The real benefit of Instapaper and I Need To Read This (which is the one I use) is that I can use them to give myself permission to close out of links that I "need" to read. It's easy to get sucked into a cycle of information consumption and get distracted from doing real work. The chances of me going back through these links are actually pretty slim, but it's enough to put my mind at ease and let me focus on what actually matters. I just added 13 articles to my "To Read" list and have an appreciation for a clean Firefox tab bar once again.
