Is it actionable? No? Then get rid of it...

Bloggers Note: this started as a response to JP’s blog post Less Consumption, More Production and ended up having a life of it’s own…

It’s easy to get carried away when reading news and blogs. I’ve been guilty of justifying long blog strolls as production because I thought I was gaining some sort of knowledge base. After reading JP’s Less Consumption, More Production, I tried to remember how much of this tech news was actionable. That is, does knowing this new information convert into an action that will improve my business? The answer was very little.

\ I get giddy when I see new technology. That’s exciting for me as a tech geek. But in the same vein, Justin Beiber’s new wardrobe is exciting for any teenage girl. She’ll have that piece of information to bond with her friends just as I would connect with other tech geeks about Diaspora. That common bond is great, but the justification behind attaining it can lead to a slippery slope where one puts “talking” over “walking.” In my job, I need to do a lot more walking.\ \ Not every site has been detrimental. For me, the business development and self-improvement bloggers have been very influential. I hopped on Seth Goden’s blog this last week and back-read for nearly two hours. I just put some of that knowledge into action yesterday. However, not much has been gained from the tech news giants.

But wonder if I miss out on some crucial news that might effect my technology business? Wonder if I miss out on some great tool? At least, that is what I used to think. My answer now: I probably won’t. Here’s why. I discover new tools and news based on my need rather than pretending to keep inventory of every article. If I have an itch, I’ll google it. I don’t need to know everything about every business because 99.99% of that information is not actionable. That is flat out inefficient. The same goes for tracking logistics. There’s no point in looking at analytics unless you can discern a clear action to take from them.

I’ll still browse the headlines and dive into a few articles that are relevant and/or interesting. But from now on, I’m putting an “action filter” over my consumption.

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-Brian

If you made it this far, you should follow me on Twitter. Follow @jprichardson

-JP