On most Thursday afternoons, I tune into a weekly webshow on Spreecast called The Gamification Revolution. It features interactive interviews with people in the gamification community. Recently, I saw an interview with Nir Eyal1.
Nir Eyal (nirandfar.com) is an author and lecturer on behavior design and habit formation. Thoughout the 30 minute conversation, he discussed how behavior can be changed by forming new habits. He used personal examples of how he recognizes and analyzes his own behaviors and then works to form better habits to change them. I related to his example about reading.
Like many of us, Nir has more reading material than he has time to read. He found that reading became a distraction because it pulled him away from more important tasks. Once he realized this behavior and the cause, he made some changes. First, by limiting the amount of time spent each day reading. Second, he found a way to repurpose other time in his daily routines. In the webshow, Nir mentioned three apps that helped him create better reading habits: Pocket, Lisgo, and ReadTime. These apps allowed Nir to incorporate “reading” into other activities such as working out and commuting to work.
Pocket (getpocket.com) is a free app that allows users to clip articles and save them for later review. Lisgo (lisgo.org), also free, is a “listen to it later” app that allows users to listen to articles saved to Pocket. The free version provides up to 15 min of audio per day and there is an in-app option to purchase an upgrade for unlimited audio. ReadTime (readtimeapp.com) is another free app linked to Pocket. It allows users to set time limits for reading and then provides clipped Pocket articles that can be completed within that timeframe.
My inbox was full of interesting employee engagement articles that I wanted to read when I found the time. I was curious to see if these apps could help better manage my reading so I downloaded them from iTunes. Once Pocket was set-up on my phone, tablet, and laptop, I could send those email articles to Pocket to read later and then delete those emails from my inbox. Win-Win!
During the next morning’s commute, I opened the Lisgo app and listened to four of my Pocket articles in 15 minutes. Even with the 15-minute daily limitation of the free app, I was hooked. It was so simple. There were no books, magazines, or printouts to fumble with or carry. I could sit back, relax, and concentrate on what I was hearing. Be warned…it’s very easy to become fully absorbed into the article you’re hearing. For instance, I was walking down the street listening to a very funny LinkedIn article entitled, A Survivor’s Guide to Bullies, Backstabbers and Bastards.2 You should have seen the strange looks I received from people as I walked by them laughing out loud. They must have thought I was very happy or completely nuts.
As I’ve mentioned in previous posts, such as Patience and Fortitude and The Favorite Books I Read In 2013, reading is an important self-development practice that helps everyone become better employees and/or managers. Take advantage of the Pocket, Lisgo, and ReadTime apps3 and maximize reading opportunities. Share this post and with co-workers and your direct reports as an option to improve their own reading routine.
How do you find time to read about employee engagement? What other tips or apps can you share on ways to maximize your reading opportunities?
1 Link to The Gamification Revolution interview with Nir Eyal:
http://www.spreecast.com/events/gamification-revolution-nir-eyal
2 Link to the LinkedIn article, A Survivor’s Guide to Bullies, Backstabbers and Bastards:
http://www.linkedin.com/today/post/article/20140114223150-39785422-a-survivor-s-guide-to-bullies-backstabbers-and-bastards
3 I have no affiliation with Pocket, Lisgo, or ReadTime and have not been compensated for mentioning or promoting them in the post above. I think they are useful apps and wanted to share my experience with fellow Agents.
P.S. – First time here? Welcome to the Agent In Engagement site. Thanks for taking the time to stop by! I hope you’ll explore the rest of the site. Let me know what employee engagement topics interest you.
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Let’s Get Engaged!
I’m Agent in Engagement Simpson…Gregory Simpson.
As an Agent in Engagement, my mission is to help companies and their employees succeed by focusing on how frontline and middle managers engage, manage, and develop their direct reports.
After years in the field, the consulting field, where I created award-winning employee engagement work for Fortune 150 clients, I’m looking forward to returning to headquarters where I’ll to continue to battle every company’s greatest nemesis, employee disengagement.
I’m excited about this opportunity to connect with fellow “Agents.” Subscribe to the RSS Feed to receive the latest updates and/or register to comment on posts.
You can follow me @agtinengagement, email me at g…@a…t.com or learn more about me at www.gregoryfsimpson.com.
