Gosh, I'm finding it hard to keep up. My problem, and I've known this for some time but haven't addressed it properly, is good, old-fashioned information overload. And I'm supposed to be an information professional. I definitely don't practice what I preach. I've just added up the RSS feeds in my Google Reader - I have over 120. Is that normal? I can't keep up, but I think there are lots of reasons why I've subscribed to so many feeds over the last few years; maybe I'm scared I'll miss a gem, that golden nugget of information or recommendation about a fantastic new resource; but mainly I love to read about what other folk are doing, and reading inspiring posts that makes me smile and remember why I love my job. I want to feel immersed in everything that's going on, and perhaps I've done that so successfully that I'm now drowning.
Many of the feeds are from blogs, mostly information professionals and librarians (and one is the CILIP members blog - currently almost 200 unread items! Arrrghhhh!), but also relating to HE generally. Time to take stock of who I'm reading and why. Are there any blogs that I scan over quickly and never investigate thoroughly? (Yes). Are there blogs that I think I 'ought' to follow but don't get much out of? (Yes). Are there blogs I really enjoy reading but never get round to commenting on because I don't make the time (Yes, yes, yes!).
So, I've decided that today's (this week's?) challenge is to critically review my professional reading and whittle my RSS feeds down a manageable number. I currently have over 1000 unread items in my Google Reader, how ridiculous is that? Maybe once I reach a sensible number, I'll find the time to engage a bit more, rather than just reading, absorbing and bookmarking for 'later'. Time to slow down and jump off the treadmill...
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