“Where is the wisdom we have lost in knowledge? Where is the knowledge we have lost in information?” ― T.S. Eliot, The Waste Land and Other Poems
The internet is noisy. This is my quiet corner. Here, I curated interesting articles, books, podcasts, movies, TV shows, and YouTube videos to enjoy later. This project is my attempt to fight information overload, turning a stream of information into a source of knowledge and wisdom.
“A man should keep his little brain-attic stocked with all the furniture that he is likely to use, and the rest he can put away in the lumber-room of his library, where he can get it if he wants it.” ― Arthur Conan Doyle, The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes
In today's world of information abundance, we're constantly bombarded with never-ending information. Most of what we consume is either created within the last 24 hours or recommended by “For You” algorithms.
We all know that fast food is bad for our bodies. So why consume junk that rot your brain?
What you read, watch, and listen to is as important as what you eat. Your information diet shapes your mind as much as your food shapes your body—the quality of your inputs determines the quality of your thoughts.
In an age of AI, you're not the average of the five people you spend the most time with, but the five information sources you consume most. Your digital environment influences your thinking just as much—if not more—than your physical surroundings. Remember that.
Be intentional about what you're feeding your brain. Don't blindly follow the algorithm. Pick what deserves your attention. Reclaim your ultimate life currency. Brainwash yourself with greatness.
It was one evening when I first came across Ali Abdaal's work on YouTube. His videos on productivity and personal development resonate deeply with me. They opened up a new world for me. I was deep into more self-improvement blogs and “life-changing” videos.
But soon, I fell into a trap. The more I clicked “Read Next” or “Watch Next,” the more I felt anxious and overwhelmed. My brain was short-circuiting. I knew I had to escape this trap.
So I made a rule for myself: Only consume what I've already saved. No more impulsive consumption.
This rule changed everything. The feeling of “not enough” faded away. I felt calm and peaceful. I no longer had the fear of missing out. I started choosing quality over quantity.
There are many “Read-It-Later” apps to save your reading queue: Instapaper, Readwise, Matter, Raindrop, etc. These apps offer a centralized place to collect, sync, and read bookmarked content—often with features like highlighting, tagging, and offline access.
I tried each of these apps, but none of them suited my exact needs. The highlighting feature was distracting. It was hard to get my data out of their systems.
So I decided to build my own Read-It-Later system using  Apple Reminders and  Apple Shortcuts.
Since Reminders is a native Apple app, I'm not dependent on a third-party service that could be discontinued, nor do I have to pay for a subscription. I fully own and control my data. No lock-in. I can export all items however I like, as you can see in this repository.
As a minimalist, I also appreciate that there's no ads or recommendation feed with this setup.
Book |
YouTube Video |
Essay |
Movie & TV |
The best part, however, comes from the integration with Shortcuts. I created automations to gather details for each “Brain Food” using the following APIs:
Reminders is more than a to-do list.
Titles, notes, images, and URLs are perfect for storing metadata, while clickable links open directly inside each reminder. Subtasks let you organize entries by topic, category, or even word count. Tagging adds another layer of flexibility, making it easy to group and filter. You can even set a date to remind yourself to read, assign a priority level, or flag certain items to mark your favorites.
With cross-device iCloud sync, Reminders is a fully customizable database.
Searchable. Sortable. Shareable.
Tip
Check out my other repository to see how I use Reminders for note-taking!
Download this shortcut to have a random “Brain Food” delivered straight to your Lock Screen.
You can view this project at huami.ng/bookmark and all shortcuts related to this project on Shortcutomation. If you find this project valuable, please consider supporting my work by buying me a coffee.
Contributions are welcome! Please open an issue or submit a pull request.
Footnotes
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For essays, I simply exported the reading list items from Safari. No API calls here. ↩
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Safari's built-in Reading List provides several powerful features: it supports offline reading, enabling access to saved articles without internet; Speak Screen can read articles aloud; and Reader View gives you a focused reading experience. ↩