How to Save Your Time and Gain Knowledge by Reading Less
It took less than an hour to cut my reading list from 150+ to less than 15
How many bookmarks do you have on your computer?
So many videos and articles you’ve been meaning to get around to, but just haven’t yet. By now, the numbers are in the hundreds. Countless articles that you save to come back to later — but you never do.
You’re drowning in the virtual sea of information.
So Much to Read, so Little Time
There’s a lot of useless information on the internet. A lot of it has been repeated.
Oftentimes, you click on articles already knowing what they’re going to say, just hoping for something new.
Instead of keeping a backlog of videos, bookmarks, and articles, you can move through them and consolidate the information to things only of value to you.
Read the Headlines
If I had a penny for every time I read headlines matter, I’d be a millionaire.
Headlines are important because they’re the first impression. They draw the readers in. To do that, they have to promise you something in return.
That’s key number one. If the headline tells you exactly what you’re about to read, chances are you can skip it.
Reading an article called ‘7 Reasons Why Mindfulness Meditation Will Improve Your Brain’ you know what to expect from reading it.
You know it’s about improving your brain function.
Chances are the title will sufficiently tell you what you need to know without reading the article.
I cut out half of my saved articles by doing this.
Structure is Everything
As I’ve grown as a writer, I’ve learned more about the process.
Part of that is formatting and subtitles.
Experienced writers will know how to entice you to read the full article. They’re many people who don’t know how to use them though.
I’ve never been much of a skimmer. I’m a sucker. I like to read through articles and give them the attention they deserve.
But frankly, they probably don’t deserve that attention. When you skim through the article, chances are you’ll get a pretty good idea about the information you’re getting.
The subheads are a good indicator of the value in the article if they don’t already give it away.
Ask Yourself This
What am I looking to gain by reading this article?
It’s simple and effective. When you stop looking at reading for distraction and instead look for education, you can narrow your field.
Do you really need to read an article about Khloe Kardashian’s love child? Or would you rather get something out of your reading?
Final Thoughts
You can eliminate reading articles based on headlines and subtitles. This will free up your time, and your tech, to give attention to the ones that do matter.
When you start looking at articles in terms of usefulness, it’s easy to cut out the useless.
You’ll spend less time browsing the internet and get more value out of your reading time and what you read.
What you read is your choice. And it would be wonderful if that reading helped you.
