Explaining how to organize your Google Reader will be short and sweet. It’s not so much about how you organize it, but more about how you organize your usage.
Here is what I’m suggesting.
- Set limits.
- Batch this task.
- Use star and share.
- Use J and K or the list view.
Set a limit to the number of blog feeds you’ll subscribe to. For me it’s currently 50. If your number gets to be too much or if you’re focusing in then do a Pareto analysis and 80/20 your feeds.
Batch this task by letting the feeds accumulate and then reading them when you have a block of dedicated time. I choose to read mine over the weekend but not during my day of rest. I also read them during the week. I typically do this in the morning after I have completed a few key tasks to gain momentum. It acts as a reward for me.
If I see a post I liked, I will star it so I can come back to it quickly. I may choose to blog about this post or reference it to take some kind of action in my business or personal life. If I see a post my readers might like, then I click share. This feeds into the badge feed I have on my blogs. This way customers or fans can use me as a filter for the really good stuff. “If you could only read two articles this week- choose these two.”
Use the list view in Google Reader or use the expanded view and the shortcut keys J and K. One goes forward and the other backward.
These simple rules should get you reading RSS feeds effectively. You’d better jump in sideways because newspapers are fading fast.