When Do You Listen to Audiobooks? 10 Great Times to Listen to an Audiobook
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Audiobooks represent a growing $1.5 billion industry, and that’s in the United States alone. The audiobook industry is booming, expanding at a rate faster than that of the television and/or print book industries.
To what do we attribute this tremendous growth? It could be, considering listeners to audiobooks tend to skew young, educated, and employed, that our eyes need a rest. By shifting to another sense (our hearing), we are providing our eyes with a respite from hours upon hours of visual stimulation. Think about it: you’re using your eyes right now to read this blog post. Since today began, you’ve likely scanned your social media newsfeeds, read work emails, watched the news, scanned your mail (e.g., your bill pile) — no wonder your eyes are tired!
Studies have shown that the benefits of listening to an audiobook equal that of reading. While “Booknerds” might perpetuate the argument for reading vs listening, we here at Pure Healthy Living don’t judge. We … multitask. Let us help you do the same.
Here are ten GREAT times to listen to audiobooks, each one sure to get you starting a new chapter!
1. Each morning, in the shower
Productivity experts often suggest you start each morning with words of wisdom from motivational speakers. Incorporating audio inspiration into your morning routine means you can get yourself mentally prepped while getting yourself physically ready for the day ahead. (Few people are better for that task than Brene Brown.
Self-help books are brilliant morning listening material, as they provide us with both advice and affirmations, appealing to our mental health as we take care of our physical wellness. But don’t fret if you prefer to shower at night. Motivational reads are great for resetting your emotions and grounding yourself in the evening. So, light a candle, run the bath, and absorb great mental fodder while the day you had drips down the drain.
2. On that road trip
Set aside the Spotify playlist and engage your brain the next time you set off on a journey. Last Spring, when my daughter and I embarked on a five-hour drive to visit her brother at college, I shared with her the joy of one of my favorite novels: Snow Flower and the Secret Fan, by Lisa See. Listening helped the highway miles pass without stress (“Who cares if there’s traffic, we’re at a good part!”) and made a long trip fly by what felt like half the time, if that.
While my children might be old enough for adult fiction, here’s a list of titles you can enjoy with your younger teens, with links to lists for even younger children!
3. When flying the friendly skies
Speaking of taking trips, nothing passes the time waiting at the gate for your flight like a wonderful story. You can view business trips in a new light when you listen to books before takeoff and inflight — you can even keep people watching at the same time since your eyes are free to roam the terminal. Plus, you’ll miss nothing if you sign up for text notifications from your airline and/or keep your eye on the airport monitors for flight updates.
And if air travel isn’t your thing, here’s an impressive list of international stories that’ll take you away without you having to board a plane.
4. On your commute
If you haven’t already, consider listening to an audiobook the next time you board the train to the city or start your car for the morning drive. This way, you can stay focused on your surroundings, critical to safe commuting, while enjoying the latest bestsellers. You’ll be on track for your next book club meeting despite working full time, considering the cumulative hours you are en route to and from work — reframing time wasted to commuting to time dedicated to the latest novel on your “to read” list.
And, if you’re still wanting to focus on traffic updates and cops lurking in speed traps ahead, you can integrate your audio with your navigation app. Thanks, technology!
5. On your lunch break
Sometimes the best course of action during your workday is to walk away — from your email, your computer, and your desk. Studies show that taking breaks during the day helps us recharge, destress and regroup so we can re-engage with our work and the afternoon ahead.
The key here is to listen light. Short sweet content helps take you away from the work at hand and indulge your senses differently. Think poetry, like the works presented by John Lithgow in his collection, Poets Corner. Explore great narration, diverse topics, and a genre often reserved for academics but beneficial to the everyday listener.
6. When you have errands to run
Okay, this is the last listening occasion that involves a vehicle, I promise. You can, and should, enjoy audiobooks running around town doing the things you need to do. Each trip to the grocery store, the coffee shop, the local mall, or the liquor store (remember, we don’t judge) becomes an opportunity to take in a chapter or two.
If the book you choose has a diverse group of characters, using different voices, you’ll feel you have company for those mundane trips around town. Enjoy the narration of Jennifer Beals and Benjamin Bratt in Taylor Jenkins Reid’s Daisy Jones & The Six. But be forewarned: You might feel lonely when the book ends as you get to know each individual as if they are friends.
7. Taking a walk
A friend of mine has a dog walking business, and she’s the best-read woman in our book group. We live in the suburbs, so it’s easy to get lost in the solitude and cover miles with audio companionship as we stroll. But listening to stories while walking is even better if you live in the city. You can tune out the taxis and the people on the streets while you keep yourself moving down the blocks by turning to an audiobook.
What fun is walking in your literal or metaphorical “neck of the woods” while listening to Wild, by Cheryl Strayed, imagining yourself in her shoe-, er, her hiking boots.
And if walking is not your thing, but running is? Here are several reads that can accompany you while you hit your strides
8. While dining solo
As a frequent traveler, who often found herself at hotel restaurants solo, I learned to embrace the art of the audio in public.
My pro tips? Don’t get to absorbed until after your place your order. Remember to take your earbuds out when the server approaches and asks you if there’s anything else he can get you, lest you shout. And perfect your mouthing got the word, “thank you” for the bishop who fills your water glass while you take in something appropriate for the occasion, like Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert.
And if lingering over a cocktail in the bar or restaurant is more your style, look at these lists to make it easy for you to choose what to listen to while enjoying a pint of Guinness or a glass of your favorite Pinot.
9. When cleaning your home
It has to be mentioned just as much as it has to be done. Chores are a necessary evil. So why not make the task at hand more bearable by distracting yourself with a delightful book you can enjoy hands-free? You can stay on-theme and listen to books about cleaning or immerse yourself in something a little more thrilling. That way you can get everything squeaky clean and do something relaxing at the same time.
If that’s not productive enough for you during a time when you want to knock stuff off your list? Consider this bucket list of books by Amazon: 100 books to read in a lifetime.
10. When you unwind for the night
Admit it, after some looooooooong days, you default to sitting down in front of Netflix for a few hours of viewing pleasure. Likely, what you truly desire is to close your eyes and shout, “Bedtime, for everyone!”
Listening to an audiobook is the compromise you need to get yourself away from the blue light of a screen, stay awake until the sun goes down, and get into a better circadian rhythm for a good night’s sleep.
If you do listen this way, don’t forget to set a timer within the app you choose. It’s way too easy to fall asleep and miss more than a chapter of your favorite story, if you’re anything like me.
An audiobook is a perfect companion for a lot of life’s little activities and with something Audiobooks.com you can try it out for free and listen to books right on your smartphone. Happy listening!
