Listening to podcasts is a wonderful way to keep yourself up to date with the knowledge of the world without trying too hard to study or read. There are so many great podcasts currently in service, and so many new creators coming up with amazing ideas every day.
We all know there are multiple benefits to listening to podcasts and making it a daily habit. But how to consistently stick to it so you can get the most out of the listening practice? This article lays out a detailed step-by-step guide on how you can listen to more podcasts.
Listen while doing menial chores
It’s a great exercise to make boring chores less tedious if you listen to a podcast while doing them. To make sure you get the most value out of the podcast while not compromising on the results of the task you’re performing, pick something that doesn’t require your full attention.
This can be some simple tasks like cooking, cleaning, doing the dishes, washing clothes, or hanging out clothes to dry. These tasks don’t occupy much of your mental space, and you can easily complete them by multi-tasking and listening to a podcast.
Organize your listening
Listening to the same narrator for days together can be tiring and exhausting. To make sure you get the most out of your new habit of listening to a podcast daily, you can shuffle your playlist and optimize it to increase efficiency.
Keep your library clean. Only pick podcasts you enjoy listening to. Don’t hesitate to drop a podcast you didn’t enjoy, no matter how many five-star reviews it had.
Find the right apps
The features of your podcast app play a huge role in how enjoyable the listening experience is for you. For example, some apps don’t have the sleep timer option, which can make it hard for you to listen to a podcast before going to sleep while knowing it will turn off automatically in a few minutes.
Choose an app that has all the features you’re looking for.
Play with the speed
An interesting feature most podcast apps have is the option to adjust the speed. If you’re a native speaker, you might find the actual speed a bit too slow for you. To make sure you don’t get bored, feel free to speed up the podcast so your listening experience is hassle-free and enjoyable.
If you’re finding the pace of the narrator a bit too quick for your comfort, you can also tone it down so it becomes easier for you to listen to the podcast.
Make it a habit
When you treat your daily listening of podcasts as if you’re building a daily habit, you’re less likely to fall off the wagon. Here are two ways you can do it:
- Tie it with a trigger. A trigger is another activity you perform daily. If you tie the need to listen to a podcast with an existing habit, you can trick your brain to remind you to listen to a podcast without taking any active steps to do so.
- Get a habit tracker. This is a free app where you can mark off each day on the calendar where you stuck to your new habit of listening to a podcast. Seeing an unbroken streak will push you to aim for more days on that streak, and this will become a habit before you even realize it.
- Hire an accountability coach. The accountability coaches are trained professionals who will hold you accountable and make sure you get back on track if you fall off the wagon.