The trap of endless learning: How I stopped consuming relentlessly and started writing”

I don’t care if you find this piece useful or not

Photo by ELLA DON on Unsplash

Have you ever found yourself caught in a never-ending cycle of consuming content –

reading articles, watching videos, listening to podcasts –

yet never taking action?

In a world where information is at our fingertips, it’s easy to believe that more knowledge is the key to success.

But here’s the catch:

the more we learn, the less we do.

The pursuit of understanding can become a trap, leaving us paralyzed and stuck in a loop of endless preparation.

How do we break free from this cycle and turn knowledge into real action?

The answer isn’t more learning – it’s about learning to do.

I have been reading Derek Hughes and a couple of other writers on Medium who share their journeys about becoming successful writers. They talk about the dos and don’ts of writing and how they’ve turned their passion for words into thousands of dollars every month.

On top of that, I spent countless hours watching

Jasmin Alic’s podcasts and scrolling through his hundreds of posts.

For those who don’t know, Jasmin is a renowned LinkedIn content creator, famous for his “LinkedIn Comment Strategy.” He teaches how to engage, post, and grow on LinkedIn effectively, and he makes it all sound achievable.

Every time I read an article by Derek Hughes or tuned into Jasmin’s podcast, I felt an incredible rush of dopamine. Confidence surged through me —

Take this example from Derek Hughes article:

12 months ago I was a struggling writer earning $25/month. But this week I made $1845 selling my new digital product. You won’t believe how bad my writing was when I started. (Please don’t look it up). Some articles got zero readers. What this means is this. Anyone can grow an audience online. And make money from it.

I’d think, This is it. This is what I can do. I’ll become a Medium writer like Derek Huges and a LinkedIn master like Alic Jasmin.

But here’s what really happened: nothing!

Despite that confidence boost, despite the hours of consuming strategies and principles of writing, I did absolutely nothing. I didn’t write a single article. I didn’t post once on LinkedIn. I didn’t engage with others’ posts.

Weeks passed, and the truth hit me. I had achieved nothing beyond an inflated sense of confidence.

I knew the strategies, I understood the principles, and I’d learned from the best, but none of it mattered because I never took action.

The decision to write this article

Today, I decided to break the cycle. This article is my first serious step, and I have two clear motives:

1. To write an article.
2. To publish it on medium.

The words flow, yet something feels absent—an itch of discontent that refuses to settle.

There is no thrill here, none of the quiet ecstasy of turning pages, none of the fleeting intoxication of scrolling through a glowing screen.

Action, after all, is a stubborn beast—

unforgiving when summoned, merciless when begun.

It demands more than the gentle feast of pleasure that content offers.

A sip of dopamine, effortless and familiar, lures like an old lover, whispering:

stay, linger, rest.

But there’s no staying. It must be this way—sour grapes do not sweeten themselves.

I don’t crave likes, shares, or applause. Frankly, I don’t care if you find this piece useful or not.

No strategies, no craft, no polish.

No lofty writing principles, no tweaks for perfection.

No stress on structure, no weight of technique.

No tips, no tricks, no rules followed.

This is just me – writing as I speak, as I think, unfiltered and unrefined. Simple as that.

The problem with endless learning

This endless feast of content is a clever snare,

a banquet where you leave stuffed but starved.

It feels productive – but it isn’t.

creativity lingers like a ghost, unseen and unfulfilled.

Dopamine plays the trickster here, whispering, “Look how far you’ve come!” while you’ve barely moved an inch.

It’s not progress – it’s just a sugar rush for the mind,

a fleeting buzz that leaves you right where you started,

only a little more satisfied with your stillness.

Any idea not coupled with action will never get any bigger than the brain cell it occupied.”

– Arnold H. Glasow

This article is my first serious step toward breaking free from that trap..

What happens next?

After publishing this, I’ll share the story of what happens next. Whether this gets any attention or not,

whether I stick to consistent writing or fall back into old habits,

I’ll document it.

This is my experiment in taking action.

No strategies,

no overthinking

– just doing to find where this path leads.

If you’ve ever been stuck in the same loop of endless learning without action, maybe this article will inspire you to take your first step.

Or maybe it won’t.

Either way, I’m writing this for me –

for the version of me

who’s tired of just knowing and ready to start doing.

Thank you.