How to manage your digital read-it-later list—before it’s too late

Most of us have some sort of system to save online articles we want to read…eventually. Maybe you're favorite tweets, use a dedicated app like Instapaper, add links to bookmark folders, or open millions of tabs in your web browser.

There is only one problem with this habit: you add stories to the list faster than you check, and you add your summary every week. Ultimately, reading the list later can be as clogged as an email inbox.

It's time to finish the story pile you saved—or at least reduce it to a manageable size. Here are some strategies to help you complete your own assigned reading tasks.

Integrate your list

You need to know where everything is before you start working on your later reading heap. Take some time to review your collection so you know where to go when you want an easy, educational or entertaining reading.

For example, suppose you saved your story using Twitter, Facebook, web browser bookmarks, and email. You need to make sure you don't forget any of these sources. For tracking, you can add all these locations to a folder or combine relevant apps on your phone. Or start moving all of these links to a dedicated later reading app.

Applications such as Instapaper or Pocket will help you collect everything in one place. These later reading services can collect stories from multiple sources and put them together. It's easy to save the article itself - use the browser extension of the app of your choice, add links from your phone, or email the article to the app.

If you prefer to save only links, you can integrate all your readings through the universal notes application. We recommend Evernote or OneNote. Or you can save a draft email containing a list of links. An application or email will allow you to access your list from multiple devices when needed.

You can even use IFTTT (if so, then that), a free service that connects various applications to build your own solutions. In this case, you can set up a process called a "small program" where sending an email to an IFTTT address will automatically trigger an update to your reading list. First sign up for a free account. Then click on the avatar in the upper right corner to access the main menu, select New applet , and set Email as a trigger. For Actions, select the app where you plan to store a reading list: You can have these emails trigger changes in Google Drive, Dropbox, or iOS alerts apps.

All of these methods will make your reading list easy to access at any time. Just select the option that suits you best.

Plan in advance

Planning ahead will be very helpful when you need to browse a bunch of articles. For example, if you are about to take a long airplane or train trip—actually any journey you don’t actually drive—make sure you have some articles ready to use when you’re ready.

This may require you to make your article accessible offline before the trip begins. The applications we mentioned earlier (Instapaper, Pocket, Evernote, and OneNote) can all cache text and images for offline reading. Or you can click "Print" of several articles and save it as a PDF.

In addition to ensuring you have access to your story, you may also need a device that makes the journey more enjoyable. If you own a Kindle, you can send articles directly to your device. For example, the Send to Kindle browser extension can send articles to your e-reader with just one click. Amazon also allows you to send stories to your Kindle via other apps. To do this, you first need to log into your Amazon account. Then click your device and then click the action button (three dots) next to your Kindle. This will give you a unique email address to which you can send articles.

Another way to plan ahead is to classify articles by topic or required reading time. For example, if you maintain a "five minute reading" folder—you can do it using a browser bookmark, Instapaper, or Pocket—you can process these specific articles while you are waiting for the bus. Or you can split your collection into easy reading and more serious content so that no matter what mood you are in, you can find a story you want to read.

If you are serious about catching up with your later reading list, you may need to set aside a specific time in the day to process the article. You may choose to reduce the list when you wake up or before bed, when other distractions are minimal. Even 10 minutes a day can have a big impact.

Utilize application features

Many later-read apps offer some features to help you with your lengthy list of pending articles. For example, they can make fonts easier to view, convert text to speech, or turn you into a quick reader.

Let's start with some of the features provided by Pocket. To change the appearance of an article, access the app through its web portal, open an article, and click the Show option button ("AA" icon) in the upper right corner. Here you can adjust the font, background color and size to make the story easy to read so you can browse them as soon as possible.

Pocket can read your articles to you when you don't have time to read at all, but you do need to walk or do chores. Open the Pocket app on your phone, start reading an article, click the menu button (three dots), and select from the list to listen (TTS) . While listening, you can adjust your reading speed or jump back and forth in the audio.

Instapaper provides similar features. To adjust the appearance of the story, visit the app's web interface and click the Font Settings button ("AA" icon).

This app also offers text to voice functionality, but is limited to premium subscribers. This means you have to pay $3 a month or $30 a year to access it. After upgrading, you can listen by opening a story, going to the Share menu, and select Read aloud .

A feature of Instapaper that you don't have to pay for is called Quick Reading, which works on both the web and on the application. When you click or click the Quick Read button (speed meter icon), the current article will appear in front of you word one at a time. You can adjust the speed using the slider below the word.

Even if you are not using Pocket or Instapaper, other applications offer useful options such as simplifying the interface or organizing articles more intuitively. As for text to voice, you don't need an application - you can find browser extensions that do the same job.

Give it up

If you have a particularly long list, you may need to reduce it before you start reading. You may be surprised at how much content is no longer interested in you. Don't waste time reading previews of season finale you've watched, popular comments on news stories that were outdated a few months ago, or clippings of research you've already completed.

The next time you have five minutes of free time, don't start a long article that you know you can't read at once. Instead, take the time to delete articles from the oldest part of your list later. Or simply try to delete all articles that have been in excess of a year – you are unlikely to miss any life-changing information.

That is, you shouldn't completely clear your later reading list - you never know when you'll be stuck somewhere because you need entertainment. When you check old articles, add new ones so that you have a story every time you need to read the material.

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