Catching Up on Professional Reading

If you are anything like me, and I suspect you are, you see those who are consistently reading and commenting on articles and thinking "How in the WORLD do they have time for that!?"  It baffles me!  Let alone time to write the articles (my #PrincipalCast co-host @DrSpikeCook has been blogging once a day in 2014, and I cannot fathom how he has the time!)  It is dizzying.  Honestly.



 

 

I'm working hard on trying to keep up yet not give myself too hard of a time when I don't.  I am a first-year Principal.  I can't do it all.  I have to make priorities.  BUT I WANT TO DO IT ALL!  (Rant over.)

My biggest struggle is reading comprehension.  I admit it - I cannot focus when I'm reading.  I can, however, focus when I am being read to, as long as it is in short bits.  The best adaptive software I have found so far is right in my Mac!

I have recently started (or re-started) listening to the articles I want to read while I'm doing my morning work.  That's right, I listen to them.  If you haven't discovered this little gem, you're missing out!

 

Here is an article on how to do it: http://www.wikihow.com/Activate-Text-to-Speech-in-Mac-OSx 

It's as easy as selecting the text, right clicking, and selecting "Speech ---> Start Speaking"

You can also select the text, right click and select "Services ---> Send to iTunes as a Spoken Track" and it will save it as your own little podcast for later.

I save all of the articles on Twitter I want to read later into Instapaper, then I open it and just have my little Siri read it to me.  It has been a lifesaver, and I don't feel so out-of-touch on my little administrator island.

We discussed this topic in depth on our last #PrincipalCast episode.  You can find Episode 18 at PrincipalCast.net.

How do you keep up with Professional Reading?