Whether it’s food and travel we’re talking about or reading and writing, faster isn’t always better. There’s a time to scroll. And a time to read. A time to post. And a time to write. What matters is knowing when to speed up and when to slow down.
Slow Reading
In his preface to Daybreak (1887), German philosopher and philologist Friedrich Nietzsche recommended the practice of slow reading:
“It is not for nothing that I have been a philologist, that is to say, a teacher of slow reading; in the end I also write slowly. Nowadays it is not only my habit, it is also to my taste — no longer to write anything which does not reduce to despair every sort of man who is ‘in a hurry.’ For philology is that venerable art which demands of its votaries one thing above all: to go aside, to take time, to become still, to become slow…”
He argued that this art of slow reading is more necessary than ever today — especially in 2026, in the midst of an age of constant hustle, AI summaries, infinite feeds, and “get everything done at once” culture. With short-form videos, algorithm-driven content, and instant AI-generated text all around us, the ability to read slowly, deeply, and carefully has become a rare and powerful skill.
To get the highlights of an article, the gist of a report, or an overview of a book, skim. But to truly engage with a text — to understand it, quarrel with it, enjoy it, or learn from it — set aside time to read slowly.
Slow Writing
As Nietzsche suggests, we are more likely to read with care what has been written without haste. Good, slow writing demands that we occasionally disconnect from our hyperconnected world. Professor Naomi S. Baron makes this point powerfully in her study of online and mobile technologies:
“Fast writing is fine for putting together a ‘to do’ list, dashing off a DM to a colleague, or jotting down the outline of an argument. But slow writing — perhaps even handwritten, perhaps composed at a keyboard, but definitely revised and edited — must remain the gold standard for writing text that enables us to formulate and convey meaningful analysis to others and to ourselves.”
Slow Writing in the Age of AI
In 2026, AI tools are everywhere — they can draft emails, generate articles, summarize books, and polish text in seconds. Many writers now use AI as a daily assistant.
The key is not to reject AI, but to use it wisely. Let AI handle the fast, repetitive, or mechanical tasks. But keep the slow, human work for what matters most: developing your own ideas, refining your thinking, and crafting sentences that actually say something meaningful.
AI is excellent at producing quantity quickly. It is not good at depth, originality, or emotional truth. The best writers in 2026 treat AI as a helpful collaborator — not as a replacement for their own slow, deliberate thinking. They still take time to read deeply, wrestle with ideas, and revise their work until it feels exactly right. Fast AI output should never replace slow human judgment.
Conclusion
In his book Understanding Research, M.I. Franklin condenses centuries of discussion on thoughtful work into two main principles: “slow reading” and “slow writing.” Though we may not all be philosophers, we are all thinkers in one way or another. Therefore it’s worth keeping these ideas in mind:
- These are “slow” because the aim is not just to collect information but to truly consider it, and then present the outcomes as a real argument.
- “Slow reading” is another way of saying close reading — taking time to consider a text one step at a time.
- “Slow writing” follows because the goal is to get under the skin of ideas rather than rush through them for quick content.
So when the occasion demands good, thoughtful reading and writing, close the tabs, silence your notifications, and shut off the distractions. In 2026, taking time to think — even while using AI tools — has become one of the most valuable things you can do.
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