself watching conference videos because they offer insights about a framework or optimizations that I would not figure out by reading through documentation.

While watching video provides resources, there is also a caveat of spending a large chunk of time on it. Additionally, viewing such videos makes me zone out after a while due to it being dry or too content-heavy. I needed a way to combat the time taken and zoning out.

Faster

After a while, I concluded that watching videos with an increased playback speed is the solution. Initially, this thought is filled with self-criticism such as not being able to comprehend what the speaker is saying however it is a worthy attempt.

Watching videos at 2x speed takes time to adjust to but once I passed the adjusting phase, I never looked back. I find myself not zoning out much due to the need of focusing on what the speaker is saying at a high playback speed. Additionally, being focused increase my comprehension of the videos.

Conclusion

Watching videos on a higher playback speed might not be for everyone, but it is worth a shot! Saving time and increasing comprehension is the main takeaway. With the extra time generated, I can devote it to doing other tasks or taking a longer break.

Give it a shot! Hope you enjoyed this post.

Top comments (1)

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christiankozalla profile image
Christian Kozalla

Thanks for sharing your experience! I never really started learning from watching videos, because of the problems you point out.

I rather dig into written tutorials, stackoverflow or reading the docs directly, because I can maintain my own speed and pick out the information I am looking for. 👍

I noticed on edX courses you can increase speed (like 2.5x) while preserving the voice although I becomes high pitched 😉