Finding podcasts I really enjoy, and even look forward to listening to, has really changed my attitude about a lot of things. Some of those not so fun chores bother me less when I have something interesting to listen to. Driving is less boring. Spending a chunk of time making supper can be enjoyable. A few years ago I didn't know how I'd listen to an hour long episode over a week and now I've had plenty of days where I've listened to 2+ hours just in doing my daily activities - folding laundry, running errands, and putting away groceries!
I spend a lot of time at home (by choice!), big chunks of the day when my only companion is a baby who is just starting to talk, and only a couple words at that (why does "ball" come before saying "Mom"???). I spend time with him, keep the house relatively clean, and run errands. Listening to podcasts while I do most of those things (not playing with Sam) helps me feel like I am being productive but also getting in "me" time. The variety of podcasts I've listened to over the past couple years have given me new perspectives and showed me new ways to do things. Given me more books to read (never enough time!) and made me laugh. Like reading, listening to podcasts have expanded my world a bit but I can get laundry done while doing it!
It's not worth finding shows that I am interested in if I don't have time to listen to them! So here's when I listen:
When I Listen
-working out in the mornings
-getting ready in the bathroom, post shower (depending on how we are doing on time for getting to school)
-when driving
-sorting and tagging pictures
-working on photobooks
-doing bills each week
-folding laundry (if I am alone)
-making food, as long as the mixer isn't running or it's too loud
-doing housework (dusting, cleaning floors, cleaning the bathroom, etc.)
Most of these are fairly mundane tasks that I would usually find myself dreading or at least not looking forward to! They are much more bearable when I have something I want to listen to while doing them!
When I Don't Listen
-in the shower
-running
-in the car with Matt and/or Luke (besides when we drove overnight to Florida two years ago, I did listen when they were both sleeping and I needed to stay awake!)
-vacuuming
-during family time, when playing with the boys
-writing blog posts
I don't know the last time I used earbuds (maybe on the train to New York last year?) and I never, ever wear them around the house. I only listen through my car or phone speakers so most of my listening comes while Luke is at school and Matt at work. I keep telling myself I'll have to quit as Sam gets bigger...but I haven't yet.
Podcasts I Listen to Each Week
These are almost all weekly shows that occasionally take weeks off for holidays but usually put out around 50 episodes each a year.
Young House Love has a Podcast
This is the show that really converted me. I enjoy almost everything John & Sherry do so when I saw they were starting a podcast I knew I had to figure out how to listen to them. I've been following their blog for 6+ years, own both books AND their coloring book. In the beginning they had more interviews with design people but now it's mostly them recapping their remodeling efforts of 2 beach houses and their own house but I still find it so enjoyable.
My favorites: #45: "Why We Got Rid of Half the Toys in Our House" and #128: "Finding More Life in Less Stuff" (and I get a shout out at the end of episode #89)
The Lazy Genius
To teach you "how to be a genius about the things that matter and lazy about the things that don't" which, hello, isn't that pretty much what we all want? This is the only show I regularly listen to that is just one person mostly talking, no interviews or co-hosts, a format I generally don't like but I really appreciate almost everything Kendra has to say. Lots of tips on food (menu planning, how to marinade meat) but also on cleaning your house and simplifying holidays. I'm currently in a the middle of a relisten of her 3 part series from last May on Summer Strategy (eps #62, 63, 64) and I'm fairly certain I'll listen to it AGAIN before the end of the month.
My favorites: #18: "The Lazy Genius Raises a New Baby", #84: "Guide to Lunch", and #88: "Refocus Your Christmas Brain".
What Should I Read Next? with Anne Bogel
Anne is my book guru, I've been following her blog for years. I link up with her blog every month on my Quick Lit posts and am really looking forward to her summer reading guide coming out next week. She has guests on her show who tell her 3 books they love, 1 book they hate, and what they've been reading lately and then she recommends 3 books for them to read next. Her tastes tend to be more literary than my own but I've still been introduced to many great books because of her podcast and blog.
My favorites: #132: "The Books We Can't Wait to Read This Summer" and #31: "Lifetime Favorite Books and Reading for a Living".
The Popcast with Knox & JamieThis one took me a couple episodes to get into but now I pay to listen to them recap The Bachelor, a show I don't even watch. What is that??? It's slightly pop culture based but mainly just funny. Some of their best episodes are when listener submit funny stories related to a topic. I relisten to their Nos of Christmas (eps #170, 225, and 277) every year. Listening to them makes me laugh more than just about anything else all week, except maybe my kids (depending on how funny they are that week).
