Long before I ever wrote a single word on this site I was a voracious reader of blogs. Years ago it was mostly American blogs with a handful of fabulous Australian sites that grabbed my attention. Over time I added more blogs on different subjects including how to be a better blogger plus those blogs of all the wonderful people I was now connected to through home Life Simplified.
A sad side effect of starting a blog is the amount of time it takes. As someone who loves to read, learn, and be inspired I found it hard to let go of my extensive collection of blog subscriptions that seemed to grow monthly. As a champion declutterer I culled this collection regularly, but still found many that lingered and needed to go.
Recently I went hard core with my decluttering efforts and managed to unsubscribe from 150 blogs in an hour. This was not done casually as I went through my categories carefully and broke them down until I arrived at the essentials. Since I have shared tips on how to declutter your wardrobe and declutter your spaces I thought I would share some tips to declutter your blog and newsletter subscriptions. Just the same as our clothes and possessions need regular editing so does our information – books, newsletters, blog reader, etc. Our interests change and the sources change in what they are delivering. It is nothing personal – as I have learned from watching people unsubscribe from my own blog.
Top 10 tips to declutter and simplify your blog reader
1. Delete blogs that have not updated in a long while without any notice (ie having a baby or going away).
2. Delete blogs you do not even recognize – often so much time has passed that you don’t even remember following them in the first place. A blog that you enjoy or learn from will usually stay fresh in your mind. If you have a huge number of blogs you may rediscover some as you cull so consider that an exception.
3. Organise blogs into clear categories if you follow more than two or three dozen blogs. Folders in a reader are the same as having an organised filing cabinet. (Go to feed settings, new folder to create folders to store similar blogs together.)
4. Have one or two key categories (labelled as such) that you visit first when your time is limited. This is your prioritizing system and saves you from getting overwhelmed. In the photo above of my own reader you can see I have a folder for “essential reading” which are my personal favourites and “my tribe” which are the blogs that I am truly connected to, comment on and supported by regularly. If I only have 15 minutes I will check there first.
5. Get rid of the “shoulds” and obligations of the blogging world.
- big blogs you don’t genuinely love but feel you need to stay on top of (you don’t)
- blogs of people you like personally, but don’t actually connect with their blog (you can still be friends)
- blogs on topics you want to be interested in, but really can’t be bothered (let it go and focus on what you truly enjoy)
6. Follow some blogs on Facebook instead if they have a fan page as it is easier to scan your news feed for images and headlines than to go through blog by blog in your reader.
7. Know that “more” does not equal “better” and limit the number you follow in any category. If you love to craft, having 50 craft blogs to follow and keep up with (or not) can be overwhelming. This can lead to a lot of “mark all as read” defeating the purpose of following them. Limiting that same category to maybe 10-20 blogs would allow you to keep tabs on your favourite blogs that consistently provide you with tips, tutorials and inspiration that you can actually put into practice.
8. Limit the number of aspirational blogs. If you are a beginner sewer or blogger it is great to follow some blogs that are more advanced than your current level, but it’s easy to get overwhelmed and bogged down in information and ideas that are beyond your level. Make the majority of blogs at a level that will be useful and then have several above level to push and inspire you (and not the reverse).
9. Make and follow your own rules that work for you.
- It’s okay to cut blogs that only give partial feeds if it annoys you.
- It’s okay to keep a blog just for the pretty pictures even if you never attempt any of the tutorials. We all need some pretty in our lives.
- It is okay to mark all as read and move on with your day.
10. Follow facebook pages that curate information you are interested in and trust the right information and resources will find you (or Google if you are looking for something specific). One reason my Google reader is so huge (even reduced it stands at 207 blogs) is because I track a lot of blogs that my readers will be interested in. They trust that I will keep the good links coming on my Facebook fan page and I work hard to deliver every day.
When was the last time you decluttered your reader / subscriptions? How many blogs do you follow right now?
