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Information overload is a serious problem for most of the bloggers. We constantly consume information in order to keep up to date with our blogging topic. Frankly speaking, a lot of time spent consuming information is wasted time.
Therefore I decided to start a weekly post series on how to deal with information overload. I will offer you some tips on information overload every week.
How I deal with Information Overload?
Today you are free to subscribe unlimited number of RSS feeds, and spend most of your time reading the popular bloggers. However, I argue that this is a waste of your valuable time. You need to take baby steps everyday to achieve your goals.
Since the beginning I have a simple principle: Spend most of your time on creating blogging ideas, not for reading other’s blogger’s posts hours and hours.
This simple principle helped me improve my blogging significantly.This does not mean that I don’t read any RSS feed at all. I do. But I limited it to five:
making money online (problogger, john chow, caroline middlebrook)
copyblogger (Brain Clark)
entrepreneurship (Yaro Starak)
I did not even read every blog post from these bloggers. I scan their headlines using my iGoogle, and only click on the ones I am interested.
iGoogle is one of the tools I regularly use to deal with information overload. If you haven’t read already, please read iGoogle - Your Blogging Command Center
RapidReader - Deal With Information Overload
Rapid Reader is a simple yet powerful tool which lets you read text on screen faster. It takes a few days to get used to it. But as you exercise, you can reach at a speed of 500 words per minute with Rapid Reader. In other words, you can read a 50 pages blogging report in 10-12 minutes. Imagine the amount of time you are saving here.
Most of the top bloggers are using programs like Rapid Reader to consume the information faster than majority of the bloggers.
You can read PDF, DOC, TXT files with RapidReader. It also lets you import the HTML files to read blog posts faster than ever.
The faster, the better! We are living in an era where the fast fish swallow big fish. I strongly suggest you to take advantage of Rapid Reader. The prices are affordable. Standard Windows version is only $29.95. Your saving is priceless.
By the way, how do you deal with information overload?
(Did you know that 21st of April is celebrated as World Creativity and Innovation Day (CID) since 2001? Below post has been written to celebrate all bloggers Creativity and Innovation Day!)
“Imagination is better than knowledge. For knowledge is limited, but imagination embraces the world.” - Albert Einstein
Have you ever considered why some bloggers are more creative than others? How can a few bloggers lead millions of others ? Is it because they are lucky or too smart?
According to Italian economist Pareto, all the world could be divided into two main types of people. These are the speculator and the rentier. The distinguishing character of speculators, according to him, is that they are constantly preoccupied with the possibilities of new combinations.
When it comes to blogging, the blogosphere could also be divided into two main types of bloggers. These are the top bloggers (or the Trend Setters) and the imitators.
Now, the question is, what type of a blogger you are?
Can You Become a Trend Setter Blogger?
If you know how to produce ideas, why not? For the last couple of years I read many books related to idea generation and creativity. I usually apply the common idea generation principles to my blogging. Am I a Trend Setter blogger? Not yet, but I know what it takes to be: Innovation and creativity.
To be creative and innovative, you need to change your mindset first. You should believe that you can produce unique ideas. The good thing is you don’t need to be genius to do this. All you need is to apply some certain techniques. I will give you a simple technique later. Let’s start with the basics first.
What Exactly Is an Idea?
An idea in Greek is an image existing or formed in the mind.
Idea is the Bee Gees’ third album on the ATCO label, released in August, 1968
Idea is a genus of butterflies known as Tree nymphs or Paper butterflies
Improvement and Development Agency
International Data Encryption Algorithm
Individuals with Disabilities Education Act
The list goes on like that. Actually an idea is nothing more than a new combination of old elements. Ideas are new combinations. Similar to producing cars on an assembly line, you can combine your old ideas and produce a brand new idea. (Assuming you have at least a few ideas!)
What is Innovation?
According to Wikipedia, “Innovation” encompasses the entire process, from idea to implementation, of the lard factor for the development of new products, services, methods, management practices and policies. The word “innovation” is often used as synonymous with the outcome of the process, but should not be confused with “invention.”
“It doesn’t matter where you start, as long as you start” - John Cage, the most innovative composer of 20th century
John Cage was trying to say that there is no perfect beginning; it is only after you start that you can evaluate and build on what you’ve done, shift directions, or start over with the insight and perspective you’ve gained in the process. Innovation is best compared to exploration, you can’t find something new if you limit your travels to places others have already discovered. Don’t limit yourself!
Most of the people believe in”Eureka!” moments when innovation is concerned. Most probably they are affected by the popular tales like Newton’s discovery of the gravity force with a falling apple. However they don’t know that Newton dedicated his entire life on these kinds of discoveries. It wasn’t a sudden discovery. It was the result of dedication and hard working for years.
