Lately I've been focusing on streamlining my life. Sort of a New Year's Resolution, only I can't call it that or it won't get done.
Anyway, I've noticed that little steps lead to lots of saved time in the long run. Over the years, I've frittered away more time than I can imagine, just trying to navigate the blogs I follow.
I use the Blogger Dashboard, which is great, but makes it difficult to find a particular blog... well, it does when you discover you're trying to scroll through 360+ blogs. O_o? Being the time waster that I am, I figured it would be interesting to see just how many blogs I could drop, for one reason or another. (anything to procrastinate to keep from writing, right? :P )
So I clicked on manage followed blogs, and systematically, and with the judicious help of extra internet tabs, discovered that many of the blogs no longer existed. Yes, I was as surprised as you are. At least a dozen of them were just gone.
Another large chunk hadn't posted since the third quarter of 2011, and posted sporadically before that. If it was a blogger I had no rapport with, had never exchanged emails or couldn't remember any of their previous posts, I unfollowed.
Another reason I unfollowed certain blogs was that they were now invite only, so in the interest of time and ruthless streamlining, I hit unfollow. I didn't remember any exchanges I'd had with any of these bloggers, so I just didn't sweat it.
By the time I'd finished the alphabet (Wish I would have realized that my blog would be lumped with the T's instead of the L's when I named it. Duh.), I was down to 315. So some 50 blogs were just clogging up my reader, when I only really regularly read about a hundred. Not a huge number, but close to a sixth of the blogs I was reading, which seems like a lot more.
Now if I could only apply this streamlining to the rest of my life. Need to start using my phone to remind me of things, like I always swear I'm going to do (like blog-chain posts). Or maybe change my outgoing voicemail message to something with my voice, instead of that scary computer lady reading my phone number back to you. But first, maybe I'd better clear off the huge pile of mail that's accumulated on my desk. It's mostly junk mail, anyway. ;) Baby steps.
What about y'all? Have you done anything to help streamline your life lately? Even if it's only a little thing? They do add up!
14 comments:
I did the exact same thing with my blogs last night, as Blogger informed me I'd reached the maximum I could follow. Just like you I discovered loads of blogs either didn't exist or hadn't posted in months, so I unfollowed them. I then organised my remaining blogs into folders on google reader so I could find them more easily.
Those kind of jobs are really boring and time consuming but you feel so much more organised when you've done it. I really like decluttering my desk and having a clear out but I seldom get around to it.
I'm less organized than you are with the blogs! I should do that though with my blogger dashboard. There are definitely a bunch of blogs that I followed some time ago that I don't visit. And yes, baby steps! :)
I just found out that I'm pregnant for the first time so streamlining has become important in life.
Me and my fiancee have been going through clutter (nearly all his, btw) and shoving it into the attic where I'm sure it will never be heard from again. Why we couldn't just take it to Goodwill, I don't know.
Also, I went through my personal book collection and got rid of many things that I haven't read in years. It felt good but it was sometimes REALLY hard to decide which books to toss and which to keep.
Hope your streamlining process is more efficient than mine. I'm beginning to think that I'm a book hoarder. ;)
I've been meaning to streamline the blogs I follow too. I just haven't taken the time to do it. It would certainly make reading blogs easier. I think I'll work on it when I take that break next month. :)
FMTA this Monday morning! I just deleted a bunch of defunct blogs on my follow list too, then scoured the spam comments from existence. Yay us. :)
So what you're saying is that if we weren't friends, you totally would've unfollowed me too? ;) I don't think I even know what blog means anymore, much less how to post on mine or leave comments. Unless it's my day for the chain, then all my knowledge magically comes back. But only temporarily. ;)
My life could definitely use some streamlining. I'm so disorganized. Only thing I've changed recently is I've started using my calendar (with alarms) on my phone to keep track of appts. Makes my head feel less cluttered and I actually remember to go to things I have scheduled or stuff the kids have going on. Guess I'm getting too old to remember everything. So sad. ;)
I started doing that for the blogs in my Google Reader folders. But I follow so many that the attempt sort of petered off . . . though I managed to stop following several dozen blogs.
I really need to do this too. I'm just too lazy to do it. Maybe this will be my 2013 resolution. :D
I have a rather interesting one, since in some ways it creates temporary clutter! To streamline my writing and my writing time, I've taken to printing out my chapters and writing on them by hand rather than doing it on the computer. Since I'm not at the computer, I don't check twitter or facebook or pinterest every five seconds, and I usually get into more of a groove a lot faster when I'm less distracted. Though, the trade off is that I type about 95 wpm but I write by hand WAY slower! :-P
I had a gigantic week of organizing around the new year. It felt so good. Then I learned that it takes a mere day or two for things to return to their naturally chaotic state.
I did the same thing in the new year :)
Another way to cut down on time wasting is to no longer comment on word verified blogs (I put them into a google reader folder that I do read but don't click on)
Nice work! I need to do this on twitter as well.
No kidding! I need to streamline some email boxes too. I always think I'll come back to them later and never do. Info overload!
I used to use google reader to read blogs, but now i just hop around thru comments and blogrolls. :)
We are so on the same page right now. Just this week I went through my blogs and unfollowed almost a third of them. And I don't miss them.
My goal right now is to get my house more organized so that it takes less work to keep it clean. I put a basket on the table in the entryway to collect all the mail so I'll stop putting it down all over the house. Sigh. And I put a bin to collect all the clothes my dd has outgrown, all the clothes I don't wear anymore... My house is small. I need less stuff. Once we get the influx of xmas stuff, I go into rabid downsizing mode. My husband loves it. My daughter hates it. :)
Post a Comment