One Productivity Device That Every Reader Must Have
You might already know this if you are a reader. The Kindle is the most simple yet powerful device for any reader. Reading books has never been easier when the Kindle was released. You can read thousands of books on one small-sized tablet-like device. There are many other features other than the fact that you could add thousands of books to one device.
This is not a Kindle review, so before getting my own Kindle, I used to think that reading traditional paperback books is more convenient and better for the look and feel. It is true, reading paperback books is way more fun and enjoyable. The papers, smell, and even page-flipping can’t be done with the Kindle.
As for the productivity part, I will share a couple of points about using a Kindle to help you increase productivity and more. But first, I’d like to touch on the physical aspect. The Kindle is light. Therefore you can get thousands of books on an airplane, train, or subway with you without worrying about having to pack your books with you. So the convenience part is worth getting the Kindle alone.
The other part is the paper-like experience — or the electronic ink — is the reason why I love using a Kindle instead of using an iPad. The “electronic-ink” has the experience of looking at a regular paper, therefore, making it easy on your eyes when reading in dark places or for a long time.
So, how can a Kindle increase my productivity?
Here are a couple of points that by using the Kindle, you can increase your reading productivity and therefore allowing you to read more efficiently:
Audiobooks
Having a Kindle will allow you to switch from reading to listening if you are commuting or if you want to listen instead of reading. Therefore, the Kindle would continue where you left at, making you able to read more books and not having to stop reading when you can’t actually hold a book and read. This service is accessible with Audible, the Amazon audiobook service.
Highlights
Using the highlight feature on your Kindle is one of the best things about having a Kindle. It stores all your highlights in the Kindle so you can get back to them.
Notes
Adding notes on the Kindle is one of the things that can be super useful if you are reading and thought that you want to write it down. Using the notes feature will allow you to add as much text as you want. Unlike regular books, you have to write down your comments/notes on the sides/margins, getting limited and tight to add more text.
Switching Books
It is super easy to switch from one book to the next, making it more convenient if you are on the go and want to switch to another book. Unlike paperback books where you have to add a physical bookmark, the Kindle would save where you left to continue later on.
Integration
This is one of the most amazing aspects of using a Kindle. You can integrate your Kindle account — which is normally your Amazon account — with different useful services that will save you a lot of time and make you more productive when re-reading or reviewing your highlights, notes, or bookmarks. These are some services that can be integrated into the Kindle:
<1> Goodreads:
Goodreads.com is a great social media-like website that allows you to add books to read and review the books that you’ve read. it’s like IMDB for books.
<2> Readwise:
Readwise is an online service for keeping your highlights. The great part is adding highlights can be great, but it is not useful if you forget about them when you finish the book. Readwise sends you a daily email resurfacing your best highlights from Kindle. This is great to review your highlights and make the learning journey more productive.
<3> Wikipedia:
When you find a word/phrase that you are unfamiliar with, tap/highlight the word, and a popup will show you a Wikipedia dialog explaining the word/phrase. Very useful.
<4>Translation:
If you have a hard word for you to understand in the context, you can translate that word by tap/highlight the work and choose from the many languages available.
Distraction-Free
Using a kindle is the best way to focus on reading and reading only. The Kindle is only built for reading. This is great for easily distracted people and can’t read a book and not look at their phones.
Reading More
Reading more books comes from the fact that you reduce the page-flipping time and have the extra time to fix the book — especially big books. With a Kindle, you are holding the same device and flipping pages with a click on the screen — The Kindle Oasis has a physical button to click on, which is even more convenient not having to move your hand around.
Thanks for reading; I hope you enjoyed it.
If you did, it would be great to share it.
You can reach me at @alounpro on Twitter.
Have a lovely day!
— Ahmad Aloun
