For about a month, I’ve been using Readwise. It’s transformed the way I engage with content on the Internet.
I was a reluctant reader of online content. I favored paper-based material, where I had an easier time annotating while I read.
But now, with Readwise, I’m hitting online articles hard, because I don’t feel like my time is wasted. I move most of what I’m interested in to Instapaper. And if I read articles on Instapaper, my highlights get into Readwise, which then pushes them into Roam. It’s magical.
I’ve also found that Readwise’s spaced reptition feature is enjoyable. I see highlights that interested me, re-presented to me by Readwise. The app also shows me something that it thinks might interest me, even if I’ve never seen it before.
Here’s an example:
To put a value on the digital world by only tallying the money that changes hands is a little like trying to place a value on sex by simply measuring the amount spent on prostitution.
Rory Sutherland: The Wiki Man.
I liked that. I like Readwise. Today I paid for a subscription — undoubtedly a more honorable expenditure than the one referenced in the quotation.
(Note: It was the Focused podcast that spurred me into trying Readwise.)