Stay On Task with Pocket

I am constantly reading new articles about design, technology, social media, music, news, etc. It’s great and I enjoy it, but the sheer amount of content posted online can become overwhelming, and can even distract from the work I should be getting done.

Enter stage left: Pocket.

Pocket (formerly Read It Later) was not on my grid until the name change and a recommendation by Leo Widrich, co-founder of Buffer. Here’s how it works:

  1. Install the Pocket extension or bookmarklet. To get the most out of this service, you’ll want to install the Chrome extension or bookmarklet. This puts it at the top of your browser at all times. If you have Chrome, the extension is recommended over the bookmarklet, as the extension also integrates Pocket into many commonly viewed websites, such as Twitter.
  2. Send all articles to the Pocket queue. The goal of Pocket is to save all the articles you want to read for later, when you have time set aside to read them. This would ideally be a time when you have nothing else you are capable of accomplishing, like on a bus ride or on a plane. When you come across an article you want to read, click the extension or bookmarklet, and the article will be sent to your queue. That’s it. If you see a tweet that links to an article you want to read, click on the tweet, and then click Pocket. Pocket even claims to be integrated into 300+ different apps, including Flipboard. It’s extremely easy to collect articles from every source you might be browsing on a regular basis.
  3. Read the articles. When you want to read these saved articles later, Pocket allows you to view your queue on their website or through their app for iPhone, iPad, and Android.

That’s it! Pocket’s versatility is it’s main strength, as you’re able to pull articles through almost any venue, and read them later on the device of your choosing. Try it out and share what works best for you!

Are you in need of a Pocket-like service? Have you found any alternatives that you like better? Let me know!