Breaking Your Listicle Addiction…in 5 Easy Steps

“People Love Lists” isn’t exactly a scorching hot take.

It’s engrained in our DNA, and the conditions of the modern world make listicles an even more appealing vessel to convey information. It’s an easy way to get folks to click on a post and stay there for more than 30 seconds. The video linked above suggests its effectiveness comes from the simple idea that people who begin counting something would prefer to finish counting it. This is an appealing theory that’s been repeatedly confirmed by every person who has missed the top of a work meeting because they were just compelled to know all 16 A-Listers Who are Actually Way Taller than You Thought.

There are two types of lists that dominate the internet. The first is the type above. Listicles for entertainment. These are very, very, effective in coaxing us to skim a link, no matter how ridiculous the subject matter. Publications don’t even pretend to have new ideas. It doesn’t matter. Even so, this type of list seems pretty harmless. If they bring you joy, that’s great.

The second type is the focus of this post. Listicles for information. This is the primary type you’ll come across on this site and others like it. The goal of these lists is to provide legitimate news, information or advice to readers. This is problematic in several ways, but the most important one is probably the fact that listicles are scientifically proven to be a terrible way to absorb new information.

What’s the alternative, then? People still want the information, but how can they get it in a way that’ll stick? I came up with a few ideas and, in honor of the subject matter, thought it was only fair I deliver them in the form of a listicle. Hopefully, it’ll be the last informational listicle I ever write:

Step 1: Understand the Way You Learn

Before you can learn to live without lists, you have to learn how you learn. Throughout your life, you’ve probably said (or heard someone else say) something like, “Oh, I’m a visual learner,” or “Yeah, I’ve got a photographic memory.”

First off, no. No, you don’t….

Second, understanding how you learn requires a little more effort than that. Yes, there are visual learners, but there are also auditory learners and kinesthetic learners. None of those styles cater to learning off bitesize lists. If we simplify the study of ‘learning styles’ to the four original categories (also potentially problematic), only ‘reading/writing’ learners potentially stand to benefit from informational lists. That means you’re likely not built to learn like that.

Step 2: Allow Yourself to Change, But Don’t Allow Others to Change You

The phrase “some people never change,” should probably be more like “some people refuse to change.” I’m certain any person can change, even seemingly cemented parts of their mind. Why? Because I’ve lived it. My personality has undergone several complete rebuilds since I was a teenager. The way I view relationships has dramatically shifted. My ideology evolves daily. I’ve even reorganized the way I learn, or at least heavily refined it. I believe it’s this willingness to update my thinking and learning that allowed me to keep up with competitors within my profession who usually had better grades than me, went to better schools, had heftier degrees, heftier networks, and heftier resources.

Equally important, though…never allow another person to break you down and re-mold you in their image or ideology. You are not them. Even if they’ve achieved success of their own, there’s no guarantee their methods will fit in your head or your world. An added benefit of this thinking is it allows you to cherry-pick the parts that do fit, and connect it to the parts you collected from a variety of other sources.

Now, you’re a megazord of great ideas!

Step 3: Throw All Books with Titles that Begin with “The Art of…” in the Trash

Am I being a little bit cynical here?

…okay fine, am I being a little more cynical here? Maybe.

But I can’t summon a single useful thought I retained from a book, article, podcast, TikTok…claiming to teach me “The Art of…something.”

Ever.

Here’s an exercise; the next time you come across a person selling “The Art of Screenwriting” to anyone who can afford to send them $24.99, give them a Google and count their Oscar nominations. These people have the world’s worst ratio of self-perceived skill versus actual skill. Their artistry is a constant struggle to rise above mediocrity. Their self-aggrandizement? God-Tier.

Try not to put your trust in a person whose main source of income is telling other people how to do something. If they were really THAT good at it, they wouldn’t need to sell books on the side. Instead, do everything you can to learn directly from those you wish to emulate or find the person behind an idea that resonates with you. Many people have read Malcolm Gladwell’s Outliers and cited the ‘10,000 Hour Rule’ in their (usually futile) attempt to master a skill. But Gladwell delivers an oversimplified explanation of a study carried out by an actual scientist and scholar, Anders Ericsson. It just so happens Ericsson wrote a book of his own which tears down the ‘10,000 Hour Rule’ and rebuilds it with the extremely useful theory of ‘deliberate practice.’

The best analysis of self-proclaimed ‘masters of craft’ who sell fluff, in my opinion, came courtesy of Stephen King, in his 2000 book, On Writing. A book, by the way, that came in under 300 pages, only devoted half of that space to teaching writing, and is still widely considered the best book about writing in modern history. King summed it all up this way:

This is a short book because most books about writing are filled with bullsh*t.

Step 4: Seek Out Real-Life Mentors Over Virtual Ones

Applying this step to your personal/social life is probably worth its own post but, for now, I’ll just focus on its use professionally.

Back in my early 20s, when I decided I might be worth something, I gobbled up everything I could find about ‘The Successful’ and the science of becoming one of them. I read about Warren Buffett and the inner workings of Google. I listened to podcasts, exposing me to new ideas and outlooks on life. I followed the advice of people online who promised to maximize my bank account and put me on the road to riches. I steadily climbed the corporate ladder at my first company until I caught the attention of a much bigger company. I made the switch, working with people considered to be the very best in the business, but my climb continued, virtually uninterrupted. At that moment, I saw the correlation. But looking back on it now, I know it wasn’t causation.

My virtual mentors provided a cool tip here and a neat trick there, but it was my real-life mentors who propelled me onward and upward. I figured out the formula early. So early, that I’m not sure I even knew at the time that there was even a formula to figure out. Growing up an extreme introvert, I was very comfortable quietly observing my first workplace. I started to notice the colleagues around my level who seemed to be respected and relied upon. I focused on them, asked them questions, and solicited feedback on my performance every opportunity I had. At first, I just copied their style. Their approach to different scenarios. The ways they problem-solved…until I started garnering their level of respect. To my surprise, I began to surpass them. So, I repeated the process, except this time I searched for colleagues who were a rung above me on the ladder. It worked again. And again.

Career success didn’t come from studying textbooks in college. It came from studying people in the office. Not the people in the c-suite, but the person in the seat next to you.

Step 5: Never Shut Out New Ideas

You’ve done it! You found the winning formula, you defeated the final boss, and now it’s dollar signs as far as the eye can see! Smooth sailing from this point forward, right?

But just because you’re the boss now, doesn’t mean you have nothing left to learn. That’s not how you got there, and it certainly won’t be able to keep you there.

Think of it this way. If you’re marrying the love of your life, that probably means you learned to compromise where necessary, and stayed attuned to the feelings of your partner to navigate through difficult times when necessary. What do you think would happen if, after the honeymoon, you decided you’ve done enough trying in this relationship, and can shift into cruise control permanently? Thankfully, you don’t have to guess. That’s what divorce rate data is for.

The world is constantly changing. Your world is constantly changing. You never know when, or how, that change will enter your life, but staying curious and open to new ideas could be the difference between a smooth transition at work or home…and a devastating setback.