There is so much content on the web than you have time to read….. This is an issue I have faced over years even when I used the Google Reader…. And now while using Feedly… The problem I had was I go ahead and add updates from several websites and then keywords related updates… finally you end up with like around 1000+ updates a day… And if you miss one day then you have a backlog…

But in one way it is ok… because much of this content is not value for you… it is your time that is more valuable… But then how do you ensure that you have those pieces of information that is definitely important to you and can make a difference in what you do…. Here are a few steps I have found useful….

Step 1 – Determine why you need to consume all this content

People consume content for a variety of reasons and I don’t agree you are consuming because you have time at your disposal… You might be doing so to be abreast with technologies, leisure, finding opportunities or moving forward in your career… whatever is the reason…. You need to know why you need to consume…

Step 2 – Dedicate time to consume your content

Consumption of content takes time… even worse is it can take all the time you have and leave you with none to act on the information you have which makes your consumption useless (this is mostly true for bloggers than others)…. This is where a tool like Feedly makes a real difference because you can just like the Google reader scan, read or save…. But you have to allocate time to go over even the saved content or you will have a saved backlog….

Step 3 – Prioritize the content you want to consume

Based on your reason of consumption prioritize your content so that you can gain bet of your time…. I prefer news, targeted updates from blogs I regularly want to follow, Keyword related updates and so on…. Feedly helps a lot in organizing your content and getting it well on to your mobile device… Prioritization of the content you want to consume can get you maximum throughput on your efforts

Step 4 – Be unsentimental about missed content

If you did not consume it is not the end of the world…. I always say you should be unsentimental of the content you produce so you can focus time and effort on the content that is most important and valuable…. The same is true for the content you consume or fail to consume…. Accept the fact that there is so much content out there that if you have time can be beneficial to you… but time is of essence and worrying that you have not got to is nothing but a time waste

Step 5 – Be disciplined

Everything is about discipline….. So is your plan for content consumption… For many this content consumption is part of their work but for many they have a different day job that they need to take care of… and for some it is an addiction… whatever is your case it is important to be disciplined so you can be effective…

Categories: Content

Tags: content, content consumption, information, Time Management