Kindle e-reader
E-ink reader that makes a daily reading habit easy to keep
Holds a library, syncs highlights and, critically, has no social feed. Heavy readers here point to the highlight export as the real feature, since it feeds note-taking systems. E-ink is easier on the eyes at night than a backlit tablet.
People on record
Sorted by strength of stance
Does it: documented as part of their own routine. Recommends: explicitly advises other people to do it. Discusses: covered it substantively without clear personal adoption; this can include criticism or disagreement.
- Ali AbdaalDoes it
Doctor turned YouTuber · author of Feel-Good Productivity
Pushing the Kindle since 2008, he pairs its highlights with Readwise so what he reads does not evaporate.
Source: aliabdaal.com: how I remember what I read - Austin KleonDoes it
Writer and artist · Steal Like an Artist
Owns a Paperwhite and reckons about half his reading happens on it. He says he loves paper anyway.
Source: AustinKleon.com: Studio gear - Chris WilliamsonDoes it
Host · Modern Wisdom
Does most of his reading on a Kindle, and the exported highlights become the notes behind his book recommendations.
Source: chriswillx.com: 3 Minute Monday, Murder, Fame & Reading“4 years ago, I wanted to read more. … Buying a Paperwhite was one of the best hacks for making reading more convenient & frictionless.”
chriswillx.com: 3 Minute Monday – Murder, Fame & Reading (opens in a new tab) · 28 Sep 2020 - Lex FridmanDoes it
AI researcher · Lex Fridman Podcast
Roughly an hour of his daily reading happens on the Kindle, the physical device rather than a phone screen, which he counts separately from the audiobooks he listens to while running and doing chores.
Source: Lex Fridman Podcast: 1984 book episode transcript - Naval RavikantDoes it
Angel investor · AngelList and the Naval podcast
Fifty or so books sit on his Kindle at once. He opens it, looks through and reads whichever one fits his mood that day, plus six or seven print copies he cycles through.
Source: The Tim Ferriss Show transcript: Naval Ravikant - Tiago ForteDoes it
Productivity writer · Building a Second Brain
From every finished ebook he pulls the highlights and files them in his notes app, including books with no obvious use yet, on the reasoning that he can resurface them later and find a connection. Pulling them out is a step in his monthly review.
Source: fortelabs.com: The Monthly Review is a Systems Check
Aimed at the same thing
Other entries filed under focus or productivity.
- Gear$$$Mid: Roughly $50 to $500, or up to $50/month.
Standing desk
A desk that raises, so part of the working day happens on your feet
On record from 4 of 62 tracked people: 3 do it, 1 recommends it - Gear$$$Mid: Roughly $50 to $500, or up to $50/month.On record from 3 of 62 tracked people: 3 do it
- Gear$$$Cheap: Roughly under $50, or under $15/month.
Paper notebook
A bound notebook for thinking on paper away from a screen
On record from 3 of 62 tracked people: 3 do it - Gear$$$Cheap: Roughly under $50, or under $15/month.
Phone lockbox
A lockable box with a timer that puts the phone out of reach for a set period
On record from 2 of 62 tracked people: 2 do it - Gear$$$Expensive: Several hundred dollars and up.On record from 1 of 62 tracked people: 1 does it
- Gear$$$Mid: Roughly $50 to $500, or up to $50/month.On record from 1 of 62 tracked people: 1 does it
Gear entry · notes paraphrased from cited sources, quoted excerpts copied from the transcript they link to. Not medical advice. Not affiliated with, endorsed by, or reviewed by anyone listed. How this works.