Readwise Reader has an Inbox, Later, and Archive location by default. If I wanted to read something, do I put it in my Inbox or Later? And what’s this Shortlist? It can be unclear for someone who wants a simple reading list.
Fortunately, there is an easy change we can make to adjust the “workflow” that works best for us. Of course, you can always change it later if your needs shift.
- From the Reader desktop app, open the default Library page.
- Click the Library header, and it will expand the menu.
- Select Edit Library Locations.
- A popup will appear, allowing you to choose your desired workflow. The Classic would be the most straightforward option and is what I use.
Readwise Reader Locations
Shortlist
The Shortlist option works best with many articles in your reading queue. If there are some articles you want to prioritize, you can add them to the Shortlist using a tag or by clicking “s” on the keyboard while on the Reader desktop.
You can now see all of your articles in Later but jump to Shortlist to see the few you want to read first.
Triage
The Triage option (the default option) works best for Power Users. If you have many incoming documents that you may or may not want to read later, they will be added to your Inbox by default. Next, you can triage your Inbox, select which articles you want to read, and put them in the Later queue. Delete or archive the rest.
Classic
The Classic option is the simplest and recommended for those from other Read Later apps, like Instapaper or Pocket.
With the Classic option, you have a Later queue and an Archive. No triage is necessary. When you add any article to Reader, it will automatically go to your Later list.
After you read articles in the Later list, you can Archive them.
Sorting Your Lists
Now that your workflow is set up, you can change your list sort options.
While in your list (Later, Inbox, etc.), select the Sort Options from the toolbar. You have many options; choose the one that works best for you.
Conclusion
This helps to streamline your reading Workflow using Readwise Reader. I’ll try to post some more Reader tips soon.
