IT is cold and wet outside, so I thought I'd put together a few thoughts and pointers on my "media consumption" after getting a polite nudge from Linda.
Looking at things from a distance and you could say I am welded to the computer, spending most of my work time reading websites, researching articles and pursuing ideas with others.
Over time I have used a variety of software packages and web based services, as well as read countless books and documents on improving your work flow.
But it seemed that I would still get very little done and drift off down internet alleyways losing track of time.
I still do this as I think it is the best way to discover new thought and ideas, but it is because the tools, add-ons and set-ups I use allow me to "consume media" more efficiently, here's what I do:
Google Reader
My RSS feed reader of choice, after spending some time using Bloglines but getting tired of seeing the plumber, I swapped over to Google Reader and currently follow just over 300 feeds through it.
Not a good number I must admit, but I've cut back and work on the premise of one in, two out.
Feeds are placed in one of around a dozen folders that cover the subjects I follow, so I can read those feeds at certain times of the day when needed.
Writing for Cheapflights is usually an early afternoon job so my travel folder won't be opened until then.
I also set Google Reader to display in List View which provides the feed source and just the headline, I can then spot the sites I attach most value to and quickly scroll through others.
Keyword searches are also important sources of news for me, so I use the built-in option within Google Reader, via the Add Subscription box, that provides an RSS feed on the fly for certain words, for example Ryanair.
I'll also often follow conferences using this method either using the name of the event, or very often the more on the ball conferences will ensure there is a Technorati tag you can follow.
Special mention must be given to the BBC's news and sport search facility that again offers you keyword driven RSS feeds so that any mention of your chosen word will be highlighted in your reader, very useful for company names and locations.
GMail
I have now taken my email online completely via GMail and found it to be very reliable, the simple to use search facility, as you would expect, saves me the pain of setting up folders and wasting time clicking through messages.
Before I take a look at how I set up GMail I think one of the key elements in managing email is to ensure you control it and not the other way round.
Friends often say they have 100, 200 or more unread emails in their inbox and they worry and fret about it, the quickest option is to pick a date, let's say a month ago, and just archive anything previous to the date unread, then go through what's left.
This not only clears your mind but also ensures should someone say "did you get my email" at least you can use the search facility, track it down and read it.
But ensuring your inbox doesn't fill back up again is the key point.
I used to use the two minute rule from Getting Things Done, but this falls down when your email is automatically downloaded every few minutes, as it's almost impossible to ignore so you take a look and soon enough those two minute replies have added up and you've lost track of things.
So I still use the two minute rule but turn off any email notifications and if I am busy will only check email at a certain time of the day, then deal with everything quickly and easily (see Trimming the attention sails).
A useful feature of GMail is to "star" any emails I use frequently in reply to questions and then use it as a template, you could do the same using "labels".
My web browser of choice is Firefox and thanks to the popularity of it there are many tools you can plug into it that make GMail work more effectively, and the kind folks at Lifehacker have rolled the best ones into their Better GMail offering.
But again keeping things to the bare minimum I only activate a few features within it, the spam-count hide, attachment reminder and signature float, but I know if I want to use the additional tools then I can with the refresh of my GMail page.
What is left after all that is quite disappointing really, I rarely buy a newspaper, but regularly read the two local ones that pop through the letterbox each week.
Most days I will watch News 24 later in the evening to catch up on things and usually listen to Radio Five Live around 6pm, as well as the occasional, usually French related, programme on BBC 4.
I have noticed a distinct lack of book reading over the past few months, but I am investigating the merits of Audible or similar, as well as sticking some titles on my desk to take a look at for 15 minutes later in the day.
I'm a bit of a minimalist at heart and so should new tools pop up on the radar I'll follow the articles and posts written about them to get a handle on them over a few days, if I think they might prove useful then I'll dive in and play around.
But I still think back to my school days and human geography studies where we were told we would see more gardens and walkways around cities due to having more leisure time, it seems the always connected culture of today has pulled the plug on that idea.
And I think that is why it is important to use online tools not to fill your broadband pipe with more noise, but to create quiet spaces to let you work.
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