How-to Consume Information In Zero Minutes Per Day

Have you ever purchased an information product and not even used it? How do you overcome this in order to learn more, gain new knowledge and improve your business?

It is a common issue, in fact, it is said that 87% of physical info products are never even taken out of the wrapping.

Today I am going to show you how I consume huge amounts of valuable information, without spending a minute of my time focusing on it.

The key to this is the attention span.

You see, it takes a very disciplined person to sit down and watch a 60-minute webinar, teleseminar etc from start to finish.

Reading a 100 page eBook from cover to cover in one sitting is almost impossible for me.

So here is my custom solution.

Online Poker

Now, don’t panic, I will explain, and bear in mind that you can replace online poker with anything else that suits you personally. (chess, backgammon, drawing, poetry etc)

What I do is aim to get information products that are in audio or video format.

Teleseminars, webinars, audio books, audio interviews, videos, screencasts…

all of the above have audio.

Then I fire up some online poker, and have the information product running to the side or in the background.

The online poker keeps my attention, keeps me from being bored, and keeps my mind thinking strategically… and at the same time I am consuming the info from the product.

Now, you may be thinking: “But Dean, why not watch some YouTube videos or listen to music instead?”

Both of the above require audio, and it is not possible to listen to two sets of audio at the same time.

So whatever you choose, make sure it has no audio.

Perhaps online chess, minesweeper, backgammon etc…

I also have a piece of a4 paper at the side of me, and I bullet point and mind-map anything that:

a) I didn’t already know
b) I can implement in the coming weeks.

If there is a piece of advice that really grabs my attention, I may re-watch it to make additional notes, and in extreme cases I will even leave the poker room and watch that section in detail.

But the key point here is that no matter how passionate you are, the thought of sitting infront of the PC to consume information for an hour or longer just doesn’t appeal to most people.

This way I make it fun.

But what about information products that don’t have audio?

Such as ebooks or membership content.

Here is what I do:

1) Print it out

Most of us stare at a screen all day, we dont want to spend even more time doing it.

Also, by printing out the info, it adds perceived value, and you are more likely to consume it.

2) Travel with the printouts

Similar to the theory in part one of this experiment, the goal here is to have the information on you whenever you have nothing better to do.

Some of my most productive times have been sat on a train with nothing but an A4 pad and a pen.

3) Outsource the learning

I know a lot of successful people who do this.

Basically, you get someone else to read it for you, and then get them to supply you with notes on the main points.

You can probably find someone on Elance or Craigslist to do this for a small amount, or perhaps you and a friend could take it in turns?

I was given notes from an attendee at a seminar recently, and in 15 pages I was able to digest all the best bits from a 2-day seminar in under an hour.

What’s more, all the info was brief and to the point, no filler, no long explanations, no sales pitches etc…

These tips can save you hundreds of hours, and most importantly, you will now be able to consume the information that you need to grow your business.

See you at the poker tables

This post is part of the Zero-Distraction Diet series of blog posts:

Part 1: Zero Distraction Experiment

PS: Please comment, it makes me as giddy as a school girl, and gives me a warm glow of self-satisfaction.

PPS: if you do not comment, I will release the flying monkeys. That’s right, you heard me, “flying monkeys”… “Dean, is that a reference to the Wizard of Oz movie?” Yup, that is how I role. I can reference other movies as well, so be warned.