Multiple times a day i'll go through the top post of my subscriptions on reddit. Just quickly going through the articles and comments of topics that interests me. If I feel like it i'll read it directly otherwise it goes into pocket for later reading.
My problem is that I want to read most of it. It could be topics like functional programming, math, software design, etc. There's so much great content out there and I don't have the time to go through it all. Now and then I have to clean my read it later list realising that this is a topic that i don't have time with.
I'm now beginning to realise that I have to make a list of prioritized subjects to filter my reading list which could be books, articles, a video series to not get overwhelmed.
Can you relate to this? How do you manage it?
Top comments (10)
Information overload can be frustrating. I agree with Eugene Kopich, set boundaries. Limit your time and limit the topics. Choose two/three topics that you love most (at date). And use the best tools. I love combining Feedly with Zapier/IFTTT to classify, share and bookmark articles.
I can relate to this. Personally, I'm at the beginning of my career, so I spend most of my time learning about what I use at work. Right now, it's all about React, NodeJS, MongoDB and Javascript stuff.
I would loooooove to learn about machine learning, and Elm and other stuff... So, as you put it, I prioritized the subjects I learn. In the end, I think it's important to realize that you can always catch up on whatever subject you decide to skip for now. In my case, machine learning is not going anywhere I think, so I'll catch up when I need to. And if a subject is not around anymore, well, I can reassure myself that it was not a subject worthy to learn.
For a while I felt like I really want to learn Elm but was having the same issue with not being able to really dive in on account of the issues outlined. In addition to the basic framework you outlined, one thing that helped was taking part in a one day workshop on Elm with @rtfeldman where I actually got my hands dirty.
I still haven't found the time or need to really get deep into Elm, but now I really feel comfortable sitting on the sideline knowing that it's a bit more than an abstract concept I find interesting. I actually know the syntax, some of the details, some gotchas, the workflow, the core library bundle size, etc. This removes a lot of FOMO, and I feel like it's there when I need it now in a way I couldn't only get by reading about it and hearing some podcasts, etc.
I am having the same struggle. I am doing a coding bootcamp in my evenings because my days are consumed by my desk-job. Taking the bootcamp because of my interest in coding and product development and want to make something of my own. I feel that finding time to absorb this content is very key to personal growth though. Luckily sites like Dev.to make relevant content easy to find :)
I can relate. I spend some of my time skimming what others have written on Hacker News, looking for links to other content. Sometimes those links are better than the subject linked at the top.
A good example is the recent discussion of Kent Beck's “Mastering Programming” from 2016. the new discussion of it on hn is mostly positive, with a few detracting comment s, which I collapse. Hierarchy of Troubleshooting is a good example of distillation/synthesis that I often encounter on forums.
As to getting overwhelmed, I just don’t comment unless the words follow without effort, and I definitely don't comment if I have nothing to add. It prevents me from overloading and enforces my skimming habit.
limit your time to reading those articles. For example, 30 min in the morning and 1 hour in the evening. I quickly scan titles in my feed and read only most interesting.
I try to do the same, time may vary depending on the day's schedule. The only problem I have is with a definition of "most interesting".
Definitely can relate to this. Back when I was looking for a job, I kept up with all the weekly newsletters I subscribe to. Ever since I got a job, I've read only a few articles on each newsletter over the past four weeks.
Silly jobs; always getting in the way!
(Jokes, if anyone from dev.to reads this I love my job)
Ahem Using Pocket helps a lot. I can read on my commute and having a list of articles I want to read on the ready with Pocket is great. I've also been thinking about devoting at least five hours a week to keeping up on learning, reading, etc.
I can relate to this.There's just so much to learn everyday and too little time, I try not to get myself distracted when I see something interesting and learn what I'm good at.
Woah !!
Exactly same issue that I am facing but I have been prioritizing my tasks as well but still the feeling that there is a lot of interesting content to read overwhelms me.