Earlier this year, I spent an entire week reading. Not novels or anything light, but back-to-back articles on funnel optimization – from email sequences to writing with a conversion focus to tracking…I read plenty. I wanted to really brush up my knowledge and explore new thinking in those areas, so it was a “read-ful” week, and I was quite proud of myself. Guess what I did next? Nothing.
The insights were brilliant. The ideas I got? Amazing. But life happened. Client work piled up. I got a new referral I needed to pitch for. An awards organizing committee I was a part of had a few pre-event activities I needed to be a part of.. And just like that, all that brilliant knowledge I had found stayed in my head (and OneNote), collecting digital dust.
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Knowledge Doesn’t Move the Needle — Action Does.
We all love that spark that comes from discovering something new. It makes no difference if it’s a fresh way to carry out a task, a smart hack, a different way to look at something we thought we already knew…it makes us feel really good to discover new things. Like we’re moving forward. However, unless that knowledge finds its way into your actual work, systems, campaigns, or conversations, it really doesn’t count for anything.
Why This Happens (And How to Catch Yourself)
It’s not that you’re lazy. Or unserious. Most high-performing people are just busy. There’s always something demanding your attention, especially if you’re the kind of person that’s juggling your own work with managing a team, building something from scratch, or trying to juggle a hundred tiny moving parts at once.
Sometimes, the knowledge feels too big. Other times, we overthink execution or wait for the “perfect time.” I announce to you, though, ladies and gentlemen: there’s no perfect time. The knowledge isn’t useful in its untouched state, it only becomes useful when it’s tested, tweaked, and translated into action.
So, What Can You Actually Do With What You Learn?
Here’s what I’m personally committing to (and what you can steal immediately):
- One Insight, One Application: Whenever I come across something interesting, I write it down. It makes no difference whether it’s a new email sequence structure or something that can help me improve my time management skills, I write it down, with a clear note on how I’ll apply it.
- Specific Implementation Blocks. I block 45 minutes a week to revisit something I’ve learned and build it into something real. No pressure to do it perfectly. Just start.
- Accountability: I talk about what I’m testing. Sometimes with my team. Sometimes with my children (yes, there’s no backtracking what you said with today’s generation 😂). The moment you say it out loud, you give it legs. And then you’re more likely to follow through.
- Less learning, More Doing. This one’s tough, especially if you’re like me and always on the lookout for something new to learn. But I’ve learned to pause on consuming more until I’ve implemented at least one thing from what I’ve already learned.
Conclusion: Make It Count
Don’t get me wrong. Learning is great. But what counts is turning theory into action. Growth lives in action; the doing of the knowledge you picked up. It makes no difference if you’re running a business, building a brand, scaling campaigns, or even working on improving yourself; what you apply is the difference between feeling inspired and actually making an impact.
So next time you highlight that quote, bookmark that article, or save that tweet… pause for a second and ask: ” What am I actually going to do with this?”
That’s how you make it count.