My (recent) favorites: #242: "The Nos of Spring" and #245: "The Nos of Motherhood".
From the Front Porch
This one is a podcast of a bookstore in Thomasville, Georgia. A place I have never been but is now on my list of places I'd like to visit. It's a lot of book talk (which I am all in for) but also small business and life in the south. My reading tastes overlap a decent amount with Annie, the bookstore owner, and I've gotten many good recs from her show. But it's also just nice hearing them talk about book and reading life and what it's like to own a bookstore.
My favorites: #213: "Seasonal Reads: Spring Break" and #203: "Best Books of 2018".
Happier with Gretchen Rubin
Gretchen Rubin is a well-known author (The Happiness Project) on the topics of happiness and habits. She does this podcast with her sister, Elizabeth, who is a tv writer and producer. Their show follows the same format almost every week and I usually pick up a helpful hint or two for knowing myself better or a habit to adopt. This show has the most ads of any I listen to and since I generally skip through those (thank you, 15 second skip button), I get through these fairly quickly.
My favorites: #140: "It's More Important to Say Something Than the Right Thing" and #218: "Invest in Your Identities".
10 Things To Tell You
This is a newer show but I've really enjoyed most of the episodes. Laura gives a prompt which you are supposed to share with your best friend or journal about...neither of which I've ever done but sometimes I think about them...so that's something! (I was listening to an episode of this while I worked on pulling pictures and links for this post!)My favorites: #3 "Where Do You Live?" and #12 "Who Did You Expect to Be?"
The Next Right Thing
This one is all about decision making, how we can easily overwhelm ourselves with the countless ones we have to make in a day and how, usually, the best practice is to just do the next right thing, take the next step. These are usually short episodes and Emily has the most soothing voice. I've just started listening to this one but I think it's good for me because I'm REALLY good at over thinking things.
My favorite: #80: "Don't Take Offense".
Sorta Awesome with Meg Tietz
This is a girlfriend type show, like just sitting around talking with some friends. They cover all sorts of woman issues and sometimes it's just refreshing to hear about how other people do things, especially Moms further along in parenting than I am.
My favorite: #134: "10 Secrets of Friendships Revealed".
One Great Book
A second podcast from Anne Bogel but this one is short, usually around 10 minutes. Each week she highlights one book from her own bookshelves to talk about. Some of them I've heard of, others I haven't. I've only previously read one book she's talked about but I still enjoy hearing her talk about WHY she likes these books. And at 10 minutes they are quick and enjoyable.
My favorite: #4: "Rules of Civility".
The Bible Binge
From the team behind The Popcast - they summarize Bible stories in a similar way to how they summarize tv shows. I feel like I've actually learned a decent amount, largely about culture and the history around the stories.
My favorite: the whole season 4 about Advent and the Nativity and #2: Noah.
WHEW. That was a lot. Additionally, there are more I keep in my podcast app to check the topic or interviewee of the week, and will download and listen when it interests me:
Coffee + Crumbs (I like their "This is How We Do" series)
Simple
That Sounds Fun with Annie F. Downs
The Happy House with Jamie Ivey
For the Love with Jen Hatmaker
Read-Aloud Revival
Off Camera with Sam Jones
I've even gotten to the point of supporting a couple of these through Patreon, so I am paying to listen to them, that's how much I enjoy them. This comes out of my allowance each month, which I am pretty stingy about, that's how serious I am!
The Popcast - Friend of the Show ($3/month)
What Should I Read Next? - paperback ($3/month)
From the Front Porch - ($1/month)
And all of those come with a couple extra bonus episodes a month, almost all of which I listen to as well. I'm paying for it, I'm going to listen to them!
We also support Luke's favorite, Finn Caspian, at $2/month. Which just gets us ad free episodes...when I have yet to put on the old phone Luke uses to listen to his "stories" in the tub. I should really get on
that.
This is a lot more words than I expected to write about podcasts! I feel I've learned a lot in all my listening and helped make a lot of mundane tasks less...mundane. Refreshing my podcast app in the morning is one of the VERY FEW phone things I do before the school drop-off run. It's a nice little motivator for getting out of bed and getting to working out, so I can see what I have to listen to that day. I'm glad I started listening.
Do you listen to podcasts? Favorites? When do you listen?
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