Originally published in 2017 and substantially updated in September 2026. The nine original comments remain below because readers shared useful experiences about videos, podcasts, reading and information overload.
There has never been more information available to bloggers. That is useful-and exhausting.
You can watch tutorials, buy courses, subscribe to newsletters, listen to podcasts, read books and ask AI tools to explain almost anything. The problem is no longer finding information. The problem is deciding what deserves your attention and actually using what you learn.
1. Choose the Format That Fits the Task
You may naturally prefer reading, listening, watching or trying something yourself, but you do not need to label yourself as one fixed "type" of learner.
Choose the format that makes sense for what you are trying to do. A technical WordPress fix may be easier to understand when you can see the screen. A business concept may be faster to absorb in an article. A podcast can be useful while driving or doing repetitive work. A hands-on skill usually needs practice.
The best format is the one that helps you understand and apply the information.
2. Adjust Playback Speed When It Helps
One of the original tips readers loved was speeding up videos and podcasts. That is still useful.
If a speaker's pace is slower than you need, increase playback speed until you reach the fastest setting that still allows you to understand the material. Slow it down again for complicated demonstrations or information you need to absorb carefully.
The point is not to consume information as fast as possible. It is to remove unnecessary friction.
3. Keep a "Learn Later" List
Curiosity can derail an entire work session. You open one tutorial to solve a small problem and suddenly you are three hours into a completely different topic.
Keep one place for questions, skills and tools you want to investigate later. Unless the issue is blocking important work right now, add it to the list and keep moving.
Then schedule a regular research block when you can work through the most useful items intentionally.
4. Finish the Important Task Before Chasing a New Skill
Learning can feel productive even when it is actually procrastination.
If you are halfway through writing an article and suddenly decide you need to learn a new design tool, finish the article first unless the new skill is genuinely required to complete it.
Protect the momentum you already have.
5. Take Notes You Can Find Again
Notes only help if future-you knows where they are.
Keep a consistent system for important lessons, instructions, links and decisions. That could be a notebook, searchable document, project system or knowledge base.
For technical processes you will repeat, turn the notes into a checklist or standard operating procedure. That converts learning into a reusable business asset.
6. Learn With a Question in Mind
It is easier to drown in information when the goal is simply "learn SEO" or "learn Pinterest."
Use a narrower question instead:
- Why is this article losing search traffic?
- How do I create a better welcome email?
- What should be included in a UGC contract?
- How do I improve the loading speed of this page?
- Which analytics numbers will help me decide what to update?
A clear question makes it easier to ignore information that is interesting but irrelevant to the problem in front of you.
7. Stop Collecting Courses You Will Never Finish
Free resources are not truly free if they create a giant backlog that makes you feel perpetually behind.
Before signing up for another course, webinar, challenge or bundle, ask whether you have a specific reason to use it now. Check the curriculum. Decide what outcome you expect.
If a resource turns out to be a poor fit, you are allowed to stop. Finishing everything you start is not automatically productive.
8. Understand the Why, Not Just the Steps
Instructions become outdated. Platforms change. Interfaces move. Algorithms are revised.
If you understand why a recommendation works, you are better equipped to adapt when the exact instructions stop being current.
For example, learning that descriptive internal links help readers and search engines understand relationships between pages is more durable than memorizing exactly where a particular WordPress button happens to be today.
9. Practice Soon After You Learn
Passive consumption creates the feeling of progress. Application creates skill.
After a tutorial or lesson, use the information while it is still fresh. Change the setting. Build the spreadsheet. Write the pitch. Update the article. Create the video. Test the technique.
If you cannot use it yet, write down the next action so the lesson does not disappear into a pile of saved resources.
10. Learn in Small Loops
You do not need to master an entire subject before benefiting from it.
Try a simple cycle:
- Identify one real problem.
- Learn enough to attempt a solution.
- Apply it.
- Observe what happens.
- Learn the next thing you need.
This keeps learning connected to progress instead of becoming another endless project.
11. Learn With Other People
Community can make learning easier because other people ask questions you did not think to ask and share what happened when they tried something.
That is one of the ideas worth preserving from the original Biannual Blogathon Bash: bloggers learn a great deal by working on their sites together rather than pretending everyone has to figure everything out alone.
Share what you are testing. Ask useful questions. Compare results. Teach something once you understand it well enough to explain it.
You Do Not Need to Know Everything
The pressure to keep up with every platform, algorithm, AI tool, SEO change and monetization strategy can make blogging feel impossible.
You do not need all of it.
Learn what helps you solve the next meaningful problem. Put it into practice. Keep the useful knowledge somewhere you can find it again. Then move on.
For related help, read How to Increase Blog Productivity Without Letting Blogging Take Over Your Life and Online Tools for Bloggers You Might Not Know About.
lydiaf1963 says
I was unaware you could speed up videos. This is a very helpful tip and I will be sure to give it a go!
Meagan Paullin says
I had NO idea you could speed up videos?? That is SO great to know - I feel the same way, I get impatient during videos because I could skim and scan an article much faster.
I took the test. I got this:
Auditory: 50%
Visual: 30%
Tactile: 20%
BUT - I don't really think of myself as an auditory learner?? Weird. But, I think, after reading it all, and reading this post and thinking of differnet ways I like to learn info - I'm definitely just a solid mix.
Most things I like to just read on my own, quickly. To really remember, I like to talk out things out loud. Make sure it all makes sense in my head. Talking about what I've read makes sure it's SOLID in my memory. But for other things, like tech stuff - I like video, or having someone show me and tell me. I don't at ALL like reading that stuff.
Very interesting!!! I'm going to be more aware of this now, as I think about different tasks I'm doing.
Kathleen Bailey says
Saying it out loud to yourself and listening to videos are auditory as well (video would be visual and auditory.) Most people are a mix. I am SO glad you can speed up videos, I do it to every video. I'm a fast thinker and it sounds like most people are slowly talking in real life and they usually purposely talk slow in videos so they don't lose anyone but that's TOO slow for me.
alexia561 says
I'm a visual learner who would rather read directions or watch a video, but like you find most videos too slow. Never realized that you could speed them up, so thanks for the tip!
Scott says
I typically listen to podcasts, and love the fact you can speed them up. Some people talk too slow!
Darcy says
These are great tips. I love learning but can get overwhelmed with information overload. I know I'm definitely not an auditory only learner, but do well with a mix of all styles.
thehouseful says
My husband listens to his podcasts on triple speed and it allows him to consume several weeks worth in a couple of hours. Now I'll have to tell him that the can speed up videos as well. I SO agree with learning about what type of learner you are, that way you won't be frustrated when you try to learn in a way that's not a fit for you. Thank you for sharing such fantastic tips! It works in my homeschooling family as well!
Amanda West says
I like podcasts too, it's great to skip around past the things you already know or the chatter that is in between the bits of information
Crystal says
I've depended on YouTube videos a lot recently to help me with technical problems. But they can go pretty slowly. Never tried adjusting the speed on any videos, but I will have to do that.