Newsletter and email subscription overwhelm is a fairly common feature of modern professional life. Despite my every so often culling the ones I’m less likely to read, I still find there are too many coming into my inbox each day to be able to get round to them all.

But when I do read them, there’s almost always something of value to be learned – even if it’s just a different perspective on something I already understand.

Similarly with attending conference sessions. It’s always good to keep in touch with what people in the industry are doing, and perhaps equally importantly what they’re saying. And again, I generally always find something of value from any session I attend.

I think the key to it is to read and listen with an open mind, allowing myself to absorb the information being imparted without necessarily putting my own slant on it until I review things afterward.