Why I Start Every Day with Readwise

Sep 15, 2024
Why I start ever day with Readwise and have no plans of stopping

๐ŸŽ‰๐ŸŽ‰ 1,300 days of Readwise in a row! ๐ŸŽ‰๐ŸŽ‰ 

And no plans of ever stopping!!!

This has become a non-negotiable in my morning routine, BUT WHY? ๐Ÿค”

Because it sits at the intersection of learning and self-leadership, and propels me towards my goals.

These five elements explain why Readwise became an essential piece of my self-leadership toolkit.

1๏ธโƒฃ Self-leadership is all about taking charge of your own actions, thoughts, and motivations. After all, how can you lead others without first mastering the art of leading yourself?

2๏ธโƒฃ A key element of self-leadership is the concept of self-cueing.

Think of self-cueing as your personal reminder system. It's the gentle nudge you give yourself to stay on track, recall information, and reinforce positive habits.

Leaders who excel at self-cueing are like conductors orchestrating their success symphony! ๐ŸŽถ Mastering this skill makes the process of acquiring and retaining knowledge more efficient and enjoyable.

3๏ธโƒฃ Enter: Readwise.

Readwise is your personalized reading companion. It digitally keeps track of the highlights and notes you’ve scattered across books, articles, and blog posts, and then serves them back up to you on a daily basis.

4๏ธโƒฃ This did require me to develop e-reading habits—something that was admittedly tough at first.

You see, I love holding a book in my hands—feeling its weight, looking at the cover, and feeling invited and inspired to step inside. And whether fresh off the press or tinged with the perfume of time, there’s something about the scent of a book that tells its own story.

BUT, the value in rediscovering the highlights and notes that originally inspired insights, lessons, and reflections made the transition to e-reading beyond worth it.

5๏ธโƒฃ How Does It Work?

Every day, I receive a daily digest of 13 highlights (you choose the number) from previous materials I’ve read. I get to tag them, add additional notes, reflect more deeply on them, or delete them if I’m scratching my head as to why I highlighted them to begin with. ๐Ÿคท๐Ÿป‍โ™€๏ธ

Yep, that happens.

All these highlights are then sortable, in a variety of ways, so I easily have access to the information whenever I need or want it. (Like, when I’m writing an article, newsletter, or LinkedIn post)

In addition, because I’m consistently reminded of things I’ve read and lessons I’ve learned, it ensures I’m putting what I read into practice instead of forgetting about it.

๐Ÿ’ก๐Ÿ“š Yep! Readwise is self-cueing at its finest! ๐Ÿ“š๐Ÿ’ก

I’d love to know... do you use Readwise? If not, what systems do you use to cue up previous a-ha’s and insights?


Just a heads-up: Some of the links on this page are affiliate links, which means if you click and make a purchase, I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. It’s a win-win – you get something awesome, and I get to share tips and resources that I love and use! Thanks for supporting me! ๐Ÿงก ๐Ÿ’œ 

Get the Practionable Leadership Newsletter

Practical, actionable insights to help you level up your leadership and life!