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How to Get More Value Out of the Content You Consume

written by Stefanie Flaxman
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How to Get More Value Out of the Content You Consume

It was 9:00 p.m. on a Friday night.

As I returned home, the battery in my garage door opener ran out of juice and I was unable to enter my car hole.

I knew I’d have to buy a nine-volt battery for the device at some point in the near future, so I decided to go to Target right away … which was convenient because I also needed trash bags, candles, gum, and other impulse-buy items I hadn’t thought of yet.

While browsing throw blankets (Autumn has arrived in the Northern Hemisphere), I observed a Target staff member in the next aisle direct a woman to soap dispensers.

The customer looked at the options for a few seconds and then asked her guide, “But do you have anything fancy?�

After my fellow shopper rolled away her cart in disappointment, I walked over to view the soap dispenser selection.

There were several options that one might describe as “fancy,� but Target isn’t a high-end household goods store. It’s not the best place to look for a soap dispenser that is objectively “fancy.�

Then I started thinking about this situation in terms of how we search for content and subscribe to publications.

Just as high-quality content should be intentionally crafted to serve a purpose for your business …

High-quality content consumption is also intentional

So, what’s your daily routine online?

Do you study the right type of content that helps you meet your goals? Or do you keep reading publications that you think will help you, but you don’t end up acting on the advice they offer?

I’m not asking those questions to criticize your choices — we all fall down rabbit holes online and check out blog posts and videos that aren’t particularly productive.

But reviewing how you spend your time and energy is one of the most important things you can do. It helps you assess your current habits and change them, if necessary, to focus on more meaningful work.

Sometimes it just takes a little fine-tuning to get more out of the content you read, listen to, and watch. 🙂

Don’t look for what you need at a place that doesn’t have it

Let’s say the consumer on a mission to purchase a fancy soap dispenser was “subscribed� to Target, just as someone could be subscribed to an email list.

While she was at Target, she could browse what the store actually offers, rather than look for something she probably wouldn’t find there.

So, to clarify and strengthen your content consumption strategy, make a list of your subscriptions with brief notes about the value you get from each.

If one consistently doesn’t meet your expectations, determine if you get different benefits from that publication or if it’s time to give it up.

Our Target shopper likely got other items she needed during her visit, but if she always went to Target looking for something “fancy� and left empty-handed, she’d likely stop going there.

Unsubscribe from content you ignore

This step addresses all those emails you open and delete quickly.

Yes, it only takes a couple seconds each time, but those seconds add up to minutes — and it’s beautiful when the emails never even enter your inbox.

Unsubscribe to emails or newsletters with advice you haven’t put into practice in the last six months.

Sometimes you like a certain publication and hope you’ll get something useful when it sends out updates. But if you haven’t acted on the content in an email or newsletter in the last six months, it’s probably not worth your time anymore.

By unsubscribing, you clear space to find new publications that you would actually engage with on a regular basis. More on that below.

Let go of content you disagree with

Ah, content you love to hate.

It could be a guilty pleasure or unicorn vomit that makes you twitch.

For whatever reason, sometimes we get caught up in online drama that makes us angry or frustrated.

Remember that it doesn’t help you or anyone else if you leave a website fuming with the sentiment: “I’m right, and the other person is wrong.�

As Sonia wrote in The Magical Sixth ‘Ingredient’ that Can Take Your Content to Greatness:

“The internet is big. There are a lot of people here. And they come in all shapes and sizes. Whatever your beliefs, your values, or your peculiar interests, you can find a group that shares them.�

Publications you don’t resonate with aren’t going to change their content. Click away from them.

Reduce distractions

If you ever catch yourself saying:

“I’d like to do that, but I just don’t have time.�

… it’s a great opportunity for you to dissect that statement.

  • Would you actually like to do that activity, or are you just saying you would because you think it’s something you should do?
  • If the new opportunity does interest you, what are you doing instead?
  • Can you reduce the amount of time you spend on other things?

After you get clear on what you want, it’s easier to spot the speed bumps that slow down your journey.

For instance, if you “don’t have time” to learn something new, could you reduce your social media time and replace it with working through an online course?

Distractions can be fun, and they’re sometimes necessary for stress relief or creativity boosts, but make sure they don’t keep you from accomplishing goals.

Discover how much extra time you have now

Even if you find you only spend 10 minutes a day looking at information you don’t use, you can choose to spend those 10 minutes on something new.

Perhaps reading fiction you love every day helps you do better work. Maybe it’s the 10 minutes you’ve needed to start meditating.

Research different resources during your newfound extra time, or simply rest and recharge.

