What is Pocket?

How many times have you been surfing the web and stumbled upon an article that you really wanted to read and but didn’t have time right now? Pocket allows you to grab links, images, videos, etc. and save them for later review and strips out the clutter from the articles and presents them as “easy-to read”. Pocket is a “save for later” service like Instapaper for Readability.

Another benefit of Pocket is that it is integrated with lots of other services and applications, making it easy to share articles and other items to and from Pocket. For instance Pocket integrates very well with Evernote (we are big fans of Evernote @Flawd, to learn more how we use Evernote check out these posts: Evernote for Fitness and Evernote to win) , pocket also integrates IFTTT.

Why should you use pocket?

One goal of FLAWD is to optimize how you consume information so that you can meet your goals quicker and faster and in the pace that suits you. We should try to shorten (or adapt) the distance from consuming information to taking action, so that it suits your needs and goals in life.

Consuming information is individual, and while some prefer to have something in their hands, others prefer to read on screens and tablets. There are obvious benefits with both.

I suggest that you do both, but aim to be paperless for the most part, simply because it’s easier. For example, you can always access your information, and search it “searchability” or “findability”. However, do not underestimate the power of pen and paper, but this post is about pocket so lets focus on that! :)

One great thing about digital information is that we can bring information with us whilst traveling. Check out our travelpost for how to be ultraproductive while traveling.

If you find yourself bombarded with cute videos and cats all day, Pocket might help you save those for later. If you frequently come across things you’d like to read “at some time” then Pocket can, again, help you out. With the pocket “browser-bookmark”,apps and extensions, it’s easy for you to save stuff to check out whenever you like.

10 steps to get started

1. Setup your free account.

Introducing Pocket from Pocket on Vimeo.

2. Install it on your devices

Install the “app” in your browser and on your devices. I am using the chrome extension in my Chrome browser desktop, my Ipad and on my Android phone.

3. “One-Click Save”

When you’re on a page you’d like to read later, just click the icon and it’s immediately saved to your account. Super simple. Super convenient.

4. Read anytime – automatic sync across all devices

You’re in the middle of reading an article on your computer but are interrupted. Later when you’re on a your laptop and want to finish reading it, instead of having to search for it again, Pocket keeps it all sync’d seamlessly.

5. Email articles to yourself

Going through your email and find a link to an article that looks promising? Just forward it to add@getpocket.com. That link’s page will be added to your list in Pocket. It’s also a great way to add articles while you’re on the go without opening the app.

6. Archive

Pocket is like an organized library.

I Archive items that I have read or that I don’t need right now but want to come back to, later, recommend to someone, or reference again in the future. I try to use the Delete function as much as possible, to have the archive as “uncluttered” as possible.

7. Tags

Tags helps you to group related articles. Here are some of my most used tags:

videos: This helps with prioritization, and will read those articles while above ground and connected to the Internet
CrossFit – CrossFit related articles and videos
CrossFit Journal – CrossFit Journals
Evernote – related to evernote app and “going paperless – lifestyle”

Other possibilities: apt (apartment), shopping, recepies (food), comments (reopen the article in a browser to follow the comment thread)

Tips about tagging:

Think first before tagging! And start small. Suggestion of tags to start with:Finance, Work, Health, Mental, Lifestyle, Relations – remember LESS is more. A tag you love today, will it be relevant in a year? 2 years? start slow – 10-15 tags. I always make the mistake to think that I can handle infinite amount of tags. I did the same mistake with Evernote when I started using it . And it took me 3months to remove and re-tag my notes.

8. Android Awesomeness

If you have Android phone, it can read the article for you. It is not perfect but surprisingly good and convenient. And before I started to listen to a lot of podcasts, listening to pockets was all I did during transportation. Remember:

There’s always a good time to learn.

9. Favourites

I uses favorites to highlight articles that I am working on right now in a current project, doing research, or something that needs action very soon. I try to keep favorites to a minimum (aim: 10). It is a great highlighter if you know there is an action on an article and you want to find it easy and quick later.

10. Save to Evernote and automation

Before I used to save ALL my pockets read pockets to Evernote. But this really cluttered my Evernote. Now I store the real golden gems to Evernote, or for research. The archive (see step 6) is already searchable, and if there is something actionable right now, I favorite it (see step 9). But if it is something I really like and value to have in my Evernote cabinet, pocket has great integratetion with Evernote and there is a “send to Evernote” function on both iOS and Andriod which works PERFECT!

Automation using IFTTT

My favorite IFTTT recepie and automation for pocket is:

Alernative reading

Jamie Rubin uses Pocket as a Gate or Proxy for keeping his evernote clutter free.

Start using POCKET today and let us know how you are using it and what you are reading!

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About the author : Peter

Peter is Podcaster, CrossFit Coach, Security Professional and productivity expert. He is the founder of FLAWD.se and the author of Security Encyclopedia: SakerhetsBibeln.se. Peter blogs about health, technology and productivity. Peter is on a mission to help you to Focus, implement success disciplines and to Win in life!