HolisticImprovement

In America, the average daily commute is a little less than one hour. This time is usually spent listening to the radio, music, or just driving. Let’s say you commute to work 250 days a year. That’s about 250 wasted hours per year. This doesn’t have to be the case.

Listening to audiobooks and podcasts are a great way to spend your commute. Audiobooks are great because it frees up time during the rest of your day when you would have been reading those books. Whatever your passion is, there are a wealth of great books out there on that topic. Nonfiction audiobooks are especially helpful, such as books about self-development, as you can listen to the best work of some of the most insightful and intelligent people on the planet while you drive to and from work.

Compounding over the years, you can absorb the material of hundreds and even thousands of amazing books on the subject of your choice. You can even become an expert on the topic of your choice just by commuting every day, like you would anyway!

Once I realized the power this had, it became very hard to simply listen to the radio or music while driving, as I knew what I was missing out on. This is a habit that not very many people do, but the ones that do basically never stop it because they reap the rewards every day.

Podcasts are awesome because they’re free, and they always have new material about every week or so, depending on the podcast. The best place to get podcasts is from the iTunes store.

There are many tools to plug your iPod or smartphone into your car (such as a USB port), and if you don’t have a car or don’t commute to work, this article still applies. You can listen when you’re in the gym, mowing the lawn, going for a walk or run, brushing your teeth, really anytime.

What helps me get through material much more efficiently is playing it at twice the normal speed. Most devices have this option. In the beginning, it may seem a little fast, but you’ll get used to it very quickly.

Once you start going down this path, you won’t regret it. It will improve your life in more ways than you can imagine, while reclaiming time that you used to waste. Instead of getting frustrated in traffic, you’ll be enjoying your commute. Let me know what you think in the comments below, and don’t forget to subscribe to the blog!

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