My laptop’s keyboard I’m typing on now is the result of many ideas and innovations. It is a combination of typewriter, electricity, written language, operating systems, microprocessors, and binary data. It took 40 years of innovation to develop the Internet. Rome wasn’t built in one day either!
How Innovation Starts?
Hard work in a specific direction (dedicated people who work hard to solve a well-defined problem)
Hard work with direction change (unexpected opportunities emerges during the innovation process)
Curiosity (bright minds following their personal interests)
Wealth and money (most innovations are driven by the quest for money)
Necessity (individuals who are in need of something they couldn’t find)
Combination of above
A Simple Technique To Produce Workable Ideas
By applying this simple technique to your everyday blogging you will not only be more creative, but also see the relations between blogging concepts, and generate more new ideas:
1) First of all define your problem very well: In our case being more productive and creative is the problem
2) Collect raw materials related to this problem: search blog posts related to the problem through blogsearch.google.com, read as many books as possible, listen podcasts & online radios, fill your brain with suggested recommended resources at the end of this post.
3) Start digesting the raw materials: If you filled your brain enough during stage 2, you will notice that new ideas will pop up. Note them even if they seem crazy at the very beginning.
4) Now, leave the problem, do something different. Do what drives your imagination. Listen to music, go to a cinema or theatre, read detective stories. Whatever you do, don’t even think a second about the problem. Your subconscious mind will do that behind the scene, don’t worry!
5) New ideas will be generated when your mind is free and comfortable.
6) At this stage test your ideas whether they are workable in the real life.
Recommended Raw Material Resources on Creativity and Innovation
These are good food for thought for every blogger. Your brain is a nothing more than a muscle. The more you push your brain, the better results you will get from it. Have a curious mindset, be a voracious reader, in the end you will see the benefits.
In Mozart’s Brain and the Fighter Pilot, eminent neuropsychiatrist and best-selling author Richard Restak, M.D., combines the latest research in neurology and psychology to show us how to get our brain up to speed for managing every aspect of our busy lives.
The GTA Leonardo da Vinci Awards 2007 video, for inspiration on how businesses and organizations are encouraging innovation and creativity:
I hope my post will inspire you to be more creative and innovative. If you have any resources to share with me and with my fellow readers, please share them by writing to Search For Blogging Forum (under Discussion)
Do you have the same feeling? Time goes so fast nowadays. I don’t know whether the Earth’s rotation speed has changed. All I know is 24 hours is not enough for me as a full time employee and a part time blogger. Therefore I always think about increasing my productivity and efficiency in order to hit my daily blogging targets. I know success in blogging comes when you take little steps everyday consistently.
I discovered iGoogle last year when I was playing with my Gmail account. From the first moment I had the feeling that iGoogle could be my blogging command center, a center where I could reach everywhere related to my blogging topic.
It took me about an hour to make the necessary adjustments. Since last December, the first thing I do every morning is to open my iGoogle. This way I can easily keep track of my favorite blogger’s recent posts, recent news about my blogging niche, and read my Gmail/Yahoo mails from a single web-page. As you can imagine this is a huge time-saver for a blogger.
What you see on the top is the most recent version of my iGoogle. Google recently started to offer hundreds of good quality themes for your iGoogle. iGoogle is composed Gadgets. Gadgets are very similar to widgets. They are simply information boxes.
Well, I assume that you haven’t heard or fully utilized your iGoogle yet. Let’s start with the benefits, and then continue with how to setup your iGoogle to look similar to mine.
Benefits of iGoogle for Bloggers
Saving incredible amount of time
Easy track of Google News related to your blogging niche
More structured and organised blogging
Taking notes with Google Notebook and having a content archive
Many more…
How To Create your Own Blogging Command Center?
You need to have a Google Account to login to iGoogle. If you haven’t got already, you may sign up by clicking here create a Google Account now
Click on “Sign In” on the upper right corner to logon, enter your userid and password
First time users will probably see a blank page, or a page with a few items
Click on “Select Theme” to select a theme
When you finish selecting your theme, click on “Add Stuff” to start inserting gadgets to your iGoogle.
The easiest way to is to search for gadgets. For example type “Google reader” in the “Search For Gadgets” form on the right corner. You will see all the related gadgets. All you have to do is to click on “Add Now”. That’s all. You are done!
Now add these gadgets to make the most out of your iGoogle:
Google Reader
Enhanced Bookmarks
Google News (find the news related to your keyword when setting up!)
Google Calendar
Yahoo/Gmail/Hotmail etc
Google Notebook
The good thing about a gadget is you can easily carry it anywhere you want on your iGoogle home. You can create your own layout. I prefer to have my bookmarks on the top, because the first thing I do in the morning is to logon to these websites.
iGoogle will make your life a lot easier. In case you need further assistance please do not hesitate to ask me. I am looking forward to receive your comments regarding iGoogle.
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