The Best Way to Find More Time to Read: The Pinterest Pivot

The Best Way to Find More Time to Read: The Pinterest Pivot

Finding time to read can often feel like an elusive task, but the truth is, there is no secret to it. As simple as it sounds, finding time to read boils down to choices about how you allocate your time. And allocating your time is how successful people increase productivity.

When it comes to reading, one strategy that has been proven effective is taking notes. By underlining, synthesizing, asking questions, and relating concepts from other things you've read, you engage with the material on a deeper level. This not only helps with comprehension but also aids in retaining the information for future reference.

To truly find more time to read, it's essential to examine how you spend your time outside of reading. Consider this: the average person spends 3-4 hours a day watching TV, an hour or more commuting, and another 2-3 hours a week shopping. That adds up to 28 hours a week on the low end. Imagine if you could allocate even a fraction of that time to reading. (Note: That's 1,680 minutes. If you read a page per minute, it'll be 1,600 pages a week...)

But reading isn't just about the act of reading itself. It's about what you do when you're not reading. Successful readers make a habit of thinking about what they've just read. Instead of mindlessly scrolling through social media or engaging in idle activities, they use their downtime to reflect on the material they've consumed. This practice deepens their understanding and allows them to apply the knowledge to their daily lives.

Ignorance is more expensive than a book. To avid readers, reading is more than just a raw input. It is a means to increase knowledge, find meaning, gain a better understanding of others and oneself, and even make life better by making fewer mistakes. Even Nassim Taleb, author of Antifragile, emphasizes that many ancient philosophers grasped the concept of antifragility. No matter what problem you're facing, odds are that someone, somewhere, who is smarter than you, has probably thought about it and put it into a book. As Machiavelli wrote in The Prince, "A wise man ought always to follow the paths beaten by great men, and to imitate those who have been supreme, so that if his ability does not equal theirs, at least it will savor of it." Seneca echoed a similar sentiment, stating, "Men who have made these discoveries before us are not our masters, but our guides."

If you're not keeping track of what you read, it might be worth considering how you approach your reading habits. As Warren Buffett famously said, "The rich invest in time, the poor invest in money." Charlie Munger, a voracious reader, billionaire, and vice chairman of Berkshire Hathaway, commented that he has known no wise people over a broad subject matter area who didn't read all the time. Reading is a habit that successful individuals prioritize because they understand the value it brings.

Now, let's shift gears and explore the story of the Pinterest pivot. The pivot from Tote to Pinterest was an iterative process that stemmed from Ben Silbermann's observation of people saving favorite items and sharing them with friends, rather than making purchases. It connected with his childhood memory of collecting insects and the tendency people have to share their collections with one another.

When Silbermann pitched the idea to his former boss, Michael Cohen, he kept it short and succinct. Cohen was immediately captivated and decided to invest in Silbermann's vision. This crisp pitch and the clear description of customers' needs caught Cohen's attention.

Initially, the app, Tote, aimed to replace bulky catalogs but lacked a convenient mobile payment system. This posed a significant inconvenience for an app that marketed itself as making shopping more convenient. However, Silbermann noticed that while Tote users weren't making purchases through the app, they were amassing collections of "favorite" items to share with friends. This sparked an idea.

Although there were already sites that allowed people to display virtual collections, they were limited to showcasing a single item. Silbermann saw an opportunity to offer a visually appealing platform where people could display all their collections in one place. He viewed this pivot from Tote to Pinterest as an iterative process, a direct outgrowth of what he had learned from the first business. It was a response to an unmet need and an enormous opportunity.

In combining the themes of finding time to read and the Pinterest pivot, we can draw some actionable advice:

1. Prioritize your time: Assess how you spend your time and make conscious choices to allocate more time for reading. Consider reducing mindless activities like excessive TV watching or aimless browsing on social media.

2. Engage with the material: Take notes, underline, synthesize, and ask questions while reading to enhance comprehension and retention. Use your downtime to reflect on what you've read and think about how it applies to your life.

3. Embrace the power of sharing: Just as Pinterest tapped into people's desire to share their collections, consider sharing what you read with others. Discussing books and ideas not only deepens your understanding but also opens up opportunities for new perspectives and insights.

In conclusion, finding more time to read is within your control. It requires making deliberate choices about how you allocate your time and engaging with the material on a deeper level. The Pinterest pivot serves as a reminder that observing people's behaviors and unmet needs can lead to innovative solutions and opportunities. By incorporating these principles into your reading habits and embracing the power of sharing, you can unlock the transformative potential of reading in your life.