I Know Reading A Book On Blinkist Isn’t Really Reading, But I’m So Glad It Exists

I first heard about the Blinkist app from a friend. She told me how she was using it to discover and learn from nonfiction books and how it had become a part of her daily routine. I’ve always loved to read—especially nonfiction—but feel I never have enough time for it so I decided to give the app a go.

Blinkist isn’t exactly a reading app as it was designed to help busy people learn new things. It does this by sharing the most important ideas from nonfiction books in 15-minute explainers that you can either read or listen to. There are thousands of titles to choose from across 27 categories like personal development, entrepreneurship and creativity.

I’ve been using Blinkist for a few months and now I fully agree with my friend—it’s amazing how many books I’m able to get through with the app. It may not be the same as reading them in full, but it’s pretty close. Here’s what I mean.

Blinkist doesn’t replace books, it helps you discover more of them

A Book Explained in 15 Minutes

Between work and personal commitments, it can often take me weeks, or even months, to read a book cover to cover. With the app, it takes me just 15 minutes. That’s because Blinkist shares only the most important insights from nonfiction books. You may not be getting the full explanation of the ideas or every single anecdote, but you do get the key points explained succinctly.

I was skeptical at first, so I read Blinkist’s take on Getting Things Done by David Allen, a book I’ve read in full several times before. I found that Blinkist gives you the main messages and even some of the interesting real-life stories from the book. Just not all of them. What helped me trust the app even more was discovering that real people make these decisions. A team of writers, editors and experts decide which parts of the book are the most useful and include only these parts in the explainer.

Learning On the Go

I can now fit reading into my schedule by listening to the explainers on Blinkist while commuting, cooking or doing chores. Finding uninterrupted time to sit down with a real book can be tricky, but finding 15 minutes to listen to Blinkist, especially when I’m doing something else, is much more achievable.

Blinkist’s sleep timer has totally changed my before-bed routine, too. When I’m winding down for the day, I put on an explainer and drift off just as it’s finishing. You can also queue several explainers to play one after the other, which is ideal for long drives or when working out.

Read or listen to Blinkist’s take on nonfiction books

I Read More With Blinkist Than I Ever Would Without It

I used to have a long list of books I wanted to read, but I just never got around to them. Since using the app, I’ve managed to listen to Blinkist’s take on these titles while going about my everyday activities. For example, in just one day I checked out The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, Sapiens, and How to Win Friends and Influence People.

Beyond books on my reading list, I’ve also been using Blinkist to discover books I never would have found otherwise. There are lists of recommended reading from big names like Bill Gates, Brené Brown and Arianna Huffington. Plus, there are interesting lists with books on topics such as cryptocurrency, politics and stoicism. For those who like structured learning, there are even guided learning paths you can follow with titles on topics like goal-setting, saving money and changing your career.

As each explainer takes only 15 minutes, it’s easy to jump into a topic you know nothing about and begin learning without dedicating too much time to it. If you listen to the explainer and want to know more, you can buy the full book knowing you’ll love it.

I Remember More With Blinkist

It’s all too easy to read an entire book and then not remember a single thing you learned when you’re done with it. I love that, on Blinkist, the key facts are presented in a clear way and often repeated at the end of each explainer. This has helped me walk away from each title with actionable advice and tips to implement into my life.

In the written explainers, there’s helpful bolding and sometimes whole pages dedicated to the most important point. In the audio versions, there are often two narrators and the second narrator repeats the key messages to help them sink in. I might not be scribbling in the margins of a book anymore, but I’m definitely learning more with this style of content.

Information is presented in a way that makes it easy to learn from

It’s Great for Learning Skills for Work

I loved the idea of reading books on my industry and learning new skills I need for work, but after a long week at the desk, the last thing I want to do is spend hours of my weekend reading about professional topics. With Blinkist, I check out work-related titles every morning before starting my day.

For example, as a writer, I’ve listened to Blinkist’s explainers on Creative Superpowers, about how to unlock your creativity, Content Marketing Revolution, about content marketing in business, and Deep Work, on how to focus and get more done. I’ve also spotted titles that would be useful for many different industries, too, like books on entrepreneurship, sales, productivity and management.

When it comes to reading for work, you often only need the most important takeaways, and that’s exactly what Blinkist gives you.

You Can Improve Your Personal Life

Beyond work, I’ve been using Blinkist to learn skills for my personal life, too. There are categories on health and nutrition, sex and relationships, and money and investments.

I recently spent an hour learning more about personal finance with titles like Rich Dad, Poor Dad, Think and Grow Rich, and Warren Buffett’s Ground Rules. I now feel so much more clued up about money and ready to dive into the world of investing. Next, I’m going to check out some explainers on nutrition to get the latest science and advice on the topic.

One of the World’s Best Apps

When my friend first told me about Blinkist, it sounded too good to be true. How could an app really help you learn from books without reading them? So I did what most people do when they don’t know the answer to something: I Googled it. It turns out my friend wasn’t the only one who loved the app.

I found Blinkist had been featured in the likes of The New York Times, Forbes, The Guardian and TechCrunch. Apparently even Apple’s CEO, Tim Cook, is a fan. Beyond press mentions, I found out that the app has won awards from Google and the UN. Apple even named it one of the top 20 apps for lifelong learning.

Blinkist has clearly become a leading app in the education space and a popular way of learning.

Explore thousands of titles across 27 categories

Over 90 Thousand 5-Star Ratings

After falling in love with the app, I went to leave a review on the App Store and found that thousands before me have already expressed how much they enjoy the app. There are 90 thousand 5-star ratings from Apple and Android users. Here are few reviews that totally expressed what I wanted to say, too:

“Best thing about Blinkist is that it exposes me to books that I would not normally read, making me open to new perspectives.”

“This is ingenious. I simply don’t have the time to read cover to cover and miss out on so much learning. I’m so glad I stumbled upon this app and have read books […] I had planned, but never got around to.”

“So many titles, so many categories, all rolled into one time-saving app of knowledge.”

Millions of people are using Blinkist to access the knowledge in nonfiction books to make the most of their reading time. If you, too, want to fit learning into your life, download the Blinkist app to get started.