Listening and Learning

There’s an absolute plethora of information and advice out there nowadays. Not only is a lot of it freely available, but it also comes in a variety of formats. So you’re sure to find a medium that suits your learning style and available time.

If you’re like me, you spend a considerable amount of time in the car. I’m regularly in the car for an hour a day at the moment, so that’s an hour a day that could be getting used to absorb some useful information.

Firstly, you need to be focused on driving safely! But secondly, you can listen to a lot of great content during that time in the form of podcasts and audiobooks.

How?

The way I listen is by connecting my phone to the car stereo, so you’ll need some means of achieving this. There are other ways to do it, like downloading to a memory stick and plugging it in, but I’m just going to talk about what I know here.

There are several ways to connect your phone – you may have a bluetooth enabled car stereo, in which case you can connect wirelessly. Or you may have the ability to plug in an auxiliary cable to your stereo. If you don’t have either of these options, there are still ways to do it, such as this device which connects to your phone via bluetooth, then transmits the sound to your car radio via FM.

How lucky are we to live in a time when all of this is possible! Amazing stuff – it blows my mind every day!

Podcasts

If you’re new to podcasts, prepare to be amazed! There’s a whole world of information and entertainment out there, just waiting for you to tune in. It’s like the best bits of traditional radio, but you get to choose the subject and listen to it when you like!

Literally, pick a subject and I’ll (almost) guarantee there’s a podcast on it.

Podcasts are super-easy to find and download. On your phone, you’ll need a podcast app. There is probably one on your phone, such as Apple’s standard podcast app. For more advanced features, you can try another one such as Stitcher or Downcast. Any of these will do.

From the podcast app, you can then search for a podcast. Try searching for a subject or genre and see what comes up. Find something that takes your fancy and download an episode. You then have the option to subscribe, if you like that podcast. Podcast episodes are released at different intervals, depending on the host. Some are weekly, 3 times a week or even 7 days a week! If you subscribe, each new episode will be downloaded to your phone automatically (normally over Wifi to save on your data allowance).

For general interest, some good starting points would be The Tim Ferriss Show & Ted Talks Radio Show.

One podcast I love is The Solopreneur Hour. Hosted by Michael O’Neil, it’s a fascinating insight into the minds and worlds of some really interesting and inspirational entrepreneurs. Michael’s interview style is fun and relaxed. He knows how to get his guests talking.

But start listening and soon you’ll hear interviews with people you like – then you can check out their shows and so on and so on. It’s a never ending warren of exciting information, entertainment and learning.

Audiobooks

Listening to books is fantastic, I love it! As someone who’s quite a slow reader and has limited time to read these days (although one day, I will plan some reading into every day!), audiobooks are a revelation.

Similar to podcasts, you can simply download an audiobook to your phone, plug it in and away you go. And just like podcasts, there are audiobooks on virtually every subject.

I have a subscription to Audible which allows me one book a month for about £8. Not only that but if you start listening to a book and you don’t enjoy it, you can simply tell them and they’ll give you another one free of charge! You also get your first month free, so there’s nothing to lose by trying it out.

Once you have an account and have chosen a book, download the app on your phone. You’ll see your purchases and you can download them to your phone to listen anywhere.

I can’t really suggest any ‘general’ books – I tend to listen to personal development and business related books. In that area, a couple of my favourites so far are The E-Myth Revisited, If I Could Tell You Just One Thing and Start With Why. Email me if you would like some further suggestions.

Often, the audiobook will be read by the author, so you sometimes get some extra content that’s not in the books. You can also hear their enthusiasm and passion for the subject!

Finally

Personally, I’ve virtually stopped listening to the radio in the car nowadays. I just love the fact that you can listen to something interesting, on a subject of your choice, when you want it.

In a given month, I tend to listen to my audiobook every day until I’m finished with it, then listen to podcasts every day until I have another credit to buy another book.

Anyway, give it a try. I just love surrounding myself with all this information and advice. It gives me inspiration and ideas every day!

Contact me if you’d like any further information or recommendations.