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* 04-17-19
* work smart

THIS IS THE TECH HACK THAT I USED TO READ BOOKS FASTER

THIS AUTHOR STUMBLED ON A NEW TRICK THAT ALLOWED HIM TO FINISH MORE BUSINESS
BOOKS (AND IT’S NOT LISTENING TO AUDIOBOOKS).

[Photo: Konstantin Dyadyun/Unsplash]
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More Like This
Why your high-performing employees may be slowly disengaging from work
It’s not just you. Science explains how your focus is more scattered now and how
to get it back
A true leader actively does these 3 things every day
By Thomas Gerencer 4 minute Read

We all need to read more. Warren Buffett spends 80% of his day reading. Bill
Gates reads a book a week. Reading is the only way to stand on the shoulders of
the giants all around us. But 1,000 books get published every day. As a
burned-out workforce, it’s challenging to find the time to read one book a week.

As a business owner, I used to read voraciously. But with two young children and
ballooning work demands, finding the time to read has become more and more
difficult. For years now I’ve read a half a page a night while nodding off to
sleep.

WHY AUDIOBOOKS DIDN’T WORK FOR ME

I found audiobooks helpful, but there are problems. They cost more. You can do
Audible, but then you have to read on their schedule or lose credits. Plus, once
you buy one, you’re stuck listening and can’t switch to reading. Also, not all
books come out on audio. Finally, the voice talent isn’t always “on it,” and for
me, that disrupts the reading experience.

Then I stumbled on an iPhone trick that got me reading business books like
crazy. It takes zero time and lets me toggle any e-book back and forth from
print to audio. Now I’m reading three to five Kindle books and library books a
week just for fun. In the process, I’ve gained valuable insights that catapulted
my productivity to the moon.

SIRI TO THE RESCUE

I get eight hours of screen time every workday, so when I need to read for work,
I listen using text-to-speech. But something changed recently that made it a
whole lot nicer. Siri’s voice got a lot easier to listen to with the past few
updates. I liked it so much I tried it with a couple of Kindle books and digital
library loans.

Now, I listen to books while I drive, run, eat lunch, and brush my teeth. It not
only helps me learn, but also stops my mind windmill from churning out its usual
negative background chatter, and replaces it with inspiration.

HOW TO TURN E-BOOKS INTO AUDIOBOOKS

To do the text-to-speech trick on the iPhone, all you need to do is follow the
steps below:

1. Go to settings>general>accessibility>speech.
2. Turn on “speak screen.”
3. In your Kindle app, swipe down with two fingers to start Siri reading.

That’s it. You can speed up, slow down, and pause, just like with an audiobook.
Siri will even turn the pages if you take these extra steps:

4. Click the little padlock on the lower right to stop the text from rotating.
5. Adjust the text size, so it’s not too small.
6. Leave your screen turned on.

I burned through my Kindle backlog the first month. Then I paired the trick with
my library’s digital lending app to listen to many popular titles for free.
Every time an article catches my eye, I save it to my iPhone’s reading list.
Then when I’m out doing yard work or at the gym, I start Siri, and it reads the
whole list without any fiddling on my part.

I use the voice trick at work, too. Recently I had to read 50 scholarly articles
on burnout. Pretty dry. I sped Siri up, and it zipped through them, giving me
the substance I needed. I also started having Siri read my work back to me when
I’m out for walks or having lunch, which saves me massive chunks of editing time
and makes my words more powerful.

Since I learned this trick, I’ve been devouring more business books and articles
than I can count. I’ve learned a ton, and it’s effortless and a lot of fun. I
canceled my Audible subscription too, and I’m back to loving reading and
learning like I’m in a master’s program, without spending any extra time. One
significant insight I picked up already got me saving 4% of my income. From
another, I discovered that successful people don’t use to-do lists. Instead,
they budget time like money, scheduling the steps to reach their goals. I tried
it and “found” 15 additional hours a week.

Now I use that extra time to work on my own projects. I’ve completed 30% of a
passive-income project I’ve wanted to do for years. Those are just two of the
many transformative ideas I’ve stumbled on since using Siri as a reading hack,
and I probably wouldn’t have come across them if I still “didn’t have time to
read.”

I’ve shared the hack with several friends. Most were stunned by it and use it
all the time now. The one that doesn’t says he still finds Siri’s voice robotic.
I feel his pain. But in time, I’m optimistic that we’re going to see
improvements on that front. Audible, I think your days are numbered.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Tom Gerencer is a career expert at Zety.com, an ASJA journalist, and regular
contributor to Boys’ Life and Scouting magazines.

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FC Executive Board
collections

* FAST GOVERNMENT

The future of innovation and technology in government for the greater good

* MOST INNOVATIVE COMPANIES

Our annual guide to the businesses that matter the most

* MOST CREATIVE PEOPLE

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* 04-17-19
* work smart

THIS IS THE TECH HACK THAT I USED TO READ BOOKS FASTER

THIS AUTHOR STUMBLED ON A NEW TRICK THAT ALLOWED HIM TO FINISH MORE BUSINESS
BOOKS (AND IT’S NOT LISTENING TO AUDIOBOOKS).

[Photo: Konstantin Dyadyun/Unsplash]
*
*
*
*

By Thomas Gerencer 4 minute Read

WHY AUDIOBOOKS DIDN’T WORK FOR ME

SIRI TO THE RESCUE

HOW TO TURN E-BOOKS INTO AUDIOBOOKS

To do the text-to-speech trick on the iPhone, all you need to do is follow the
steps below:

1. Go to settings>general>accessibility>speech.
2. Turn on “speak screen.”
3. In your Kindle app, swipe down with two fingers to start Siri reading.

That’s it. You can speed up, slow down, and pause, just like with an audiobook.
Siri will even turn the pages if you take these extra steps:

4. Click the little padlock on the lower right to stop the text from rotating.
5. Adjust the text size, so it’s not too small.
6. Leave your screen turned on.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Tom Gerencer is a career expert at Zety.com, an ASJA journalist, and regular
contributor to Boys’ Life and Scouting magazines.

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Impact

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WORK LIFE

Work Life

STACEY ABRAMS: BIG BUSINESS STILL NEEDS TO IMPROVE THIS KEY TYPE OF DIVERSITY

Work Life

FOLLOW THESE 4 STEPS TO HANDLE THE UNEXPECTED LIKE A PRO

Work Life

YOUR “INVISIBLE WORK” IS KEY TO YOUR MOST PRODUCTIVE SELF

* Advertise
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* Notice of Collection
* Do Not Sell My Data
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