Find your simple,
Deb
I am linking up with Jess for IBOT – head over there and check out a range of blogs. Checking out link ups is a great way to enjoy blogs without committing to subscribing!
{ 31 comments… read them below or add one }
Great tips! Coincidentally I just had a big Reader clean-out myself and found that cleansing those blogs that I didn’t remember following to be really helpful – if I don’t remember your blog name, either you haven’t updated in a while or I regularly scroll past it. Blog reading is a huge time investment, you gotta do it smart or it is the biggest time-suck in the world!
Surely Sarah recently posted..My social media story
Oh Deb – I loved firstly how organised your reader was! That is incredible!!! Some very wise and true advice in here, and i found myself nodding along to every. single. point! Especially ‘Get rid of the “shoulds” and obligations’ so much of the time these are the ones that are the hardest – but hey our blogs are our, and our time is precious!
Lyndal recently posted..ten things you really should know about us….
GREAT tips! Thanks so much. I’m a relatively new blogger/blog reader, and I learnt heaps from this post.
Dr Bron recently posted..20 Questions With…. Kim
fabulous tips!! I am overloaded with blogs *and fanpages on FB* I don’t get any normal friend feeds anymore!!! Time to say goodbye to clutter! Thank you for the post!
Yvette @ DTlilsquirts recently posted..What happened to my New Year goals..
Great tips!
Thanks for sharing.
Great tips Deb, we can be so consumed with keeping up with everything that we lose track of what we’re trying to do. Btw, was SO lovely to meet you finally at DPcon the other week – very excited to see what comes next for you xx
Chatting with you in Melbourne was a highlight of the trip – you were as nice and generous (with your time, friendship and feedback) in person as you have been online.
Debra Dane recently posted..How to free up extra time in your week
Oh wow, you are so very kind! Looking forward to many more chats – whether IRL or online
xx
Louisa recently posted..52 Ways To Live Your Best Life
Debbie, this is an excellent post. I have so many blogs I follow, but your ‘taste’ changes and it is important to keep up or you will get overloaded with old, outdated blogs. I think I should do a little clean out, I think I’ll look for ones that haven’t kept up their page. Rachel x
Rachel recently posted..Looking for Gold nuggets and finding fools gold
As always great tips Deb. Must be something in the air for it as I had a small cull the other day as well. Still need to go back and do it again really. All in good time though, I don’t actually check through my reader all that often, I tend to just know who my faves are and type them in.
Fairy wishes and butterfly kisses #team IBOT
Rhianna recently posted..Getting Back in the Groove
Great tips! I’ve recently started following most blogs via fb. I find it much easier to see posts pop up in my feed, rather than having to open other readers to catch up… it’s also sometimes easier to post replies via the fb post if I’m on my phone, rather than having to deal with all the security measures some bloggers have on their comment section.
Cassandra recently posted..All the frills…
Oh yes I need this. I keep adding to my subscriptions. But I don’t follow in my news reader but get them emailed to me. Then when they come in if I can’t read straight away but the topic interests me I put it into a blogs folder (never to be read again). This was one of my goals in prioritising – to cut down on the number of blogs I follow. I can’t connect with them all.
Bec recently posted..Life challenge – week 15 – time management: priorities
So glad the tips are helpful to you and good on those of you who have been culling – it can be so easy to just let them add up (my computer is next to be tackled as I have not decluttered digitally in years it has become like a room you just shut the door on)
Debra Dane recently posted..Saying no to say yes
Im still working out how to use reader.. sure this will be helpful though! Will check it out more thoroughly when I have a quiet minute (prob in 15 years or so!
)
Mum’s the Word recently posted..Why Don’t You Learn to Bleat?
Think I may need to do this as I havnt actually read much from my reader as it is too overwhelming! I end up reading what catches my eye via twitter or facebook. Some great tips too on how to keep only those that are relevant and important right now.
I had a good cull a couple of weeks ago, but have since added quite a few more that I have found.
