Kill the listicle.
And Buzzfeed too while we’re at it.
I read a lot of listicles.
(For the uninitiated, listicles are articles which are lists)
Buzzfeed is horrendous for listicles, but people are crazy for them. They’re churned out at a ridiculous rate and they get hundreds of thousands of reads, multiple times a day.
I’m not here to discuss Buzzfeed-style listicles though. I won’t read a list with the title “30 abandoned places that are so creepy you won’t sleep for a week”. That listicle is pointless. It lacks value of any kind.
Instead, I read listicles that I believe will teach me something. Or give me a new perspective on creativity. Or help me work more efficiently.
And you know what? Nine times out of ten, listicles teach me naff all.
I read through them, nod at some of the points, move on and that’s it.
I retain nothing.
I learn nothing new.
Life goes on.
I couldn’t recall right now one thing from any of the lists I’ve ever read. Months and months of reading numbered points and I’ve taken nothing in.
These 10 habits will turn you in to a successful entrepreneur.
No they won’t.
5 ways billionaires do more with their time.
Great, but how does that apply to me?
6 skills all millionaires possess.
Give me a break.
When you look at those listicles in their naked form, they’re utter nonsense.
But I bet you want to read them, don’t you?
Well, what if there’s a skill I could learn that will make me a millionaire?
What if I need better habits to be successful?
What if reading about billionaires will make me more productive?
What if…
What if…
What if…
It’s human nature to be curious, and that’s fine. But when curiosity makes you read and wait rather than go and do, the very act of reading in the hope of learning leaves you at a disadvantage.
Now, before I wrap up this Chapter, I’m aware that I’ve been guilty of a couple lists over the last 90 days of writing. I understand why people write them. I understand why I wrote them.
But they’re lazy. At the end of the day, they’re just bullet points with some detail attached underneath.
They don’t tell a story. They jump from one section to the next without much ebb or flow.
That’s why I’m so often left wanting by listicles.
- It’s Point A
to
- Point B
to
- Point C
to
- Point D
And nothing connects them apart from the fact they’re related to the same subject area.
There’s no story. Nothing to make my jaw drop and ping my brain awake and turn it in to a sponge for information.
In an ideal world, all articles would make your jaw drop and teach you something new. In an ideal world, Buzzfeed wouldn’t exist.
But an ideal world is an impossibility. All we can do in this imperfect world is attempt to manage our habits and change them when they offer no value to us.
For me, that means no more reading listicles and no more writing listicles. Content should be worthwhile, meaningful and memorable. Not pointless and forgettable.
Avoid clickbait, avoid Buzzfeed.
Kill the listicle.
