You're Not Lazy: How To Learn Anything Faster - Cliff Weitzman Founder of Speechify
Feb 23, 2023
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In this engaging conversation, Cliff Weitzman, the inspiring founder of Speechify, discusses overcoming dyslexia to create a revolutionary text-to-speech app used by millions. He shares how audiobooks transformed his learning experience and advocates for speed listening as a game-changer in information retention. Cliff emphasizes the importance of love and gratitude in personal growth, revealing how meaningful connections can elevate both personal and professional journeys. This dynamic chat offers fresh insights on navigating learning differences and enhancing productivity.
The power of listening and speed listening as a way to acquire knowledge efficiently.
A mindset of boundless potential and refusing to accept limitations enables overcoming obstacles.
The benefits of speed listening go beyond productivity, allowing for deeper understanding and efficient book completion.
Exploring podcasts and actively seeking out unique friendships and connections contribute to personal and professional growth.
The importance of giving and adding value to others without expecting anything in return.
Deep dives
Learning through audiobooks and overcoming dyslexia
Growing up with dyslexia and ADHD, Cliff Weitzman faced challenges in reading and learning. However, he found a passion for audiobooks, particularly the Harry Potter series, which helped him learn English and sparked his love for listening. He realized that he could intake information faster through listening and began experimenting with increasing the playback speed of audiobooks. Cliff also developed a text-to-speech tool called Speechify to convert PDFs into audiobooks, enabling him to consume dense material while multitasking. Through his dedication and passion for learning, Cliff reshaped his perception of dyslexia and found an efficient way to gain knowledge.
Ambitions and the belief in oneself
From a young age, Cliff had an unwavering belief in his abilities, viewing himself as a superhero who could accomplish anything. Despite the challenges presented by dyslexia, he remained ambitious and aimed to achieve extraordinary feats. Cliff's mindset of boundless potential and refusing to accept limitations allowed him to overcome obstacles and pursue diverse interests, such as coding, app development, and studying renewable energy engineering at Brown University. Through this mindset, Cliff remained determined and motivated to learn and succeed.
The power of listening and the benefits of speed
Cliff discovered the power of listening as a means of acquiring knowledge and enriching his life. By consuming audiobooks at an accelerated speed, Cliff could retain information faster than traditional reading methods. His listening speed gradually increased as he practiced, improving his comprehension and retention. He also emphasized the convenience of listening, as it allows him to multitask and make use of downtime, such as during workouts or daily activities. Cliff highlighted that the benefits of speed listening extend beyond productivity, enabling him to complete books more efficiently and obtain a deeper understanding of various topics.
Exploration of podcasts and unconventional social interactions
Cliff's thirst for knowledge and sociability led him to explore the realm of podcasts. He found podcasts to be a valuable source of information, often discovering cutting-edge insights in various fields. Cliff also discussed his unconventional approach to social interactions, where he actively sought out unique friendships and connections. By reaching out to people and connecting with different individuals, he gained insights into content creation and learned from inspiring personalities. Cliff's open-mindedness towards relationships and his desire to radiate positivity contribute to a well-rounded approach to personal and professional growth.
Building Connections in College
The speaker shares their experience of making connections and building relationships in college. They emphasize the importance of prioritizing meaningful interactions with people over classes and describe a strategy they used to get to know a large percentage of their freshman class by having multiple dinners a night and engaging with different groups of people.
Creating Relationships and Learning from Others
The speaker discusses their approach to building relationships and learning from others. They emphasize the value of reaching out to people, even cold messaging them, to make connections and learn from their expertise. They share their philosophy of being genuinely interested in others and their accomplishments, regardless of their fame, and how this has helped them make meaningful connections with people from various backgrounds and industries.
Maintaining Relationships and Living with Intent
The speaker shares their approach to maintaining relationships and living intentionally. They talk about the importance of maintaining contact with friends and making efforts to see them regularly, whether by traveling to meet them or hosting them. They also touch on their workflow and scheduling practices, such as booking meetings well in advance or maintaining a dynamic calendar to accommodate their priorities and zone of genius.
The Power of Giving and Adding Value
The podcast episode discusses the importance of giving and adding value to others without expecting anything in return. The speaker emphasizes that by coming into things with good intentions and giving more than one receives, one's life can become amazing. They highlight the idea that giving love, advice, or help to others costs nothing but can greatly benefit both the giver and the recipient. The speaker encourages listeners to focus on increasing the lives of others and align their own missions with helping others in a way that is congruent with their own experiences and knowledge.
Overcoming Overthinking and Taking Action
The podcast episode addresses the issue of overthinking and the fear of putting oneself out there. The speaker shares personal experiences, such as organizing note-sharing groups and giving talks, to highlight the transformative power of taking action and being helpful. They emphasize the importance of not waiting for perfection and instead just putting one's work and ideas out into the world. The speaker encourages listeners to dissolve the fear of rejection or failure and embrace vulnerability, sharing that good things often come when one focuses on putting positive energy into the world.
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Cliff Weitzman is one of the most inspiring people I’ve ever met, he’s the CEO and founder of Speechify, which is the #1 text-to-speech app that converts books and anything on the internet into an audiobook. Cliff originally built Speechify because he has dyslexia and growing up struggled to read, but after sharing it with the rest of the world the app has now been downloaded by 20 million+ users. Cliff is only just getting started having done all of this in his 20s and being listed in Forbes’ magazine's 30 Under 30 list. In the conversation we talk about how Cliff developed the Speechify app, the life lessons he learned along the way, how speed listening is a superpower and why the best thing you can do is put more love out into the world. Enjoy!
(00:00) Intro (02:12) Your childhood and growing up with dyslexia (11:09) Your ambitiousness (14:17) Building a text-to-speech program (18:12) Why listening is a superpower (24:00) Reading 100 books a year with speed listening (40:20) Do you have a note taking process for listening? (45:24) Life lessons from building Speechify (01:02:44) Expanding your network & the power of adding value (01:17:45) How to avoid procrastination (01:22:11) Organising your life and maintaining relationships (01:37:29) Tips for putting more love into the world
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