Recently, I’ve been watching the “queueing” in the mempool, and it really comes down to one word: slow. You think once you click confirm, it’s over—but in reality, the transaction sits there among a bunch of unconfirmed orders, and miners/validators will first pick the “more worthwhile” ones (basically, the ones with fees that feel more comfortable, or that are easier to run arbitrage on). When the network is congested, you’ll experience this: the same action, but the confirmation time turns into a kind of magic; if your fee is set too low, it gets stuck for a long time, and if you set it high, it still might get shoved aside a bit—then slippage gets snatched up on the side, and in the end you realize the cost isn’t as simple as the fee line item.

My approach now is pretty simple and a bit “old-school”: if you’re not in a rush, slow down; don’t chase hot spots when things are at their busiest. If you really need to force it through, first think clearly about how much you’re willing to pay extra for speed—otherwise, after waiting for hours, you impulsively add a speed-up transaction, and the “emotional tax” ends up costing more than the on-chain tax. I’ve also seen enough of economic breakdowns in chain games—between inflation and everyone at the studio churning out more, everyone wants to run faster, but the result is that the chain gets even more congested and the friction becomes worse, and in the end, nobody feels at ease. For now, that’s it—being half a step late might actually save money.