Soaking chia seeds is necessary to make the benefits better available for you. If you are trying to prepare a recipe that requires the chia seeds to be soaked overnight, you have the proper time period. However, if you are consuming the seeds daily, the time depends on the recipe- if you are drinking plain water with the seeds- you can soak the seeds in hot water for 10-15 minutes. Alternatively, if you are mixing the seeds in a smoothie, you do not need to soak them.