“Recently, I got sick of lugging my Palm V around, so I developed a vastly superior, greatly simplified device for capturing and sharing information,” wrote productivity guru Merlin Mann. “I call it ‘The Hipster PDA.’”
With those words Mann introduced one of the blogosphere’s most beloved and talked about productivity tools. The concept was deceptively simple. To build a hipster PDA ((Parietal Disgorgement Aid)) required only two steps: get a bunch of 3"x5" file cards and clip them together. Once created you have “a fully extensible system for coordinating incoming and outgoing data for any aspect of your life and work.”
About a year ago I was struck by a similar problem. I noticed that there were numerous times throughout the day when I would have unproductive downtime that could have been better spent catching up on my reading. Invariably I would be in a location (e.g., public restrooms, in line at the post office) that made it difficult to carry around a book or magazine. The solution came to me while using my Hipster PDA, so in homage to Mann’s essential tool I introduce the Hipster Reader.
Building your first Hipster Reader:
1. Get a bunch of magazines and journals.
2. Rip out the pages you want to read.
3. Fold them into shapes of roughly 3"x5".
4. Clip them together with a binder.
How to use your Hipster Reader:
Carry two or three articles in your pocket or purse. Use them for reading material when you have several minutes of unproductive downtime.
Settings & Preferences:
- Binder clips are better than staples which have a tendency to snag on your fabric and the skin of your hands. If you must use staples, fold the pages so that the staples are on the inside.
- Rip out the articles and file them away as soon as the magazine arives in the mail. This single step will help ensure that you get the most out of this tool.
- Put the articles in an accordion folder labeled by topic or by length to make it easier to choose each day’s reading material.
- Carry two or three articles of various lengths and difficulty so you’ll be prepared for both short bursts of semi-distracted reading and for unexpectedly long stretches of downtime.
- Buy stacks of old magazines from thrift stores and garage sales. You’ll find gems that you’ve missed (e.g., book reviews on works you never discovered) and articles that are still relevant. Searching through the old magazines for material that is still relevant will help you avoid the “cult of the new.”
- Instead of buying another hardcover novel, check the book out from the library and use the money to buy another magazine subscription instead. Because you’ll no longer throw them out unread, the magazines will be a longer term value than the novel.
- You won’t always have the time or inclination to read a 20,000 word article on foreign affairs. Include lighter, briefer material such as book and movie reviews. Keep a list (using your Hipster PDA) of the works that you find interesting so that you’ll remember to look for them later (Tip: Add movies to your Netflix.com account as soon as you read the review. Even if the movie isn’t out in theaters yet, Netflix will often have a “Save” button that will add the movie to your queue, ensuring you don’t forget it.)
Once you start using your Hipster Reader, you’ll be amazed by how much more reading you are able to incorporate in your day. With only two pieces a day, you will read over 700 new articles a year, roughly the equivalent of 5-6 books a year. Not a bad use for otherwise unproductive time.
A note for skeptics: Is this idea obvious? Probably. Is it something that anyone could have thought of themselves? Absolutely. So why write about an idea that is so obvious that anyone could have thought of it? Because I suspect that, like the Hipster PDA, people overlook this simple solution because it is lo-tech and uncomplicated.
See also: The Yak Shaving Razor Archives
Have a useful recommendation for making life more pleasant? Send them to me at jpcarter[at]evangelicaloutpost.com.
1
That's a great one! I tend to avoid magazines precisely because they seem overpriced for the small amount of reading I actually get out of them. (And they are: almost half the content is ads that I can't be bothered to look at. 4 or 5 magazines cost as much as a hardcover book, but contain maybe 25% as much actual text, even if you read them cover-to-cover.) But if they represented a guarantee that I wouldn't waste "filler" moments (anyone who rides the New York subways has plenty of those), they'd be more attractive. Good idea. I especially like the ideas of combing old magazines, and keeping a file of different types of articles ready to go.
Try sending this to Mann; he'll probably post it and credit you.
posted on 07.05.2006 9:21 AM2
I tried this until the manager of the bookstore came over and asked me to leave.
posted on 07.05.2006 11:30 AM4
KTK:
almost half the content is ads that I can't be bothered to look at
Then you're reading the wrong magazines. I highly recommend Skeptic, for one. There's always a lot of good stuff in each issue, and while I often disagree with it, I find that they tend to give even the most controversial issues fair treatment.
I used to also subscribe to Free Inquiry, but that one fell by the wayside as I started falling behind in my reading. (Little known fact: I've also been published in Free Inquiry, in the Winter 01/02 issue -- I was so important, their website even misidentifies me as "F. Girsch")
posted on 07.07.2006 4:19 PM