How to Listen to Audiobooks

Just over a year ago I jumped on the audiobook wagon, and I have never looked back. It is not an overstatement for me to say that listening to audiobooks has changed my life! Here’s why:

Increased Motivation

Sometimes, okay most of the time, I don’t want to clean my house. I despise doing dishes, I don’t enjoy folding clothes, and let’s not even talk about cleaning the bathroom. The only homemaking task I might actually enjoy is vacuuming. I do love a nice clean floor!

So I usually need a little extra motivation to clean especially when I don’t feel like it. If I’m in the middle of an engaging, interesting book, I might actually volunteer to do the dishes after dinner, because I want that uninterrupted time to “read”. This way, I get to do something I really enjoy while doing something I don’t enjoy but needs to be done. It’s a win-win!

Life-long Learning

I love to learn and I’m committed being a life-long learner. As an ENFP, I can become very excited and passionate about a cause and want to learn everything I can about it. I have always loved reading, especially as a way to learn new things.

Becoming a mom and having three kids in five years put a bit of a damper on the amount of time and energy I had to read. When I would wait to read until right before bed, because I always had so many other things to do, I would get through just a paragraph or two before I couldn’t keep my eyes open any longer.

Listening to audi0books has given me a way to fulfill my love of reading and learning. I love reading novels but have a difficult time getting into non-fiction books. So I exclusively listen to non-fiction audiobooks (I tried once to listen to a novel and just wasn’t into it). Over the last year, I have listened to so many books that I probably never would have had the time to read otherwise.

This has opened up new topics and issues for me to discover and pursue – topics I didn’t even know I was interested in or passionate about until I started learning about them through books. I credit a lot of my growth and change over the past year or so to listening to audiobooks. That is why I can say that discovering audiobooks has truly changed my life!

The easiest way to listen to audiobooks is with the Audible app on your smart phone. I have a Gold Membership with Audible which costs $14.95 per month for one credit, which equals one audiobook. I choose a book from the Audible or Amazon website and “purchase” it with my credit. Then the audiobook automatically syncs to my Audible app on my phone.

I have found that I on average I can listen to about one audiobook a month, so the one credit membership is perfect for me. I have also purchased some audiobooks at a steep discount when Audible or Amazon is running a sale.

I struggled for a few months with whether or not I should get the Audible membership because it seemed fairly expensive. But when I looked at it as a way to take care of myself, and realized what an impact it would make to be able to “read” while completing other mundane tasks around my home, I realized it is actually a wise investment. I have come to view my membership with Audible as invaluable.

Right now when you sign up for a Free 30-day Trial with Audible you will receive two free audiobooks, instead of just one! This is an amazing deal and a great way to start listening to audiobooks to see how you like it. You can choose from the whole library of audiobooks on Audible, but here’s a few of my favorite books I’ve listened to, in case you need some inspiration.

If you don’t have a smart phone

If you don’t have a smart phone, you can still listen to audiobooks on one of your other devices – Kindle Fire, iPad or other tablet, or directly on your computer through the Audible Cloud Player or iTunes. The Audible website has all of the information you need to get started listening to great audiobooks today!

Using headphones or a speaker to listen

I usually use the basic headphones that came with my iPhone to listen to audiobooks and just carry my phone in my pocket. This allows me to move around easily when cleaning and doing different tasks around the house.

Sometimes though, if other people aren’t around, I will listen using our JBL bluetooth speaker. The sound quality is awesome and I don’t have to worry about carrying my phone in my pocket. I use the speaker when I’m folding clothes, washing dishes, or other chores where I’m not moving around a lot.

My husband recently got this bluetooth speaker for his car, and I’m hoping to get one too so I can more easily listen to audiobooks in the car. Right now I just use a headphone in only one ear, but having the speaker would be better.

Listening to audiobooks can help to increase your motivation and productivity, encourage life-long learning, and turn you into a multitasking ninja! Sign up for Audible, get two free audiobooks, and start your journey today!

*Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase or sign-up for an Audible free-trial through one of the links I will receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. Thanks for supporting Live Renewed!