From Non-Reader to Book-a-Week: How Microlearning Cemented My Reading Habit

I was never a big reader growing up. At this point in my life, I was teaching in college, and my colleagues would wow me with the knowledge they had gained from reading. They recommended some books to me, and I realized I actually really enjoyed reading.

I try to do two books a month now. Sometimes I use my reading time more as study, especially when reading nonfiction. Before, I'd spend an average of 2 hours a day on consumer apps. I was wasting 14 hours a week on it. I realized that using my time more effectively for knowledge gathering was much more productive.

My reason for using the Headway app was to replace scrolling through news, Vinted, and other time-wasting apps on my phone, and instead gain some knowledge in those moments when I could.

The switch from reading speed to actual retention

When the pandemic happened, it made it easier to read more. I read a book called 'Limitless' by Jim Kwik, which gave me the tools to read at speed. A fantastic book which acted as a stimulus for me to try to read a book a week.

Now I think it's more about the quality of the reading over quantity. I take notes quite often when reading now. 

Something I wished I had done during that year. I try to do two books a month now, and the app features actually support this slower, more intentional pace:

• Saving key excerpts: There are excerpts in each summary that you can save, and others you can share.

• Bookmarking ideas: This helps in bookmarking a quote or something memorable to review at a later time.

• Reflecting on the material: Summaries differ in quality, but you are able to rate each summary once you have read it. This can be used as a reflective tool for the reader to assess how much they have gained from the reading.

How I starved my scrolling habit by setting strict app limits

My own discipline is the answer here. I removed some apps from my phone, and that really helped. I have gotten into the habit of time-limiting certain apps, so on days when willpower is low, I almost have no choice but to look at something like Headway.

Headway has helped me get those 10-15 minutes of knowledge-gathering instead of scrolling through social media.

📘 Reclaim your wasted screen time. Start reading again with Headway!

Short summaries helped me test heavy books before buying them.

Headway is really easy to use, and I think that makes it more attractive to me to keep coming back. I had a list of books I wanted to read, but I knew it would take me hours to get through them. 

I was worried that not all the books would be what I thought they were, and maybe not as good as I thought, so Headway allowed me to scope out some and cross them off my list if I thought I'd got what I needed, or keep them on my list if I wanted to know more.

Here is how I use the app to filter my reading list:

• 'Outlive' by Peter Attia: A huge book, but after reading the Headway summary, I'd gotten what I needed.

• 'Thinking, Fast and Slow' by Daniel Kahneman: Which I had actually read, so after reading the summary, I knew the Headway summary was very good.

• 'Glucose Revolution' by Jessie Inchauspe: After reading the summary, I wanted to go deeper, so I bought the book.

Swapping evening scrolling for meeting strategies that actually work

I tend to use Headway in the evenings, but there is no fixed pattern. Sometimes I find myself scanning new, etc., and realize it's a waste of time; I might as well read something. Headway gives me that option.

I also like that I can read something random, as the categories help show what's available in the app. Sessions probably last 15 minutes, sometimes longer, sometimes shorter.

📘 Trade mindless scrolling for actual knowledge with Headway!

I apply these directly to my job. Here are a few recent examples of the insights I took away:

• 'Good Leaders Ask Great Questions' by John Maxwell: I'd randomly had a conversation at work that day about raising questions in meetings. Thought it was good to know more, so I searched the Headway app, and there was this book summary. Really useful, and I took away some strategies, including looking into personality testing.

• 'Brief' by Joseph McCormack: Practice summarising information. I now end work meetings with a summary and clear actions.

• 'Don't Be Afraid to Ask': Persuasion as a gradual incremental process. I like that, and it has helped me think about influencing at work.

• 'A Whole New Mind' by Daniel H. Pink: Stepping back from tasks to consider the bigger picture. Helpful to save time and cut to the chase on tasks.

My way to skip the social leaderboards to compete against myself

Elements of gamification add a touch of fun to the learning process. Headway uses features like daily streaks, achievements, and challenges to encourage users to build a consistent learning habit. 

You can set personal goals and track your progress, similar to apps such as Duolingo.

But with Headway, I feel like I'm playing against myself and not others. That's more appealing to me.

On the busiest days, I'll just do what I can. The micro learning I need to explore more, as I have done maybe 1 or 2 of these.

If someone were in my old position, I'd tell them to explore the app and its features. One mistake I made was not knowing about the ability to listen to books, too, until I got on the app.

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I'd also suggest reserving time to use the app each day. I still struggle with this at times, as life is very busy. A little something is better than nothing.

I don't think you can ever replace reading a book from cover to cover, but substituting non-learning screen time for something to support knowledge development can only be a good thing. Try building your own habit with Headway instead of looking at the news today.

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Trade your news feed for real work strategies

We all know reading is important, especially when you teach or manage others for a living. But finding the hours actually to sit down and vet a heavy non-fiction book is a different story. 

It's a lot easier to default to scrolling the news or shopping apps, quietly losing hours of your evening.

Ian's system works because it doesn't demand extra time. By simply putting limits on the apps that drain his attention, he traded his scrolling reflex for 15 minutes of reading. And as his routine shows, those small pockets of time lead to concrete results at work:

• Testing out new ways to run a meeting based on clear frameworks.

• Figuring out if a 400-page science book is actually worth your money before you buy the full text.

• Keeping a private reading streak going without the pressure of competing against anyone else.

You don't need a cleared-out calendar to pick up a reading habit again. Just set a timer on your biggest digital distractions and fill that gap with something that actually pays you back in useful ideas. 

Get your first summary today and start your learning routine with Headway.