How to Save Items to Read Later

Our mobile devices allow us to read digital material from anywhere. Often, we read something we want to review later. Perhaps we want to discuss it with someone else. Maybe we want to view some of the links in the article and don't have the time right now. Perhaps we simply want to re-read the article later. How do we handle that sort of thing in a digital world?

My digital reading material falls into four categories:

1. Articles of interest in the 100 blogs which comprise my RSS feed
2. Links to articles in Twitter messages
3. Documents I have downloaded
4. Websites I am reading and wish to re-visit

Articles in my RSS Feed
I use Feedly to gather into one place new material from the 100 blogs to which I subscribe. I can flip through articles which are of no interest. The next time I check Feedly, those articles no longer appear. I can read an article, and Feedly automatically marks it as "read." When I return to Feedly, that article no longer appears.

One situation remains. I read an article and decide I want to read it, or do something else with it, later. On each Feedly post, a small ribbon icon appears. Scrolling over that icon reveals a message, "Save for later." Clicking that ribbon turns it green and marks it as saved.

At any time, I can open Feedly and click on "Saved for Later" in the left-hand column. All of the articles I have marked are now before me. As long as the ribbon is green, the article will be available in the "Saved for Later" section. When I am done with the article, I click the green ribbon to "unsave."


Links to Articles in Twitter Messages
I find out about many good articles through links in Twitter. I usually read Twitter during spare moments. It's a great way to handle "waiting time." Clicking those links to read the articles is something that generally happens later.

When a tweet looks interesting, I click the star to "favorite" it. In Hootsuite, I have a stream labeled "Favorite Tweets." Everything I have marked on my phone while reading tweets during spare minutes shows up in this stream. When I am done with any tweet, I click the star again to "unfavorite" it.


Documents I Have Downloaded
Reading is something I like to handle in spare minutes. With printed material, I have a decorative inbox where I collect magazines and books. When I anticipate downtime on any errand, I throw some of that reading material in my briefcase.

With digital reading material, I have a folder in Dropbox called "Read." PDF or Word documents I want to review go there. I can then read then from one of my mobile devices. Periodically, I examine that folder while at my desktop computer and remove materials already read. From there, the material goes into my computer's digital filing system or is deleted.

Websites I am reading and wish to re-visit
When reading material on a website that I wish to re-read later, the trick is to get the URL for that article into my to-do list. If I am at my desktop computer, I click the Toodledo bookmarklet on my toolbar. A box opens, representing a new to-do. In the note section of that task, the article's URL will already be displayed. I set a start date and due date for when I want to see the article again. The title of the task will be something like "Read this article on (subject of article)." Clicking "Save" finishes the job.

If I am on a mobile device, touching and holding my finger on the URL gives me the option to share it and by what means. The easiest is option is to share by email. As a Toodledo user, I am assigned a special email address. Anything sent to that address goes into my Toodledo task list with start and due dates of today. When I share the link via email and must choose a recipient, the Toodledo address will be the choice. The URL will appear in the body of the email. Whatever subject line is entered will become the name of the task in Toodledo.

Plenty of special apps exist for handling the concept of saving websites for later viewing. My preferences has always been to pick a very few tools and use them extensively. So, if the task can be accomplished with tools already in my arsenal, I generally reject the additional tool or app.

I only do two things
Those who have heard me speak know that I do only two things every day: check the tickler file and work my to-do list. Everything I have to do feeds ointo one or the other. On my list, you would see a repeating task prompting me to check the saved items in Feedly. You will see a second prompting me to check my "Favorite Tweets" in Hootsuite. Both of those repeating tasks appear weekly.

A great deal of new material comes my way on a daily basis. The ability to get through it quickly, mark what needs to be revisited in depth later, and move on is a key to productivity in this information age.


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How to Stay on Top of Reading Material

We all want to rise in our chosen professions. Even if we have attained our desired position, staying there often requires as much effort as getting there. One of the secrets is reading in our field. The wealth of material makes it easy. The scarcity of time makes it difficult.

My professional reading material comes from three general areas. First is what I receive through printed journals or books I either purchase or borrow from a library. Second is the material which appears in blogs related to my professional interests. Third is online material referenced on Twitter.

