I thought about not making this post, but here we go anyway.
Blogs are meant to help people. Bloggers (at least good ones) are focused on providing the most valuable content possible to their readers. Duh right?
Well, maybe you should stop reading so many blogs. I just recently cut out a good number of the blogs I was subscribed to. The reason for this being that they were holding me back.
I would learn a lot of cool stuff, but I would never get anything done. Reading for a couple hours a day in my feed reader was starting to become a real distraction. I now have the list of blogs I read trimmed down to ones that are only extremely relevant with what I’m trying to do with my life.
If you are constantly learning new information only to never apply any of it, what is the point? The purpose of learning something is so you can use what you learned.
I know that I was getting some serious information overload and it was starting to get in the way of my ultimate objective. So, I hope I don’t lose readers over this, but honestly the whole point of this blog is to really help others. If you need to clear up some brain space and gain some extra time to work on your goals, go for it and unsubscribe. You can always come back later :-)
Anyone else have thoughts about this?
P.S. – I know… I just suggested unsubscribing from my blog. I swear I’m not crazy.
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{ 5 comments… read them below or add one }
YES! I once followed a blog about peanut allergies because I liked the title. And becuase the title was so funny, I though the blog would be too.
It wasn’t.
After 6 months I finally deleted it from my reader because I was spending about 20 minutes a day on it searching for the funny bits that didn’t exist. 20 minutes might not seem like much, but you get carried away then, clicking on all the links, checking out the blogroll, etc etc etc. Those 20 minutes can turn into a whole morning!
Stephanie your experience sounds very similar to mine! Those minutes sure do add up and over the last few days I’ve been getting a lot more done with my new found time. Thanks for the comment!
Nate,
I’ve been doing some spring cleaning on my feed reader, too. Now I’m working on email subscriptions. Where the hell did all these emails come from?!? What used to be a simple ordeal has turned into a huge black hole that sucks up hours of my time and for the most part, I get nothing in return. I totally agree…if it’s not helping you achieve your goals, not giving you valuable ideas or information, or at the very least providing some entertainment…nuke it! I will, however, stay subscribed to your blog. I like keeping up with others who are on the same journey to escape the rat race and live life on their own terms.
I’m very glad you made this post Nate. Gave me a great idea for a reply. ;-)
You’re certainly right that by unsubscribing from the blogs, you save yourself some productivity, but I feel that it’s really a matter of willpower more than anything else.
Will you take action?
Will you read another nonsensical post that is entertaining, but contains no value?
But, again, to each his own right? :-)
Some more of my thoughts on the matter:
http://www.lifemaven.net/how-to-read-blogs/
@ Tammy – Thanks for staying subscribed, I definately appreciate that. FYI I’m still subscribed to you and Scott, I wouldn’t hit the unsubscribe button on ya! Not long ago I went nuts on my email account too and eliminated tons of newsletters and stuff. It helped me out a ton to free up some time each day.
@ Andrew – Just commented on your reply post, it was really really good man. Thanks for doing that.