It's unrealistic in this age of information overload to think you will get rid of your pile completely. Instead consider making your pile(s) more QUALITY instead of QUANTITY. Just follow this quick four-step process I call Abby's Reading Inventory System:

1. Take a piece of paper and a pen and take inventory (make a list) of what exactly is IN your reading pile(s). Include everything from newspapers, magazines, professional journals, newsletters, email newsletters and so on. Remember to include how often it arrives such as weekly, monthly, quarterly and so on.
2. Then, either on your inventory sheet or on the reading material itself, write a personal value number. A personal value number is what number YOU personally believe that piece of material deserves using a scale between 1 and 10 (1 being low value; 10 being high value). Consider a "1" value as the worst, most horrible material you ever read and it wastes your time. A "10" value is the most wonderful material you ever read and it is always a good use of your time.
3. Any item you designated under a "6" should be unsubscribed to and/or be deleted immediately. HINT: If you have 5 or more unread back issues of any one publication, chances are you either don't have time for it or don't find value in it. Get rid of it!
4. Now the fun part: look at what's left in your pile and decide, based on HOW MUCH TIME YOU SPEND READING, whether or not you still have too much to read or too little. If have too much, then pare it down more. If you have too little, then go look for more good stuff to read! Another option is to add more reading time into your days.

Tell your friends and colleagues about this one - they'll be glad you did!

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