“From (Passive) Listening to (Active) Learning”
[In the interest of making sure I got a post up today, I transcribed, summarized, and interrogated parts of this post from a voice memo I recorded on the way to work with help from Claude 3.5 Sonnet]
So, I’ve been thinking about my media consumption lately, particularly when it comes to podcasts. You know how it goes – you listen to a great episode, get all fired up about the ideas, and then… what? More often than not, we just move on to the next episode without really doing anything with what we’ve learned.
I had this realization while listening to a podcast featuring Simon Sinek and Scott Galloway. As I was driving to work, it hit me: I’m filling my head with all these ideas, but what am I actually doing with them?
It’s easy to get caught up in the cycle of constant consumption. We download podcasts to our phones, but are we really “downloading” the information to our brains in a way that sticks? Are we taking these concepts we learn and turning them into action?
This got me thinking about reflection. I mean, I’ve got hundreds of podcasts in my feed, but how often do I take the time to really digest what I’ve heard? Maybe instead of rushing to the next episode, I should be listening to impactful ones again, taking notes, or finding ways to apply the ideas in my daily life.
It’s kind of ironic, really. I found myself getting unnecessarily annoyed at a coworker who was just discovering the “power of why” concept, even though Simon Sinek’s TED Talk on that topic is probably 15 years old. But then I had to ask myself – what have I done with that knowledge in the past 15 years?
This blog is part of my attempt to change that pattern. By writing about what I’m consuming, I’m hoping to create a space for reflection and application. But maybe it needs to be more than just typing out my thoughts. Maybe it’s about creating action plans, setting goals based on what I learn, or finding ways to teach others.
Here’s my challenge to myself (and to you, also) – Let’s not just be passive consumers of content. Let’s be active implementers of ideas instead.
So, the next time you listen to a podcast, read a book, or watch a thought-provoking video, take a moment to ask yourself: “Now what? How can I use this?”