I promised in an earlier post that I would share my system and my favorite tools for keeping up with my reading of digital goods such as blogs, articles, e-news, etc.

For blogs.
I love Google Reader. It works really well on all of my devices (laptop, iPhone, iPad) and stays in sync regardless of where I access it. Within Google Reader, I use folders to keep things organized. I have a folder for “must read” stuff like things related to clients. Then I have folders such as Marketing, News, Business, Friends and Design Inspiration. Finally, I have a cluster called Waste Time. This serves as a home for those wacky sites that I simply enjoy looking at when I want to zone out, sort of like that time spent watching TV.

A couple of things about reading blogs. First, accept that you can’t keep up and don’t feel like you have to read every post as it’s written. I block out a certain amount of time each day and read whatever I can during that time. This is where a good headline helps since I skim those first and decide what I might like to read. I will also star items when looking on my phone and come back to read those later. Second, if you find that you’re never reading posts from a certain blog or feed, just unsubscribe. Too often, I’ve hit the “mark all as read” button over and over again only to finally realize that I just don’t read that particular blog anymore. It’s fine. You can always unsubscribe and reconnect later. But don’t you dare unsubscribe from my blog.

For e-news.
I created a separate “read” email address where I direct all e-newsletters and other things I want to read later. During my morning reading time, I simply pull one or two things out that I want to read. Blog rules apply here too. If you’re always deleting e-news stuff without reading it, go unsubscribe. You can always sign up again later.

For others.
I send links, articles and other things I want to read or look at to that same “read” email address. Once I’ve read it, I will either bookmark it, save it to a job folder or simply hit delete.

Having a stack of stuff to read is nice, but only when you realize you don’t have to keep up. Most of things I read don’t expire right away. That marketing article is just as good a week from now as it is now. At the end of day, you have to find what works for you.

P.S. Another reason I love my iPad is that I can read all of the above items along with my books, Facebook and Twitter all in one place. As I mentioned in an earlier post, the iPad is the perfect device for consuming content…not that I’m trying to sell you one or anything.

I once hated reading, but I disciplined myself to do it anyway and now have a genuine love for books. I always ask people what they’ve read recently and I’m always shocked when they respond with something like “Oh, I haven’t really read many books since college.” Oh really? Not only is that just plain sad, it’s a quick way to get passed up in the marketplace.

There are so many smart people out there writing such great stuff. Honestly, too much great stuff. I would read for hours if I could, but I’ve found that an hour a day minimum keeps me satiated. Here are a few tips for making reading a part of your day:

Commit to a time.
I personally like mornings. I get in early and clear a few things off my list. Then around 8:00 am, I take an hour for reading at the local coffee shop. I also enjoy an hour outside in the park as a great way to mix up my day.

Have a system.
My reading consists of blogs, e-newsletters, articles and books. I’ve given up on trying to stay current and clear out my RSS feed. I just commit to that hour. In that hour, I dedicate 40 minutes or so to my current book and another 20 minutes to the digital stuff. (Stay tuned for a future post where I will describe in detail my system for collecting and reading digital content.)

Share.
Finally, I share with my friends what I’ve been reading. I find it addicting to give away books or share a title that may prove helpful. You’re not just reading for you. You’re also building knowledge that you can give away.

So, speaking of sharing…read any great books lately? Feel free to comment about your favorites.