How to Use Pocket to Save Time {Bloggiesta Mini-Challenge}

Updated March 15, 2014

Links are constantly catching my attention, saying OPEN ME, LOOK AT ME, READ ME!! But most of the time when I’m perusing Twitter or going through my feed subscriptions on Feedly, I don’t have time to read an entire article or watch a video right there and then. So what’s a vixen to do? Save it for later – in Pocket.

What is Pocket?

Pocket (formally known as Read It Later) is an internet browser extension and mobile app that allows you to save links to read later. It syncs to your computer and your mobile device automatically and can be viewed anytime, even offline.

Why Use Pocket?

I am constantly finding interesting links on Twitter. There are book reviews I want to read, posts I want to comment on, book recommendations I want to check out on Goodreads, deals and freebies to grab on Amazon – you get the idea – but I’m not always able to get to them RIGHT NOW. At one point I was marking these tweets as ‘favorites’ but that soon got out of control. Then I was emailing tweets to myself and flooding my inbox.

And how often do you dread opening your feed reader because you know you’re going to see a mass amount of unread items to read? How many times have you declared feed reader bankruptcy and performed a bulk delete? With Pocket, it’s easy to go through my feed subscriptions and save the articles I’m interested in reading for later. Then when I have the time, I go through my Pocket and read them.

Note: Pocket is fully compatible with Feedly but not so much with Bloglovin. With Feedly, you can easily save items to your Pocket from the website and the mobile app. With Bloglovin, you can save items to your Pocket from the website, however there is no Pocket option in the Bloglovin mobile app.

How to Use Pocket

I’m going to show you how I use Pocket. Since the two main places I get links from are Twitter and Feedly, that’s what I’m going to demonstrate.

Chances are you’re already using one of the many Twitter apps that support Pocket. Even the Official Twitter app for iOS supports Pocket. And there are many news and RSS apps that support Pocket as well. I use the Tweetbot app for Twitter and Feedly to access my feed subscriptions so I will be using snapshots from these two applications in my demonstration. I will also include a snapshot showing how to save a link to Pocket on the Bloglovin website.

How to Save Links to Pocket

Save to Pocket from Twitter via browser extension

From twitter.com, click on the Pocket hyperlink:

Then you’ll see this confirmation message:

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Save to Pocket from Twitter via mobile app

From your Twitter app, press and hold the link and this menu will pop up:

Select Send to Pocket and you’re done.

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Save to Pocket from Feedly website

From the Feedly website, click on the Pocket icon:

Then you’ll see this confirmation message:

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Save to Pocket from Feedly via mobile app

From the Feedly mobile app, click on the Pocket icon:

 

You will then get a confirmation that it was saved to your Pocket.

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Save to Pocket from Bloglovin website

From the Bloglovin website, right-click on the link you wish to save:

And click Save to Pocket.

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How to Access Links in Your Pocket

Via browser extension

Pull up the Pocket website:

And there are all the links you’ve saved to Pocket. 

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Via mobile app

Open the Pocket app and you’ll be taken to your queue:

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How to Get Pocket

First, you’ll need to sign up for a free account on their website. Once you’ve signed up, bookmark Pocket so you can get to your Pocket queue quickly and easily.

You can install an extension for your internet browser (Chrome, Firefox, Opera, Safari) or get one of the web based apps or desktop apps. This will help you save stuff to Pocket from your browser.

TIP: I prefer using the Pickpocket Chrome extension, as opposed to the Pocket extension. With the Pocket extension, when you click on the Pocket icon you get taken to your queue on the Pocket site. With the Pickpocket extension, when you click on the extension icon, all the items in your Pocket appear in a pop up.

If you have a mobile device, you can download the Pocket app. It’s available for iOS (iPod Touch, iPhone, and iPad), Android, Kindle Fire, Blackberry, and more. 

The Challenge

For this Bloggiesta mini-challenge:

1. Go to Pocket and sign up for a free account.
2. Install an extension for your internet browser (Chrome, Firefox, Opera, Safari).
3. If you have a mobile device, download the Pocket app. (If you don’t have a mobile device, you can skip this step.)
4. Save an item to your Pocket via the Pocket extension
5. Save an item to your Pocket via the Pocket app. (If you don’t have a mobile device, you can skip this step.)

 

When you’ve completed the challenge, come back here and leave a comment and share your Pocket experience with us. Let us know how you like Pocket and how you plan to use it. And if you have any questions, feel free to ask them in the comments!