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Ask HN: How to process a growing list of 'to reads' I do not have time to read?

by fosco on 2/25/20, 3:58 PM with 2 comments

I have a strong desire to read more than I have time for and am frustrated when I do not get to things that I find interesting or have time for.

Looking to see if anyone else has a similar challenge and how they deal with it.

at this point I have a text file with many links I will never get to (unless I win lottery). I do not like using browser bookmarks as I find they get forgotten about. With a text file I can record the link and than my thoughts on it as if it were an ongoing conversation. Note: I have all of this in a single org-mode document.

Thank you in advance for any input!

  • by sovok_x on 2/25/20, 10:13 PM

    Make different priorities of reading based on what your real-life priorities are. Some things you'd better read right this moment and some things when nothing better to do, if ever. Don't fear removing marginally useful articles from your reading list: no one can read everything.

    To simplify this approach skim over articles you have without reading too deep and decide what seems important: better reads tend to attract attention.

  • by mtmail on 2/25/20, 4:18 PM

    I use https://www.instapaper.com/ and then catch up at the dentist, on the train or such. It doesn't cover youtube videos or other more complex content. Most is articles between 3 minutes reading up to 120 minutes reading (very long Wikipedia articles). And it's still easy to forget about articles, I have some 2+ years old.