Handling the Hard Copy
I have a decorative wooden letter tray beside my desk. Magazines, journals, and books are placed there. That arrangement puts all of my printed professional reading material in one place. While I am watching television, I can grab whatever is on top of the stack. Whenever I leave the house and could possibly have "down" time, I throw some of that reading material in my briefcase. Waiting time becomes reading time.

Some articles require some action. I want to do further research, write a blog post related to the article, or discuss it with my wife. I tear that article from the magazine. The article then goes in the tickler file to handle at an appointed future date. The rest of the magazine is discarded.

Online Reading
Every day, information related to any field imaginable appears on the many thousands of blogs. Finding good blogs is not a problem. Keeping up with reading them can be, especially when one has 50 to 100 blogs found to be useful. Thankfully, a little automation makes it easy. I use a service called "Google Reader." It's free, and all you need is a Google account (also free).

When you find a blog you wish to read on a regular basis, copy the blog's URL. Go to Google Reader, click "Subscribe" and paste the URL into the blank. From this point on, when new material from that blog is posted, it goes to Google Reader. You now have only one place to look for all of your subscriptions. On my tablet and smartphone, I have created shortcuts to Google Reader, so that I am one tap away from freshly-created material related to my interests.

Google Reader presents me with a list of titles. I pick and choose the articles which look appealing. When I am done, clicking "mark all as read" clears the list. Those articles do not appear again. Therefore, each time I open Google Reader, I am seeing never-before-seen material.

One caveat exists. Often an article is good enough that I want to re-read, save, or take some sort of action regarding it. I click a star, and that "starred" article will remain in Google Reader for me to handle when I get back to my desktop computer.

Twitter
Those who think Twitter is only about what people had to eat for lunch are badly mistaken. Twitter is a great place to recommend great material to others and read the recommendation of others. Generally, the tweet includes a link to an online article. I find I can breeze through my Twitter feed quickly, often while standing in the checkout line at the grocery store.

When a tweet links to an article I want to read in depth later, I "star" the tweet, and handle it back at my desktop computer.

One of the great things about this age in which we live is the wealth of reading material that is ours for the taking. Developing a method for tapping this rich resource is well worth the time to develop it.

How do you stay on top of your reading material?

Want to Borrow and Lend E-Books?

If you enjoy reading books on a Kindle or Nook, check out LendInk. It is a free service which matches people who want to borrow e-books with people who already own them. Once you sign up, you browse the library of available titles. The limit is three books borrowed at any one time. A book may be borrowed for up to 14 days.

I have not used this service myself. However, for those who are avid readers and do their reading on a Kindle or Nook, this service may become a significant part of your reading experience.

60 Second Recap

Plot summaries are certainly no substitute for reading the book, but if time is short and you simply need as brief overview, this site is for you. 60 Second Recap provides a short video explaining the major themes of the book. You will find the old standards that we all read in high school. New selections are being added to the site all the time.

If you have an iPhone, there is even an app for that.

Database of Award Winning Childrens Literature

Looking for children's literature for a particular age? What about literature which has won a certain award or belongs to a certain genre? Whatever your need, the Database of Award Winning Children's Literature is your answer. Using the tool could not be easier.

Try your hand at a search.

For those who work in elementary schools, this one is a keeper!

Handling reading material

Staying on top of things in our field means we must stay on top of professional reading. In addition, to professional journals, we all have the things we simply like to read for pleasure. How can we manage it all?

My last post talked about listening to books on tape as a substitute for some of print material. That still leaves me with a great deal of reading material.

I have a section of my briefcase devoted to reading material. As I am going through the mail at work or at home, magazines go straight into the briefcase. That one simple act keeps all of my awaiting reading material in one place. There is no doubt between what has been read and what has not. Anything in the briefcase is either unread or partially read.

When I have down time, I simply pull out something from the briefcase. That means if I am waiting to see the doctor or dentist or if I am waiting to get my hair cut, I pull out some of my reading material. On the way home, I am frequently stopped by a train—so, out comes reading material. I tend to get to appointments early, and while I am waiting, I have reading material.

In short, I match reading material with time that would otherwise be wasted. It keeps the reading material from building up and keeping me from getting bored.