My system is to go through my reader, open all the ones I want to read in safari, then mark the others as read. Obviously I don’t get to them all, but I do the ones I love and I get to most some of the time.
Works for me.
Jess recently posted..#TeamIBOT
I’ve started culling mine – but will no doubt add to it again as different things appeal to me. I did it recently on facebook as well. It’s always a good feeling to cull – regardless if it’s a physical or virtual thing.
Debbie @ Aspiring Mum recently posted..Motherhood and The Empty Room.
Oh Deb, you gorgeous girl. This is such a valuable resource for bloggers. It’s a path I’ve trodden many times. When I first started, I blew out to following 532 blogs! Seriously. I’m now down to 167. I might have a go at ordering them into folders like you have and see how that goes. J x
Jane recently posted..Sunday splendour: 15 April 2012
Deb, I love using my folders now! Thanks a million for simplifying my Google Reader for me. J x
Jane recently posted..Sunday splendour: 15 April 2012
So glad it helped you hon! I cannot imagine it without folders!
Debra Dane recently posted..Saying no to say yes
I can’t imagine my life, either! It has completely revolutionised my Google Reader experience – it’s infinitely more enjoyable. All thanks to you, Sweets! J x
Jane recently posted..Some Saturday soul food: Henri J M Nouwen
Great tips! I have stopped visiting y google reader as the number of unread blogs is overwhelming! But at some point I created a lot of specific categories, so when I do go there, I can quickly read the new posts by friends and then scan the topics I am interested in that day, without having to scan the rest.
Another tip I’d suggest: Don’t be afraid to delete one or two every time you visit your reader. I spent a month visiting every day just to weed out a couple of blogs I no longer wanted to read. When you can’t find any more to delete, you now they are all ones you want to keep!
Tonya recently posted..How to Move Facebook Photos between Albums
Agree on regular culling – if i notice i constantly skip a particular one i let it go (sometimes it can be simply because they post 3 times a day)
Debra Dane recently posted..How to free up extra time in your week
I did this just recently. Cut down from following over 200 blogs, to about 50. Feels so good to get through my reader! And yes, I do the categories thing too. Different things interest me on different days, so if I’m really pushed for time, I’ll just choose the category that I “feel like” that day.
Julie recently posted..The importance of initiation
Thanks for the tips, especailly about being able to use folders in the Reader. That will make it much easier when you only have a few minutes to read one or two.
Annaleis Topham recently posted..Our Garden – A work in progress
Great tips Deb. being a relative newbie, I keep coming across fab blogs that go into my reader – and on a day like today where I have been reading blogs for IBOT, it gets very full!!!
Good tips, Deb.
I recently decluttered my reader using a similar method, but still have a ways to go with sorting into categories. It already feels much lighter though. I agree, using FB is a good way to scroll quickly through as well.
Jayne recently posted..Holiday Nonsense, or Why I’m Not a Travel Blogger
Thanks for these great tips Deb! I have been culling my email this evening, and I was thinking that what you’ve talked about is the next step.
Alice recently posted..Quiet time
Great post Deb. In fact I had a big cull over the weekend!
Leanne @ Uber Simplicity recently posted..writing & blog direction
I reviewed my blog feed a couple of weeks ago and managed to hive off about 70 blogs but there are still more that should go. I find I only get to my Reader once or twice a week and having an unread count of 150+ can be daunting. I often mark sections as ALL READ!
I really need to declutter my Facebook feed too. Attempting to be a good blogger, I followed so many blogs with my personal account to help boost their follower numbers but as a result I rarely see updates from my IRL friends.
Great to meet you at DPCON12 and share in the great Blog Boost Coaching session.
D x
Di-licious recently posted..Carrot, Orange & Almond Muffins
It was great to meet you too Di (the kids loved your biscuits!)
It would be great if it was easier to delete FB pages without having to go to each page – definitely need to stay on top of decluttering reader and FB though xx
Debra Dane recently posted..Simplify your life {Week 17: Decision Making}