When it comes to reading, I embrace every format. Paperbacks, hardcovers, ebooks and audiobooks each have their time and place. The one format that’s made a the most difference for me though, is audiobooks. Without them, I’d get through significantly fewer titles each year. Why is that? I can listen to audiobooks when I might otherwise not be able to read.
If my Twitter and Instagram feeds are anything to go by, many readers have yet to adopt audiobooks. Well, the lack of audiobooks on bookstagram could be because it can be tricky to photograph them. (Psst. I have tips on photographing screens and styling ebooks which apply to audiobooks as well.) Now, if you’re wondering how you can incorporate audiobooks into your life, here are 10 things you can do while listening to audiobooks:
- Beat motion sickness
Should you suffer from motion sickness, it can be downright impossible to read on moving vehicles, be they cars, ships, aeroplanes, etc. Listening to audiobooks makes it possible to read while commuting and travelling! You can either close your eyes to block off your surroundings or look into the distance, so your head doesn’t spin. - Rest your eyes
Speaking of closing your eyes, after a long day at school or work, you might not want to look at another book. But what if you’re in the middle of an exciting one and your eyes won’t cooperate? Your ears can easily take over. - Go for a run
Instead of listening to music, you can switch things up and listen to audiobooks. - Hit the gym
As with running, skip the music, hit play on an audiobook. - House chores
Laundry, cleaning, tidying, etc can be such a bore but we’ve all got to do our chores. When you’re engrossed in a great story however, you won’t mind them quite as much. - Cooking
Tired of staring at your pot that won’t boil? Maximise your waiting time with an audiobook. Just be careful when chopping those vegetables! - Draw or paint
Looking to unwind and relax? Getting creative is a great way to do that. If you don’t like silence, and tend to switch on the TV in the background, swap for an audiobook. - Handicraft
Knitting and crocheting can get a little monotonous, so that’s a great time to pick up non-fiction audiobooks to learn new things and expand your worldview. - Complete a jigsaw puzzle
Those 1000-piece puzzles can take quite a while to complete. You could probably finish listening to an entire book in that time. - Edit photos
Bloggers and bookstagrammers in particular can benefit from listening to audiobooks when editing photos or doing up graphics. Sometimes we’re torn between reading and preparing blog posts. Why not do both?
For newcomers to audiobooks, it can be difficult to concentrate at first. If that’s the case for you, I recommend starting out with doing chores and taking a walk. These activities don’t require much thought on your part, so you can train yourself to listen without losing track of the story or information. Once you’re more comfortable, you can switch to slightly more demanding tasks and before you know it, you’ll be listening to audiobooks on 2x speed.
This is one of the major reasons why I LOVE audiobooks it gives me the freedom to do whatever the hell I want to and at the same time I get a chance to achieve my reading goal
I do all of this whilst listening to an audiobook except for cooking because I can’t cook for my life.
I’m happy to do things while listening to audiobooks. It became a hobby for me to listen in my books while multitasking, it makes me feel more productive and finish my work way faster. It is best for a long drive journey.
I love listening to audiobooks while I do boring chores and other mindless tasks. It makes the time pass much quicker.
I remember how lost I felt when I first dipped my toes in the audiobook world, unsure what to do with myself – I couldn’t just sit there like I would a physical book; too fidgety! One day I do hope to return to audiobooks, but I did find it hard to concentrate and fully absorb the story… I thing doing a jigsaw with an audiobook in the background could be fun. Great ideas, and post as a whole.
I totally do the chores and cooking thing. It’s the only thing that gets me through ironing 😂
100/10 I’ve tried reading audio books while lying down and I literally pass out after like 5 minutes LMAO. Then I tried reading audiobooks on commute and I get distracted by my surroundings. Ugh, I am the worst at this /// better for me to just stick with my traditional paperbacks.
I’ve done every single one of these things while listening to audiobooks. I used to listen while I went running all the time, but now I like my silent runs, but I definitely use audiobooks heaps while cooking, crafting, and walking places.
I don’t currently listen to audiobooks but I would absolutely love to. If I did, I would probably read along with a physical book.
I love listening to audiobooks but it was definitely difficult to focus on two things when I just started doing it. Lately, though, I’m always doing something when I’m listening to an audiobook. I’ve actually realised audiobooks help me do chores I usually don’t like to do (like tidying my room – I do it daily just so I can listen, hahah!) I listen to books at 1.25 speed and that works for me. I’ve done 1.5 for a while and it was fun, but I just enjoy them better at .25! 2 is definitely too fast for me, but it definitely helps to get through books faster. ☺️ Also I think my favourite thing to do while listening to audiobooks is travelling! I love sitting in the car or on a train just staring out the window and listening to a book. 😇
Great post, Joséphine!