The purpose of a reading inbox is to capture potentially useful reading materials while filtering out the noise. It can only fulfill this purpose if reading materials do not accumulate indiscriminately (efficient inboxes are reliably drained) and if I only read the best materials.

I apply GTD principles in managing my reading inbox.

1. I selectively choose the information streams I allow into my life. To do this, I make sure that the information I consume are aligned with my current projects and interests.
2. I regularly review these information streams to identify potentially useful reading materials. I choose materials based on guidelines on what to add to your reading inbox. When I've made a choice, I add reading materials to my reading inbox manually.
3. On top of my reading inbox, I also maintain my reading list based on a process (how to build and maintain a reading list), which makes my reading more intentional and focused on my current projects.
4. I review my reading inbox regularly to delete, keep, or read specific materials. For articles, I review them during my weekly review. For books or longer materials, I review them monthly during my monthly review. I also update my reading list at this time. The decision-making process is intuitive and based on the material's relevance to my current interests. If an article has been in my inbox for more than a month, that's a good reason to delete it.
5. Whenever I'm in a position to read, I decide whether to read for fun or for learning. The purpose of my reading determines how I read. Here's my reading process.
6. After I'm done reading a material, I archive it.

References

Pereira, G. (2016). DIY MFA: Write with Focus, Read with Purpose, Build Your Community. Writer’s Digest Books.

Tietze, C. (100 C.E., 34:25). Note-Taking when Reading the Web and RSS. Zettelkasten. https://www.zettelkasten.de/posts/reading-web-rss-note-taking/