If there is one app that has changed my life for the better, it is Pocket.
Before I get into the story of how my life changed after I started using Pocket, it is necessary that I share some information about myself.
By the time I was 22 years old, one of my greatest regrets was that I was not well read. As a kid, I used to hate reading anything which was long or irrelevant to my studies. I did not read novels. I rarely read the newspaper.
In short, I was an ignorant fellow who didn’t give a damn about reading.
Things changed when I started going to college. I realised that most of the people I admire have one thing in common. They Read. A lot. And not just novels, mind you. They read blogs and articles from all around the web. They just opened their browser and kept sifting through all the popular articles on the web.
One thing was for sure. They were extremely well informed. They had the ability to form opinions on any matter.
And here I was, a teenager who did not love reading and as a result, ignorant and uninformed.
I started using Pocket in late 2013, right after I got my first Android device.
When I first saw Pocket’s website, the one thing that got my attention is that you could save the articles for offline reading. And I absolutely loved it! One click, it syncs with your phone and you can read it anywhere, without connecting to the internet!
Probably the best thing about Pocket is that it works the way it’s supposed to be.
It’s just an app where you can save articles for reading later. That’s it. No more. No less. As a software engineer, I must congratulate the product team at Pocket for NOT including anymore features or unwanted enhancements. Pocket is lovely the way it is.
Over the period of time, I found myself using Pocket more and more. I became sort of an unofficial marketing guy for pocket — Introducing all my friends to Pocket and making them sign up for it.
And of course, they loved it. And they introduced it to their friends.
The most influential part of Pocket for me is the ‘Share’ option. You can share articles directly to friends who use Pocket.
Today, I have over 12 people who share amazing articles with me on a daily basis. The best part is, each one of them has a different area of interest. Some share articles on life hacks, while some others share articles on technology. Career advice, philosophy, psychology. I get them all.
I also wrote a small hack to get articles shared by @PocketHits on Twitter to Pocket. You can read about it here. Or you can directly use the IFTTT recipe and get some really great articles pushed to Pocket everyday.
And this is how Pocket changed my life. I get to read all of these. The best of the best articles from around the web. Sure, all of this was made possible because I grew a network of friends who regularly use Pocket and absolutely admire the product.
But that is only because Pocket is such a great product. It does what it is supposed to do. It provides a great user interface. It is available across all platforms. Even your grandma can use it. It is that simple and intuitive.
Today, I am not an ignorant teenager I used to be a few years back. Today, I read a lot. I am well-informed. I feel happy about the fact that I am reading so much.
And beyond all this, the real joy comes when you share a great article or a blog post with a friend. Knowing that when they read it, it is going to make a little difference in their life. Making them a little more well informed, a little more knowledgable.
For me, Pocket is more than just an app. Today, it has become an integral part of my life. Every single day, I sleep only after reading a couple of articles on Pocket.
It has greatly influenced my life for the better. And through Pocket, I am indirectly influencing people around me.
You know what you should do now? Head over to to their site and sign up.
I assure you, it is worth it. It changed my life. It can change yours too.
