Keep It, Consider It, or Leave It: How to Actually Filter Advice
Last week, we talked about how advice overload can leave you feeling exhausted, confused, and even stuck. Today, let’s get practical. I want to share a simple framework I personally use—and teach others to use—to filter the constant stream of advice coming our way.
I call it the three-bucket system:
Keep it, Consider it, or Leave it.
It’s simple. It’s powerful. And it’s the easiest way to protect your peace and your clarity when everyone seems to have an opinion about your next move.
Bucket #1: Keep It
This is the advice that instantly resonates with you. It lines up with your values, your goals, and the direction you’re trying to move in. When you hear it, you immediately think, “That’s exactly what I needed to hear.”
For example, if your goal right now is improving your productivity at work, and someone shares a simple daily planning tip that clicks—keep it. Test it out. See how it fits your life. This bucket is for the gems, the ones that genuinely feel good and useful right away.
Bucket #2: Consider It
This is the advice that feels interesting or potentially helpful, but you’re not sure yet. Maybe it’s not an immediate yes—but it isn’t a quick no, either.
This bucket is your holding place. Maybe it’s someone suggesting you try a new job-search approach. Maybe it’s a productivity hack you’re curious about but not totally sold on. Give yourself permission to sit with it. You might journal on it, talk it over with someone you trust, or just let it simmer. Eventually, it might move into your Keep-it bucket—or you might realize it belongs in the Leave-it bucket.
Bucket #3: Leave It
This is the bucket for the advice that clearly doesn’t fit your life, your values, or your current priorities. Just because advice sounds confident or goes viral doesn’t mean it’s right for you. Maybe someone online insists you should quit your job immediately if it doesn’t spark joy. But if your situation requires careful planning or financial stability, that advice probably belongs in the Leave-it bucket.
Leaving advice behind isn’t rude. It doesn’t make you less ambitious. It means you have the maturity and clarity to honor your own circumstances.
Here’s your quick checklist to filter advice quickly:
Does this align with my values and my goals? → Keep it.
Could this help me, but I’m not sure yet? → Consider it.
Is this just noise, trendy, or irrelevant to my situation? → Leave it.
Use this system to keep yourself grounded and clear, no matter how loud the noise around you gets.
Because the reality is simple: you can’t—and shouldn’t—absorb everything. So let’s stop trying. Instead, let’s be strategic. Let’s filter intentionally. And let’s give ourselves permission to only hold onto what genuinely moves us forward.
This post is part of a 5-part series based on Tip #21 from Career Gymnastics.
Next week, we’re going to unpack why context matters so much when you’re taking career advice—especially online. If you haven’t grabbed a copy of the book yet, get yours today and join us!
#CareerGymnastics #AdviceOverload #SelfAwareness #CareerStrategy #FilterTheNoise