My Pocket Workflow.
I have been trying to implement the BASB technique by @fortelabs
into my life. This is by far the most effective and the same time realistic techniques I've seen and tried to use.
I wrote a small post on how I use Pocket with my Second Brain. More specifically, how I systematize my notes within the app.
I hope this is useful. I would love some feedback if anyone has any.
Great BASB + Pocket writeup — still relevant even though Pocket consumer shut down in 2025.
For anyone landing here post-shutdown: if you exported HTML before the deletion window, drag-and-drop import into a new read-later keeps the inbox → highlight loop (tags usually survive). Export as Markdown helps for PARA migration.
I built PauseRead for this — happy to share import UX notes.
I love Pocket, congrats on making it work for you!
Another thing I love is clean inboxes. What kept me from really using Pocket was the fact that it felt like just another wall of content, so every time I saved something it ended up being forgotten there. So I made it a point to clean everything out and archive posts as soon as I read them.
So I now have an incentive to read my Pocket articles rather than use Reddit for 23 hours per day (haha), and I have all my posts archived so I can always search for/through them.
Hey @AndreiM, we had the similar use-case in mind when creating SavedZero. The buttons at the bottom of each email help tame the Pocket list from getting out of control. https://www.savedzero.com/
This looks great, @vitalmind! It's a great idea that I would've definitely used, but I've since moved to Safari. :)
Thanks for the nice feedback and enjoy your time with Safari :)
I agree the most important thing about all those techniques is to actually use them. Even the best techniques, hacks are useless if they don't suit your work style. I'm still exploring mine, this seems to work for the time being.
Clicked the link but its currently 404 :(
@vitalmind,
Thanks for letting me know, I fixed the link.
Great article highlighting / note taking process!
Thank you :)
Hi, @rasulkireev
It’s nice to read that someone else is being hit by those guys. I’m currently studying the BASB methodology through the blog posts Tiago has published on his website.
I agree. I can’t afford the course right now, but I do can afford one month of the subscription to his website. The content that I read to this day has blown my mind and I’m putting it into practice as I move forward. Totally recommended.
How Joplin has worked for you so far on putting into practice the PARA method?
What does your highlighting process on articles look like? I think in the free version of Pocket, the highlight feature is limited up to 3 per article.
I do my progressive summarization on the iPad with split screen, a) Instapaper on one side and b) Evernote in the other (I copy/paste the notes that resonate with me from a) to b)).
P.S. You mentioned in your blog post that would like to know what do they offer during their course. I found the curriculum for the BASB course, so you can have an idea:
Building a Second Brain Course Curriculum
Thanks for the link!
I currently putting a list of links to all BASB related resources that are free out there.
Joplin is great. It is very similar to Evernote, but it is open-source, which I love. I wrote a quick post about Joplin earlier this year -> https://rasulkireev.com/joplin .
I am planning to write more on how it integrates with my BASB.
AS for you progressive summarization. Nice method, I like it.
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Thanks! I'm happy to hear that :)