Why and How I Quit Reading So Many Blogs
August 5, 2008 · Print This Article
As explained in the first post in this series on why it’s important to read a lot and why it’s important to NOT read a lot, I had been suffering from blog feed overload. I wasn’t enjoying reading blogs much anymore and had let a fun, informative hobby turn into another job.
After experiencing negative physical symptoms from the tons of unread posts in my reader, I decided to change my blog reading habits. Here’s what I did.
I came back from my errands and went through a rigorous elimination process of my feed reader. I really did just two things.
- I set a fixed number of how many blogs I would keep up with and began paring down my feeds based on the rule below. I realized that I had several blogs that were incredibly redundant, basically producing the same material as each other. I didn’t need to read 10 blogs all devoted to freelancing tips. Neither do you–if you ever plan on actually freelancing. As Bob Bly says, “[I]f you are spending endless hours reading posts, comments, and messages online, those are hours you are not spending on the tasks for which you are paid a salary — or in the case of the self-employed, on billable work.”
- I applied the Last Five Posts Rule–I went through each feed and looked at its last five posts to see which blogs had given me the most real value in the past week or two, which blogs were consistently and currently producing original and valuable information.
I actually only kept a couple freelance/writing/business blogs. The others were spiritual, financial, and lifestyle-oriented.
I let go of some really good blogs. But, realizing that time is valuable, and that I don’t need to, and am unable to, keep up with every good blog out there, I let them go.
The key is to determine a fixed number of blogs to subscribe to and stick to it; it’ll make your task difficult when you’re having to choose between two essentially equally good blogs.
If you’re forever reading how to do (whatever it might be) but never actually doing it, why read the stuff in the first place?
If you’re constantly reading how to do (whatever it might be) you’re necessarily limiting the time you have to actually apply what you’ve ostensibly been learning.
I know many folks read hundreds of blogs. If you enjoy that, and it doesn’t (although I don’t how it wouldn’t) negatively impact your work or personal life, more power to you. But some people read that many blogs because they feel like they have to keep up with the blogosphere conversation.
But, here’s an important realization: most blogs, even the best, aren’t saying anything profound that you need to read every single day. They just aren’t.
Hm, that’s a good method. By restricting your freedom, you achieve greater freedom. I wonder which blogs I’d choose off my feed reader list if I could only pick 30 instead of 300?
My question: Do you miss any blogs?
James Chartrand - Men with Pens’s last blog post..Guest Posting: After You Get the Yes
“If you’re forever reading how to do (whatever it might be) but never actually doing it, why read the stuff in the first place?”
Simple. Let’s say your scared of public speaking. One solution is to read a myriad of blogs on how to overcome the fear of public speaking. It works, because this way you’re so busy reading all the blogs, when an opportunity comes up to do public speaking, you simply don’t have time.
Works like a charm.
Bamboo Forest’s last blog post..What’s The True Value of Blog Comments?
Well said. If you spent your time reading, you won’t have time doing.
“But some people read that many blogs because they feel like they have to keep up with the blogosphere conversation.”
This is making me laugh. I’m visualizing someone with a pot of coffee sitting next to their keyboard, frantically reading blog after blog.
Checking their watch incessantly and cursing because they got to go do something…
“Just one more blog, then I’ll go.”
Bamboo Forest’s last blog post..What’s The True Value of Blog Comments?
James,
“By restricting your freedom, you achieve greater freedom.”
That principle works in a lot of areas. It really does.
“Do you miss any blogs?”
Honestly, not really. I spent a good amount of time analyzing which blogs were consistently giving me consistent value and also were ones that I enjoyed reading. So far, my choices have held up.
I will admit, though, that while I only subscribe (and actively follow) a set number, I do from time to time check out some of the old blogs as well as other blogs that I come across.
But, I’ve decided that if I want to subscribe to a new blog, I have to drop one of my current ones.
Realizing that blogs can be a lot of fun and also quite beneficial but that they’re not necessary has really made this process of elimination a lot easier than it would have been before.
Bamboo,
I love your solution to overcoming public speaking–forever read about it such that you have no time to actually practice it.
I’m sure there are folks who are caught up in that.
This is making me laugh too:
“I’m visualizing someone with a pot of coffee sitting next to their keyboard, frantically reading blog after blog.
Checking their watch incessantly and cursing because they got to go do something…
‘Just one more blog, then I’ll go.’”
Honestly, I’ve been there and I’m sure there a number of others who still are.
It sort of sneaks up on you.
Paul,
Good point. Read but also do.
I also recently cut through my subscriptions. I used a simple method - I imagined how i would feel if a new post came up in some of the feeds…
With one blog I would feel kind of annoyed… because only about 1 in 5 posts offered me (a lot of) value. So I unsubscribed. I figured the best stuff would reach me somehow anyway.
I also eliminated some redundancies, and now I’m quite happy when a new posts appears in my reader (though it might take me over a week to get to read it).
By the way, great guest post at Think Simple Now, Jesse
Vlad Dolezal’s last blog post..Hunt, Don’t Fish
Vlad,
Interesting approach you took to cutting down your blog subscriptions–going on your instinctive response to seeing a particular feed show up.
As Tim Ferriss says, if it’s truly important, the information will usually find its way to you eventually.
I must have touched a nerve with some folks, or maybe just had to swallow some of my own medicine–today, I had two people unsubscribe from email updates for my blog. Who knows how many people unsubscribed in their feed readers?
Oh well, I’m just going to be honest and authentic and let what happens happen.
Thanks for the kudos on my guest post. That one took some time and effort.
This is definitely some medicine I need to follow. I have so many blogs in my reader. I’m always so afraid that somewhere in all those posts there is something VITAL, some new revelation that I know nothing about, the KEY information. But honestly, I’m so overwhelmed by the sheer quantity in my reader that I avoid reading any of the posts. Steadily, the mound of unread feeds grows and grows and grows.
As I discover new, interesting blogs, I add them to my reader but it’s entirely possible I’ll never read them there. So, it is definitely time to cut the chaff from my feed reader, or eliminate it entirely.
Thanks for the motivation and wise direction.
Rebecca Laffar-Smith’s last blog post..Dinner Discussions: Live Another Life [MEME]
Rebecca,
Thanks for the kudos.
I know the feeling of fearing to miss out on “the KEY information,” the bit of advice or knowledge or news that can really impact our life.
But, I’ve realized that most of the stuff we really need to know we already know, at least on a fundamental level–what’s required is to really act on it.
Regular reading is great (and I love it) but too much reading can prevent us from doing much else.
Thanks for your thoughts.
WOW! This is profound and you are so right:
“I’ve realized that most of the stuff we really need to know we already know, at least on a fundamental level–what’s required is to really act on it.”
Now, it’s time to act. *grins*
Rebecca Laffar-Smith’s last blog post..Dinner Discussions: Live Another Life [MEME]