Too Long, Too Slow, and Too Late

Public Short Read

We need to talk about content. Specifically, the kind we make in L&D. It’s usually too long. Often too slow. And by the time it arrives? Too late to matter.

Let’s start with “too long.” How many eLearning modules have you opened only to be met with a twenty-minute trudge through things you either already know or could have Googled in thirty seconds? We say we’re building learning, but half the time, we’re building endurance tests.

It’s not just about attention spans. It’s about relevance. If someone only needs 90 seconds of information to solve a problem, anything longer isn’t just wasteful; it’s a barrier to performance.

Then there’s “too slow.” We spend months crafting content, running it through a dozen rounds of reviews, only for the problem it was designed to address to have moved on or vanished entirely. The business doesn’t pause for our perfect storyboard. By the time we launch, the audience has already figured out a workaround and moved on.

And “too late” is the natural result of the first two. When content is slow to build and bloated when it arrives, we’re not supporting performance; we’re reacting to it. Usually after the fact. Like putting up flood signs once the water’s already receded.

The fix? Ruthless relevance. Relentless speed. Radical usefulness.

It’s not about “microlearning” as a buzzword. It’s about designing for utility, giving people just enough, just in time, and just where they need it. A checklist. A 90-second video. A reminder prompt. A simple guide that works on a phone.

It’s not sexy. But it works.

When we start with the question, “What does this person need to do differently, and when?” instead of “What should we teach them?” we change the game.

Are you guilty of slow, late, or long content?

It’s okay; most of us have been. But the real question is: what are you doing differently now? Are you building for performance or presentation? Are you experimenting with shorter, faster, lighter formats? Or are you still chasing perfection while learners figure it out for themselves?