Class of ’20 here. Struggle to concentrate with class readings? It’s better to listen to it as you read! (I built a tool for this, and used it to get a job at Facebook).
Hi longhorns! Fellow alum here, class of 2020.
I remember being in college and dreading readings for anthropology or computer science courses. I’d sit in the PCL for hours but get nothing done. I struggled to stay focused, but whenever I could find the audiobook version of something it would be game changing for me. I found that LISTENING while READING ALONG massively increased my ability to focus and retain what I read.
Years later, I was prepping to change jobs and I needed to read a lot of system design documents. I was faced with this problem yet again, but I solved it for myself with a prototype of what is now Audifier.ai. I converted all those docs to audiobooks and I was able to churn through the information very quickly because of LISTENING while READING. I ended up landing several offers in which I took a job at Facebook.
How to get the focus/concentration/retention boost:
- Copy/paste your text → get an instant audio file.
- Find a quiet spot.
- READ the text while you LISTEN—don’t treat it like a podcast.
Research shows ACTIVE-LISTENING-AND-READING massively increases retention vs. reading alone (why don’t people talk about this?).
I use audifier every day now.
Try it for free. No credit card required. Just promise me you won’t use it like a podcast. Hook ’em 🤘
Posted Jun 15, 2025, 3:18 PM UTC