Finding Focus: Keeping on Task with Reading Mode

While I still enjoy printed books occasionally, my reading preferences have shifted to the Kindle app on my iPad. Customizing my Reading Focus Mode has improved this preference, and here’s how I set it up to make it work for me.

Contextual Triggers

My Reading Focus is triggered contextually, turning on automatically whenever I open the Kindle app. My Home Screen on both my iPad and iPhone shows only Widgets from Kindle, Readwise, and The New York Times.

Integration with Sleep​

I wrote about how I handle Sleep on my iPhone here. When my iPad enters Sleep Mode, the Home Screen also switches automatically to the one mentioned above. I find that this helps me stay on track at night. If I want to watch Netflix or YouTube, I can find it. It just takes extra effort, so I’m more likely to do some reading which feels better to wind down and sleep.

Reading More by Seeing Less

I try to read every day. I may not read more than a few pages on hectic days, but it still fills my cup and desire to learn something. Plus, it’s an incremental way to finish a book even when I don’t have much time.

With Reading Focus turned on, I am less likely to wander into the myriad distractions that may tempt me. I can still do anything on my device; it just requires overcoming the friction of opening the search dialog, typing in whatever I’m looking for, and then pressing on the result.

More Focus & Automation

I’m working on my writing and production focus modes right now, and I am very interested in how contextual triggers, Automation, and Shortcuts can help fine-tune my workflows. How do you use these tools to help you get work done? I’m curious and interested in learning, so please let me know.