Apologies for the slow reply. I had an unexpectedly busy weekend.

Much as has been said, information overload is a real problem we subject ourselves to. The way I help cull this wicked overflow is by using "systems"... or any method or tool which helps regulate flow. It's important to realize the fixed set of resources we each have available to us. The king of these is time. Managing it is topic I'll leave to experts. But we consciously decide to use a portion of our available time to improve ourselves in various capacities. And the trick is to use systems to maximize the efficiency of our learning during the time we dedicate.

Some examples:
We browse an ungodly amount on the web. Usually without purpose. I use an RSS reader to improve my efficiency. Not only does it let me control the inputs by subscribing only to the content I'm interested in, but it lets me eliminate most of the distractions that being on their website would introduce (ads, links to other parts of their site, comments, etc). And as a bonus, my RSS reader tracks my usage...so now I know which sites I really read so I can regularly trim the fat and optimize my reading schedule around the parts of the week when the interesting content gets published.

Another example:
Email is burden for everyone. Having a good email client that you know REALLY well and fits into your routine will help tremendously. My email client provides me an incredible backlog of my activity on the internet which I keep for reference. I use filters to automatically sort this information for me. Important contacts, social activity, purchases, subscriptions, marketing, spam...all divided up automatically with the relevant portions being pushed to my phone as needed. (Yep, my phone doesn't notify me of just any email...just ones on my "VIP" list. Now I can help emergencies as needed and deal with my regular email zeroing once or twice a day.)

Books are something I don't particularly deal with because of the long commitment required to get through them. I'll try to find an abridged version of an audiobook if it's HIGHLY recommended. I can't think of any particularly good suggestions on how to get through them quickly aside from scanning them in the bookstore and deciding if you want to invest a week of your time getting through one or not.

Regarding your "clarity about goals", I don't think anyone is ever 100% certain about the direction they should be going in until they have enough experience to know that's the right way to go. You're young and being worried about the "right way" is pretty natural. And I've found that the time you spend "idling" and figuring out the best possible route could cause you to miss some interesting opportunities. Don't spend too much time on the decision.

You're looking at the problem from the perspective of "these are my skills, how can I use them?" Instead, you should be asking "Of the opportunities I have in front of me, which would I most regret not doing?" It's how I try to frame my decision making and sometimes it helps make a difficult decision an easier one to live with in the long run. Worst case scenario, most of the time you'll be able to double-back and find a way to go down the "other path" if you're disappointed with results.

Hope this helps. :)