Define (or refine) your content consumption strategy

When I went to Target, I had a clear goal: buy a nine-volt battery.

But I also took advantage of my time there and explored my surroundings to see if there was anything else I needed …

A new soap dispenser wasn’t in the cards for me that evening either, but I did end up getting a dark gray, knit throw blanket. 😉

Do you see any areas of your own content consumption strategy that you can refine?

Let us know where you’re at in the comments below.

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Reader Comments (31)

  1. Hey Stefanie!

    I like your tips here. I’m one who gets very distracted fairly easily, so I have to make sure I get rid of all distractions when I’m learning a new piece of knowledge.

    I definitely need to refine my content consumption!

    I agree with you, you need to be smart with your time and not go in a loop of information. Always seek to learn more and from different places and people.

    Great post and topic!

    Thanks for sharing!

    Cheers! 😀

  3. Any tips on making what you read actionable? I get overwhelmed with all the reading I do to the point I feel like all I’m doing is reading and taking notes but not learning and moving forward.

    • I think we all find ourselves there sometimes — first order of business for me is to block off some time to make a plan. Second order of business is to block off some time to do that plan.

      Get something like the Freedom app to give you a focused block of time, and choose just one of those notes to do something about.

      That “information paralysis” is endemic, and in my experience it won’t go away on its own. You have to set up the structures to take your time back.

    • I think when you get clear and specific about what you want to accomplish, it helps you cut back on reading/taking notes on those things that you don’t apply/move forward with.

      For example, if a writer’s goal is to write one blog post a week, they should focus on the content that helps them achieve that goal.

      They might need to temporarily stop reading about monetization strategies, because that’s a distraction from getting in the habit of writing on a regular basis.

      Once one goal is achieved, you can shift your focus to the next goal. It boils down to one thing at a time. 😉

      • This certainly resonates with me. I find myself not writing or working on my site or information products because I am busy reading about how to do some of those things. And while I tell myself to quit planning and get to the ‘doing,’ my fear is that I will end up wasting time or doing something incorrectly if I move forward without reading all I can.

        • Wasting time and doing things incorrectly are definitely part of the process of moving forward.

          Getting comfortable with that often helps you get un-stuck. 🙂

          Good luck, Beverly!

  4. Hi Stefanie,

    Excellent advice.

    I took it up about 15 notches over the past 6 months. I had never been on an email list as it was, but stopped reading blogs that did not align 100% with what I value. Meaning I let go many blogs even from my niche or similar niches because I only wanted to consume and use stuff I vibed with.

    One weird, painful mental illness – I was largely immune from, thank the gods – that humans cling to: reading blogs they disagree with, then even worse, spending presence time and energy debating, doing the right-wrong bit, when they could be spending that same time and energy speaking to like-minded folks, attracting like-minded readers, clients, customers and business.

    It baffles me how you could succeed so much more quickly by hanging with like-minded folks, and catering to them, but others struggle terribly, spending much time and energy debating, fighting and proving. Well it does and does not confuse me, because these folks are filled with fear, do not love themselves much, and self-punish through their unclear, fighting ways.

    I just read what I dig, and what vibes with what I value, I learn, I befriend, I share value and all seems to expand for me.

    This carries into the offline world too. I have stopped reading many books and ceased watching shows quickly, dropping the hot potato, over the past 6 months. Same deal; not good or bad content or entertainment, just not resonant with me. Billions of people out there, and endless entertainment. Someone or something resonant will pop up quickly.

    Thanks for sharing Stefanie.

    Ryan

  5. Stefanie–Great information here. I had to laugh as I read along because I had just finished spending time earlier unsubscribing from online sources that failed to deliver exactly what I was looking for. It always feels so good when I clear out my subscriptions like that!

    This is actually an area that I’ve not put that much thought to in the past. I’m implementing your tips immediately! So so good! Thanks for sharing!

  6. Useful article Stefanie!
    Another way to get out more is to park interesting content for later using an app like Pocket (I personally simply forward it to a specific gmail address). In that way, you can batch content consumption at specific moments, which is more efficient

    • Terrific addition, Stefan!

      Batched content consumption is almost like working through a lesson in an online course that you specifically tailored to your interests.

    • Great point, Stefan. I combine Pocket with Feedly – personally I opted out all e-mail lists because Feedly does the job for me. You can follow your favourite blogs and get your daily updates organised into themes – you then browse through this and easily move worthy posts into Pocket with a click of a button. To top it off, you can add tags to your items you saved to Pocket (such as “Read This” or “Worth Implementing” or whatever you fancy). After carefully selecting what blogs and websites you follow, with 15-30 min effort you are on top of your interest areas.

