# Incognizant Consumption

This quote from Emerson rings a little too close to home, as in the past two years, I have become increasingly aware of what I'm not aware of; namely, I am finding myself forgetful of the content that I have consumed. I often fail to recall the exact essence of a book or a movie, and sometimes, even fail to recall whether I had previously read said book or seen said movie. This also applies to other mediums of content, such as music, podcasts, and video games.

I believe that content is consumed for two main reasons: education and pleasure. The two reasons are not mutually exclusive; for example, one can watch a documentary both for learning and for entertainment.

I found that not being able to recall the substance of what I consume is more devastating when I am consuming mainly to learn. For example, when I read a book for its knowledge, even if not explicitly, I develop mental models and form mental links with my prior knowledge, both of which aid in my decision-making and shape my perception of the world. If I cannot consciously recall what I read, then I will not be able to leverage these models and links, or worst yet, I may unconsciously let these models and links bias my decision-making and perception.

Even when I'm consuming for pleasure, such as watching a funny Rowan Atkinson film, not being able to recall the content is still annoying, as I miss out on many social perks of consuming content, such as participating in communities surrounding the content in question, or bonding with peers through shared analysis and recall of the content.

I believe the root cause of my woes is what I call incognizant consumption. It's when you play a podcast in the background while concentrating on something else, or when you read too fast and too passively, without taking time to reflect on what you read. It's a very passive form of consumption, one which leaves no impression.

# Cognizant Consumption

I have found several methods to combat incognizant consumption. The "brute force" method is just to reconsume the content, as repetition helps memorization. I do not believe that this is a good use of one's time; some content is worth reconsuming, but most are not.

A smarter method is to "prime" your brain before consuming content; for example, watching the trailer before the movie, or reading the index and the table of contents before the book. This method helps by taking advantage of one's frequency bias, as one will more likely be able to notice things which they just saw in the trailer or read in the index. Although this strategy can help, I found that its results are variable at best, as its effects are subconscious in nature.

One can also take notes on what one has consumed; this works for some mediums, such as books, but may not be as effective for others, such as music or film. Furthermore, I found that for content on the education extreme of the education/pleasure spectrums, such as textbooks, I can often take notes and still not be cognizant to what I'm taking notes on.

I believe the best way to recall something is to actually articulate what one has consumed post-consumption. Taking the time to review and explain what one has just experienced forces awareness. If there are gaps in the knowledge, one has to review parts of the content or search for answers outside the content; this ensures that one fully understands the content that one has consumed and encourages further research into the topic.

My goal is to get into the habit of recollecting content that I consume by writing reviews.

# Reviewing Scale

I will be using a 1-10 scale for my reviews:

# 9.0 to 10.0

This work is a masterpiece; it has changed my life and it will probably change yours.

# 8.0 to 8.9

This work is excellent; you should try to consume it.

# 7.0 to 7.9

This work is good; you should consume it if you have time.

# 6.0 to 6.9

This work is ok; nothing too special; you can consume it if you have nothing else better to do.

# 1.0 to 5.9

This work is terrible; probably not worth your time.

# Conclusion

Writing reviews has helped me practice cognizant consumption; so far, it has allowed me to be more aware and more critical of the content that I consume. I believe one's time is too precious to be wasted by incognizant consumption; if you ever find that you're forgetting what you read, watched, played, or listened to, try writing some reviews; it can help you be more cognizant of everything you consume, from books to your lunch.