I love information.
I may be borderline addicted to reading stuff on the web....but reading is good for you, right? Right?!
I think it started with that bastard Tim Sanders, who suggested that there were different types of 'knowledge food groups'. Reading the news is like candy. Magazines are like a snack, and books are a healthy meal...or something like that.
Well, I'm not a news junkie in the traditional sense (I haven't visited CNN.com in months) but I fear that blogs might be in the same class (or even worse. a super candy of some kind - one that shatters your teeth the instant you bite into it). Reading this post from Philip Greenspun (who strangely enough has a cousin who made 'The Girl Next Door'....see, how would i know that if it wasn't for blogs...don't i need to know that! I'm only half-kidding) I decided that something needs to change.
Why? Only one reason - the hope of increased productivity.
I very rarely feel productive...maybe because 'getting stuff done' is a hard thing to define. Is running errands productive? Is watching a movie or reading a book doing something?
(about to be really uneloquent, but I want to get the thoughts down now, I'll worry about the wording later). For now, I'd say no - and here's how I'd differentiate between 'doing stuff' and 'getting things done'... reading a book is doing stuff - it needs to happen and it's not inherently bad or good. Reading the book and then taking notes and/or adding original thoughts to it, etc...that's 'getting things done'. Personally, I very rarely get to the 2nd part - even though I always have the best intentions to do so eventually.
Here's the concern...probably my main source of my feeling productive is writing in my blogs. But there's got to be other things to do besides that (I've got a few ideas). Or maybe I can still write in them, but it doesn't mean I have to continue to read all the other feeds...
So, how drastic of a change should I take? Eliminate a small, medium, or complete amount of my blog diet?? Here's my idea:
1. Do as much of a clean sweep of my blogroll as possible (in other words...take everything outside first, and then decide what I need to bring back in).
2. Then, instead of checking up on them frequently, maybe only go to Bloglines.com once a week (or month).
3. Profit!
I'll let ya know how it goes.
Other notes:
I currently subsribe to 33 blog feeds. I'm guessing 10 of those could be eliminated immediately. It'll be interesting how many of the other ones make the cut.
Another plan...put stuff aside that i want to read...then come back to it in a week...do i still want to read it...ala Mediasauraus (critchton)
Also, here's some other thoughts from comments on Greenspun's original post:
have noticed the same effect as Philip's "very creative and productive friend"; alas I've also noticed that it has gotten much worse with the rise of the Blog - now my feed-reading program alerts me to a steady stream of interesting bits of news and diversion. Including, of course, Philip's blog :-)
something interesting about intellectuals: they have a different relationship with time. I'd agree, a less scattered me is a more productive.
Objectively, Philip, I think you're probably right -- most people do not need the vast majority of information they consume, be it through newspapers, magazines, weblogs (cough), email, TV, etc.
For most people, however, the thirst for knowledge primal and irresistable. Honestly, I think part of is, humans just like to tickle their brains, hoping an epiphanous thought might pop out (it does, at the most random times), or at the very least they might remember a forgotten appointment or goal.
There is certainly a correlation ... but for me at least, the causality is vice versa. I get real work done when I throw myself completely into it, and it is because of that focus that I don't pay attention to newspapers, my growling stomach, or anything, for the several days or weeks that the work spurt lasts
"I was almost fifty years old before I figured out that I didn't have to read the New York Times every day to be happy."
That said, I think there is a massive untapped market for packaged news "briefings" on a one week, one month, quarterly and yearly basis. It is true that most news media assumes way too much background knowledge on the part of the consumer (this is coming from a newspaper reporter with experience at daily and weekly newspapers, an up to the minute website and a monthly magazine).
One should be able to wake up on election day, having read nothing for the past two years, and review a digest of all relevant news on candidates -- certain votes, incidents/investigations that shed light on character, certain positions on issues that are likely to come up in the future, some financial backers, etc.
Here's the 33
A Whole Lotta Nothing
Abstract Dynamics
Adam Curry: Adam Curry's Weblog (10)
Adam Kazwell is...somewhat concerned
Agenda Inc. Live Feed (200)
Blog Maverick (22)
Clay Shirky's Essays
Cool Tools (2)
Daring Fireball (6)
dooce (19)
Erik Benson's Morale-O-Meter
ESPN.com - Bill Simmons Columns
ESPN.com - Dan Patrick Columns
ESPN.com - Marc Stein Columns
ESPN.com - NBA
Fast Company (200)
Ftrain.com
gapingvoid (82)
Idle Words (3)
Joel on Software (6)
joshua hale fialkov's poorly drawn
kottke.org
kottke.org remaindered links
Marginal Revolution (88)
Mitch Kapor's Weblog (19)
NPR's Fresh Air (26)
Philip Greenspun Weblog
reemer.com
SIGNAL VS. NOISE
stevenberlinjohnson.com
the wise panda | wisepanda.com
Waxy.org Links
wordparts
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