The Kindle has dramatically improved my workflow. I sympathize with the “I-love-holding-a-book” camp, but I also don’t argue with results: results trump nostalgia. I’ve included the five Kindle features that will change the way you read and work, and some pointers on how to implement them. This list is based off the 3G non-touch Wi-Fi-capable Kindle.
- Maintain Your Reading List
The trumpeted feature of the Kindle Bookstore is you can buy a book anytime, anywhere, and be reading in seconds. You can even read samples of books. But the real highlight of the Kindle Bookstore goes unmentioned: searching for books maintaining an up-to-date reading list.<
With the Kindle Store, you can immediately search for your book. Then add it to your Wish List (and download a sample.) Then it’s safe to completely forget the book, until you’re ready for your next book purchase.
The Wish List streamlines maintaining an active book list. Your Kindle becomes your single destination to remember what you planned to read, to buy the book with a single click, and to begin reading.
Constantly reading is crucial in lifelong education, and removing barriers is a significant step towards continuing that education.
- Overhaul Your Note Taking System
I’m a huge fan of annotating books and having a notes system. Analyzing your own thoughts and expounding on an author’s original work based on your experiences allows for exponential personal growth. Inspiration (“ah-ha!” moments) is exciting when you hit a key point while reading. Tangents spring on utilizing information. You have worldview paradigm shifts.
Unfortunately, obstacles stand between inspiration and action: interrupting reading momentum, logging your thoughts, cataloging them into a system where it’s easily accessible. It’s difficult to digest vast amounts of material if you’re forced to constantly stop and start.
A handwritten organization system for your notes, no matter how strong, loses effectiveness after X amount of material. The best way to access information on the fly is if it’s digitized (read: searchable.) This is especially true if you’re not only searching for the original material you read, but your reaction to the material. Reading on the Kindle closes this gap and removes barriers in digitizing your notes:
- Highlight original content on the Kindle
- Type quick notes about applying this information. The Kindle is a tool for reading, not writing — the keyboard is clunky at best. So all you’re writing on the Kindle is a note or two that will jog your brain to recall those first sparks of inspiration (my notes usually look like the stream-of-consciousness of a second-grader.) Don’t bother writing out the entire thought.
- Continue reading with minimum momentum lost (no putting down the book, no finding a piece of paper, no finding your place on the page, etc.)
- Amazon automatically stores your books, highlights, and notes. Log-in to your Kindle account to access it. Copy and paste your notes into your digital system of choice (I prefer Google Docs, but Evernote works well, too.) From your Kindle Account, you can also share your notes or follow others.
With digitized notes, it’s easy to access you exact thought, from the exact original idea, from any title. Based off the brief notes, it’s easy to develop your ideas further.
- Follow Blogs
Keeping up with the blogs I followed used to be a struggle. I don’t read well on the computer — I want to get lost in the material. There are too many distractions on a computer monitor. With my feeds in the Kindle, it’s easier to give the content all my attention and more convenient to stay up to date.
- From Home, go to the Menu and select “Experimental.”
- Launch the Browser.
- Enter the URL for your reader and sign-in (I use Google Reader.)
- Bookmark your Reader URL so it’s easily accessible next time.
Using the Kindle to access your Reader works great: it displays your feeds and posts, marks posts as read when you click on them; you can even “Favorite” posts. The only major drawback I can see is because “Kindle doesn’t support multiple browsing windows” you can’t open hyperlinks within the post (I haven’t researched a work around solution to this yet.) Instead, I’ll “favorite” the post so I know to return later.
- Reading Scripts
I work as a script reader and not carrying physical scripts is a major convenience. Some benefits:
- Reading time is drastically reduced
- Easily sort scripts
- Annotate and bookmark as you read — no more flipping back pages to find “that great line”
- Zero waste (paper, ink)
Friends have complained about eyestrain when reading PDF’s on the Kindle. This can be solved by using a horizontal orientation.
If you don’t read scripts, reading articles that you find on the web is another useful option. Again, it goes back to the desire to get lost in content, which is a challenge on the computer. Just convert the article into a PDF or a Word document, and send it wirelessly to your Kindle:
- Attach your document to the e-mail address associated with the Amazon account to which your Kindle is registered, but with a slight modification: the e-mail address will look like <name>@free.kindle.com.
- No wires necessary.
- For a list of approved document types, see Amazon’s list
- Borrow Books from a Public Library
I have both a New York Public Library and a Los Angeles County Library card. You can borrow digital material from both. There can be long queues for material, but the digital stack collection is expansive enough to cross off a few items from your Reading List — the one you’re keeping up to date with tip number one.
Check out your library’s website to find its library card requirements.
There are other great features to the Kindle: text-to-speech, listening to mp3’s, using it for audio books, looking at pictures, access to Project Gutenberg for a huge collection of free books. However, I’ve found no regular use for them (I have an iPhone and an iPod for music/audio books; it’s difficult to annotate using text-to-speech; my reading queue is so long I probably won’t ever need to access PG.)
These five features that maximize workflow all pertain to reading, and with good reason: reading is what Bezos and the Amazon team set out to revolutionize when they released the Kindle. Looks like they’re on the right track.
3 Comments
Excellent entry. Needs a dot in @free.kindle.com though.
@ Andrys — you’re right, thanks for pointing that out. Corrected.