I’m a big fan of continual learning. It’s mentally stimulating and fun. Reading is my favorite method, but I also listen to lots of podcasts on YouTube while I’m doing other things. Over the last year, I’ve become more intentional about what I listen to. Here are a few rules I try to stick to:

• Experience sharing – I aim to listen to interviews with people who’ve done the thing I’m interested in learning. I want to hear about what they did, why they did it, what the outcome was, and what they learned.
• Frameworks – If I’m trying to learn something and there’s a method or approach that’s led to outsize success, I’ll listen to people discuss that framework.
• History  – I enjoy hearing recounts of what happened in the past, but I don’t want opinions. I want the facts and the timeline.
• How to think – I don’t enjoy podcasts where people are trying to convince listeners that the way they see things is the right way. I want to hear only the facts. I can then decide how to think about them (rightly or wrongly).
• Talking heads – I tend to avoid people who want the limelight or want to be famous. They talk even when they’re not saying anything substantive.
• Niches – I tend to enjoy podcasts that go deep into niches I’m interested in. Broad or generic podcasts don’t appeal to me. I’d rather listen to people who know a lot about a little than people who know a little about a lot.
• Predictions – Predicting the future is impossible, although many people try. I avoid listening to podcasts where people make predictions.
• Giving back – I really enjoy podcasts where people who’ve had outsize success share their story and what they’ve learned simply because they want to pay it forward.
• Authors – If I’m interested in a book, I’ll try to find interviews with the author. If I like the interviews and the author is a clear thinker, I’m more inclined to purchase the book.

This list isn’t static. It will change as my listening habits evolve. But with so much content out there, I’ve found it helpful to apply criteria to ensure that the things I’m listening to align with my goal of continual learning and I don’t consume mindless content.