When I started trying to understand AI properly, I did what many people do: I tried consuming everything I could find in an attempt to learn faster. Podcasts during my commute, YouTube videos over lunch, research papers at work, newsletters filling my inbox. I wanted to cover the terrain—understand what was possible, what the debates were, where the field was heading.

This breadth-first approach was genuinely useful. I got a sense of the landscape. I learned the vocabulary. I understood enough to know the technical details, as well as what I didn’t know.

But after a few months, I realised I couldn’t take a position on any particular idea. I couldn’t contribute meaningfully to conversations. I found it difficult to say what any of this meant. I’d built a conceptual framework helping me connect ideas, but they were just loosely coupled fragments of information.

So I tried consuming more, and more quickly with the goal of learning faster. But no matter how much I consumed, I still wasn’t developing the depth of understanding I was looking for. And eventually I realised that I wasn’t learning slowly because I hadn’t read enough. I was learning slowly because I was still reading for breadth when I needed depth.

The consumption trap

Most of us get stuck in the breadth phase. We keep reading more articles, watching more videos, following more experts, thinking that if we can just consume enough content, understanding will eventually emerge.

This is the consumption trap: treating learning like filling a bucket. We believe if we consume enough material, we’ll eventually hit some threshold where everything clicks into place and we’ll “know enough” to confidently take positions and make choices.

But of course, it doesn’t work that way. Understanding isn’t built through accumulation—it’s built through construction.

You’re stuck in the breadth phase when:

• You have notes scattered across multiple apps but can’t describe what you’ve learned
• You’re reading the same points rephrased by different sources
• You can’t explain the topic without referring to your notes
• You’re avoiding taking a position because you “need to read just one more thing”

That’s when you need to shift from breadth to depth.

Finding what you actually need to know

The shift starts with identifying specific gaps in your understanding. Here’s how:

• Try explaining what you’re learning to someone unfamiliar with it. Out loud or in writing, doesn’t matter. Just start explaining.
• Notice where you hesitate. Where you hand-wave. Where you say “it’s complicated” or “there are different views on this.” Those hesitations reveal your gaps.
• Turn each gap into a specific question. Not “How do I understand AI?” but “How do I evaluate the impact of this AI tool on my teaching practice?” Not “What do schools in my area offer?” but “What actually predicts whether my child will thrive?”
• Write down three questions maximum. These become your focus. Everything you read now gets evaluated against whether it helps answer these specific questions.

What slowing down actually means

Slowing down doesn’t necessarily mean doing less—it means working differently.

Try reading one good article three times instead of three mediocre articles once. You can do a first pass for the main argument. Then a second pass for evidence and reasoning. And a third pass connecting it to your specific questions.

Take notes as construction, not collection. After each piece you read, write a paragraph explaining what you learned in your own words. If you can’t explain it without copying phrases, you haven’t understood it yet.

Test your understanding before moving on. Can you explain this to someone else? Can you apply it to a different example? Can you identify what would make it wrong? If not, you’re still in consumption mode.

Build in layers: understand the basics first, then learn how experts think about the domain, then apply that to your situation. If you’re trying to understand environmental regulations for a community project, you might want to first understand what environmental impact assessments measure before evaluating a specific development. When you’re evaluating digital learning tools, first aim to understand how educators assess technology effectiveness before comparing platforms.

This is slower per piece of content. But faster per unit of actual understanding. Slowing down might be the way to actually learn faster.

From breadth to depth

Breadth tells you what exists and allows you to describe the landscape. Depth lets you take positions.

When you’re learning something new, consume widely at first. Learn the vocabulary. Understand the debates. Identify the high-level domains.

But try to notice when you hit the point where more consumption stops helping. When you can’t distinguish what matters from what doesn’t. When you’re collecting information instead of building understanding. For me, this is when I notice that what I’m reading only serves to reinforce or counter something I already know. I stop being surprised by what I’m reading.

That’s when you shift. Identify the specific gaps in your understanding. Write down the questions you need to answer in order to fill those gaps in your understanding. Find the experts in that domain and see what they have to say about the questions you’ve asked. Then take what you’ve learned and apply it in your context.

You’ll read less but you’ll learn what you actually need to know. And you’ll build the depth required to take positions and contribute meaningfully instead of just knowing more things.

Start now

If you’re currently learning something—anything—stop reading new material for a moment. Open a new note and write down the three most specific questions you actually need to answer. Not general topics. Specific questions that, if answered, would let you take a position or contribute to the conversation you’re working towards.

Don’t read anything else until you have those questions written. They’re your map. Everything else is just wandering.