On optimization and idleness: Why content strategists should do less

As content strategists, we’re often tasked with creating order from disorder. We categorize, compartmentalize and structure content so that each element fits within a specified set of rules. But what if we are “optimizing ourselves to death”? What if content needs a few degrees of uncertainty, and maybe even of idleness?

Drawing heavily from studies on the Default Mode Network and musings on the idle mind, this talk explores how we can allow for a more natural and nonlinear approach to defining, developing and enforcing a content strategy.

In this session, you'll learn:

• What the Default Mode Network is and what happens to our brains when we idle
• Why it’s important for content strategists and content to idle
• How to create space for the unknown and the uncertain
• How to apply nonlinear thinking to information architecture and content structures

Who should attend: Content strategists working with varied, diverse audiences, and content strategists who feel burned out or uncertain of how to measure the value of their work.