  7. Hi, Stefanie,
    Thank you for your helpful tips. They’ve prompted me to respond because a few of them apply to me. Every day, I get a suggested list of posts via Bloglovin on subjects that interest me, namely Writing and Neuroscience, [I’m an author–I’ve had a brain tumour removed–and my wife suffers from Alzheimer’s disease].
    I click on the post link snippets that have most appeal, and read the article on the individual website/blog. In doing so, I hope to absorb at least some of the information, and if I think others might benefit from reading the article, I reblog it on my own website with a direct link back to the original source. Hopefully, this will increase traffic for the original source. (It doesn’t appear to affect traffic to my own website–and I don’t set up any back-links to there, anyway–I only have nine followers, and one of them is myself via my separate Gmail address).
    End result: I read a lot about my chosen topics, but don’t apply them to produce any new writing. I guess lack of confidence and fear of failure are behind my urge to learn more about the craft of writing–ah, yes! I’ve read lots about that, too. 😉
    Whoops! Didn’t mean to bare my soul.
    Thanks again, Stefanie.

  8. These comments and tips are really useful, particularly in the context of improving skills and knowledge, and they address a very common ‘modern’ problem ie shortage of time. I would just like to post a word of caution however…

    I’ve read that people generally are becoming more extreme in their views because they have the option of selecting only the views that immediately resonate and thus reinforce their own opinions. Back in the day, when there was much less media available to consume, people would listen or read all sorts of opinions – some of which might alter or influence their own thinking.

    • That’s a great addition, Fran.

      Sometimes there’s a fine line between exposing yourself to different points of view and wasting your time getting angry at people you disagree with.

      If you can do the former without the latter, you’re in good shape. 🙂

  9. Hi Stephanie and Sonia,
    Thanks for this article – I did a fair amount of squirming while I read it! You’re so right on with your action tips. I delete way too many emails without reading them, while feeling guilty that I may be negatively affecting that person’s ratings.
    There’s something about not wanting to miss anything important- impossible, of course. Now that your article has made me stop and think about it, I’m going to start unsubscribing right away. I can always resubscribe when my focus changes – right? So thank you.
    On Fran’s and Ryan’s points above, I agree that it’s pointless to waste our time arguing with those who opinions are different from our own. At the same time I find it useful to think about some of those different opinions. We all have things to learn no matter how much we know (or don’t) about pretty much anything, and sometimes we learn best from a completely different pov.
    Thanks again for the original post.

  10. Hi Stefanie

    I’m glad you broached the information we consume.

    This actually falls into the company we keep.

    In similar vein to choosing your friends carefully – for the company you keep is not only a reflection of you, it also influences how you feel about yourself – what one reads, listens to and writes about is also company.

    And good company means being selective.

    For example, I’m listening to Mozart as I write this. Why? Because then I’m at my most creative. Because Mozart is excellent company:)

    So, yes, I spent last week unsubscribing from a list of emails the length of my arm. I couldn’t agree with you more.

    Great lesson to learn from a few soap dispensers…

  11. I strongly agree with Fran. It’s vital to expose yourself to views that you disagree with. The more you shelter yourself from divergent opinions and attitudes, the less able you become to tolerate differences in the people you deal with in daily life, whether that’s customers, vendors, family members or neighbors from other backgrounds, faiths and lifestyles. That constricts your life, your thinking and your capacity for empathy.

    • Excellent advice, Marcia.

      But when people waste time getting angry at others they disagree with (like I mention in the article), they actually block empathy — they’re not looking to understand another’s point of view, they’re just hung up thinking the other person is wrong.

      I like your suggestion to view divergent opinions and attitudes with an open mind and tolerance.

  12. I’m the worst offender at subscribing in the hope they’ll send me exactly what it is that I need…and then never doing anything with the stuff they DO send. Every time I go on an unsubscribe binge, I always tell myself I’ll be more selective in future…until the next time!

  13. Thanks, Stephanie,
    I found the email in my inbox precisely because I was in the process of deleting and unsubcribing. Incredible how many “shiny objects” there are out there to distract us. I have a busy day job, so staying focussed is absolutely vital. It’s Saturday here in Brisbane, and I have decided to have a “spring clean” of my various inboxes and a training day.
    Great Advice
    John Gates

  14. As an aside, I keep finding the algorithms are closing down my reading/content options (offering up only what I appear to be reading, even if in reality I often flick open an article, and discard if it doesn’t deliver anything new or interesting).

    I’ve had this happen across various platforms when I am researching topics – and I haven’t yet found a way to ‘reset’ so that I can see the full offering again. It means that I am stuck in a falsely created echo-chamber which I would love to escape!

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