Designing a better reading experience with Matter: Incorporating Delayed Gratification and Discipline for Success

Designing a better reading experience with Matter: Incorporating Delayed Gratification and Discipline for Success

In today's digital age, the act of reading online consists of various behaviors, from deciding what to read to the act of reading itself, and what we do with the knowledge we acquire afterward. As avid readers, my co-founder Rob Mackenzie and I were top users of Pocket, a read-it-later app, for over a decade before starting Matter. However, we realized that the first generation of read-it-later apps lacked many essential features. They didn't assist with prioritization, resurfacing, or decay, which are crucial aspects of managing one's reading list effectively.

Jeff Bezos, the founder of Amazon, emphasizes the importance of focusing on needs that won't change. In the context of reading, this means that despite the ever-increasing supply of content and the scarcity of attention, the ability to make good decisions about what to read will always be valuable. Trust plays a significant role in deciding what to read, and people trust other people. At Matter, we made the deliberate choice to elevate writers as first-class citizens in our system. The curation of content is immensely valuable, particularly in discovering hidden gems that often go unnoticed by engagement-based algorithms.

While there is an inherent bias in our information consumption towards what's new, we believe that the emphasis on novelty is too strong. Some of the best content ever produced was not written in the past week. Acknowledging this, we designed Matter to serve as a counterweight, providing users with access to a curated selection of high-quality, timeless articles alongside the latest news. We aim to deliver relevant and manageable content to our users, and we're constantly exploring the vast design space to achieve this.

In addition to the reading experience itself, we also recognized the importance of audio as a mode of consumption. With the rise of podcasts and audiobooks, more and more people are engaging with content through listening. To cater to this trend, we introduced a feature called "audio highlights" that allows users to highlight key points while listening without needing to open their phones.

Furthermore, we understand that reading on mobile devices can sometimes be challenging. To address this, we implemented a feature called "minimaps." By performing a two-finger tap on an article, users can view a miniaturized version of the article, making it easier to scan headers and navigate quickly. This feature draws inspiration from video games and code editors and enhances the reading experience on mobile devices. We believe it will be even more impressive on desktop web.

At Matter, our core users are what we call "active" readers. They are intentional about what they read and actively curate their information diets. They have favorite writers, subscribe to newsletters, and frequent obscure blogs. Our goal is to increase the return on investment of reading. We want to help people gain more insight, knowledge, and even thrill from the time they invest in reading.

Now, let's shift our focus to the concept of delayed gratification and discipline, two qualities that have been proven to contribute to success. Stanford University conducted a 40-year-long study that found a correlation between delayed gratification and various measures of success. Children who were willing to delay gratification by waiting for a second marshmallow exhibited higher SAT scores, lower levels of substance abuse, lower obesity rates, better stress management skills, improved social skills, and better scores in other areas of life.

Delayed gratification is about choosing the pain of discipline over the ease of distraction. It involves recognizing that success often requires us to resist immediate rewards and focus on long-term goals. In the study, researchers observed that when a promise was made and delivered upon, the child's brain registered two things: the value of waiting for gratification and the belief in their own ability to wait. This understanding led to the second group of children waiting an average of four times longer than the first group.

Importantly, the ability to delay gratification and display self-control is not an innate trait but is influenced by experiences and the surrounding environment. This finding highlights the significance of creating an environment that nurtures discipline and delayed gratification for long-term success.

So, how can we incorporate these insights into our lives and increase our chances of success? Here are three actionable pieces of advice:

1. Start incredibly small: When embarking on a new habit or goal, make it so easy that you can't say no. By breaking it down into small, manageable steps, you eliminate the resistance that often prevents us from taking action. For example, if you want to start a daily reading habit, commit to reading just one page a day. The key is to build momentum and gradually increase the difficulty over time.

2. Improve one thing by one percent: Rather than aiming for drastic changes or overnight success, focus on continuous improvement. By consistently making small, incremental improvements in various aspects of your life, you can achieve significant progress over time. Whether it's learning a new skill, improving your physical fitness, or honing your professional abilities, the cumulative effect of small improvements is powerful.

3. Use the "Seinfeld Strategy" for consistency: Comedian Jerry Seinfeld famously maintained his consistency by using a simple calendar system. For each day he completed his desired task (in his case, writing jokes), he would put a big red "X" on that day. The visual representation of the chain of "X's" became a motivating factor in maintaining his habit. Find a similar strategy that works for you, whether it's tracking your progress on a calendar or using habit-tracking apps, and leverage it to stay consistent.

In conclusion, designing a better reading experience with Matter involves incorporating delayed gratification, discipline, and the understanding that success often requires choosing the harder path over the easier one. By prioritizing timeless content, elevating writers, and providing innovative features, we aim to enhance the reading experience for our users. Additionally, by embracing delayed gratification, starting small, making incremental improvements, and maintaining consistency, we can increase our chances of success in various areas of our lives. So, let us embark on this journey of intentional reading, discipline, and personal growth, and unlock the true potential within ourselves.