7 Ways To Know You're Wasting Time Reading A Business Article

In support of my fledgeling business (Vivid-Pix.com...Yes, this is the plug...see #1 below), I read numerous business articles in search of that elusive ingredient that will perfect the secret sauce.  I have to admit that contrary to what I like to think, I really don’t know everything.  However, I have learned to quickly identify and dispatch articles that are unlikely to be of any use, regardless of the promises of the magnificent title.  Appropriately prioritized, here are the red flags:

1) There are limited real world examples.  The article is all vagaries that sound reasonable, but there are no specifics to drive the point home.  “The bottom line is only as close to the top line as you can push it.”  Huh?  Sounds good, so it must be worthwhile, right?

1) The author’s credentials rest on the articles he has published.  “Mr. John Q. Authority has published a plethora and a cornucopia of articles on this subject.”  Yeah, OK, he writes a lot about this subject, but what experience has taught him?  Is he the expert on innovation because he reads and writes a lot about it?  Was his most recent relevant real world experience first discussed over a rotary dial telephone?

1) The obligatory graphic is boring, completely obvious or one you’ve seen before.  How lazy is that?  The author should at least put enough energy into the task to provide an interesting or informative image.  You deserve something worth looking at.  If the image is useless, deduct 1000 words from the article.

1) The answer to all the problems is the author’s product, or one he sponsors.  Expect a plug because everyone has to eat, but if all roads lead to Rome, and Roman is writing the article, walk to where all roads don’t lead.

1) The points are repetitive.  I suggest not reading the points in order or immediately in depth.  Make sure there is plenty of meat before you buy the sandwich.  The man or woman who has written the article often runs out of pertinent points part way through.  And what is so sacred about the number 7, anyway?  Hills of Rome?  Ask Roman.  The common difficulty is realizing which of the points are pertinent.  Point #6 often seems like a restatement of #2.  This post?  You tell me.  

1) Humility is conspicuously absent.  The author states opinions as fact and probability as certainty.  If one knows-it-all, there is nothing left to learn, and no room for healthy doubt and curiosity.  Maybe this should be called this the “Sounds-Like-A-Politician” test.

1) Questionable statistics are presented as fact.  Did you know that 46% of all statistics are only 35% true?  Ask yourself, where did these numbers come from?  How does anyone know that Americans waste 9 million hours per day searching for a misplaced item?  Yes, I agree that lots of time has been wasted, much of it by me, but where does that number come from?  But think about it...you know...it’s from the Internet, compendium of all misinformation.

There you go.  I actually use some of these.  Maybe you can too, even if it is only to point out how I’ve violated them.  Have fun!