The non-fiction world is booming with much more exciting categories than the usual historic pieces I would normally associate with NF. I am constantly seeing titles I’d like to dive into, whether it’s how to meditate, how to combat stress, how to be your own boss or how to find time to read more NF titles. Right now, I have at least 5 titles I’ve purchased (all roughly $14 each) that I’ve yet to read. Why? It takes a lot to take on a new book. Don’t get me wrong, I am an avid fan of reading, I just don’t have the time or brain capacity to fit it in. Between a full-time job, blogging, wedding planning, working out, eating, sleeping, I just always feel like there’s something else I need to be doing and then reading feels forced and in turn, feels like a chore.
BUT last night as I was scrolling through Instagram (hey, its for the blog!), I came across one of those sponsored ads that I normally just scroll past; however, this was a photo of many NF titles I’ve been hearing a lot about: What Would Google Do?, The Tipping Point, Leaders Eat Last, ETC.
It was an ad for Blinkist. Never hearing of this before, I was intrigued.
Click. Click.
And I was in the app saving all sorts of titles I’ve been wanting to read (still having no idea the purpose of this app). Finally, I realized Blinkist is basically a cliffs notes (what up high school) version of NF titles. Blinkist gives you the key insights of each book in roughly 15 minutes; ‘a smarter you in 15 minutes’. So it’s more than a paragraph review, but less than the book in entirety, cool.
There’s a Discover page, where you can see what’s trending, or the option to search. I chose a title. A few quick swipes and I knew all I needed to know about The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo that I have been hearing so much about and was willing to spend $14 on audible to get it and probably ignore it. Blinkist breaks each book down into several short segments (insights) that tells you exactly what you need to know and take away from the title. The ‘Jump to Insights’ tab allows you to do just that.
I was hooked. Essentially, I read 4 books last night. I felt so accomplished. There’s something so gratifying about starting and finishing something in an instant (and not because I short-changed it, but because that’s how it’s meant to be). And I learned some cool stuff too!
New users can get a 3-day free trial, but even after that, the basic membership option is only $4.17/A MONTH. That is 14 cents A DAY. Sure, you could probably find just as lengthy articles online, but this keeps all your titles in one space and saves you the time of looking. Now, if you want to get fancy, you can get the premium membership for $6.67/month, which allows you to both read and listen to titles, sync titles between multiple devices and save highlights to Evernote. None of that peaks my interest, so I’m happy with my 14 cents/day membership. So, last night I read 4 titles for 4 cents each, opposed to the usual $14-$20. That alone makes me want to read more, which makes me learn more, a win-win.
And there are tons of categories, such as Productivity & Time Management, Science, Motivation & Inspiration, Health & Fitness, Entrepreneurship & Small Business (I’m talkin’ to you Bloggers!) ETC. Something for everyone! Here are just a few of the titles that are on my ‘to read’ Blinkist list: Rising Strong, #GIRLBOSS, The Happiness Project, The Bulletproof Diet, and Wherever You Go There You Are.
Normally with these types of NF books, it takes a while to build what the author is trying to say and you really only need to pull out the important parts, and that’s exactly what Blinkist does. Gain all the knowledge you need for a mere fraction of the time! Try it out! If you hate it, you’re out nothing (free trial!); if you love it, you’re welcome.
Happy Learning!
neverbeenso 