Audiobooks Are Awesome

You don’t have much time as a parent, and reading can be hard to fit in. I’ve written a few times about how to find time to read as a parent, but many people have more difficult situations that they find themselves in. Whether you're a single parent, both parents are working, or simply too busy working, finding free minutes to actually read a book may not be possible. 

Just because you can’t pick up a book doesn’t mean you are not able to listen to a book. While reading requires your full focus and attention to be able to follow along in, listening to an audiobook can be done while doing other tasks around the home. Beyond that, audiobooks these days come out for basically every major release, and often they come out the same time as the physical book.

While you may not be able to find time to actually pick a book up and read, you should be able to find time to put on a pair of headphones and listen to an audiobook. While it may still take a bit of time to get through a book, it may be easier for many people to actually get through a book this way.

There are two primary things you need to listen to an audiobook - a phone and a pair of headphones. Headphones aren’t absolutely necessary, but they do make it easier to actually block out a bit of the background noise and hear what’s going on. If you’ve got a little baby it may not be a problem, but as your kids get older you’ll likely want a pair of headphones. Check out our guide about headphones for parents.

When to listen to audiobooks

There are several opportunities you’ll find to listen to an audiobook. I’ll often throw my headphones on while cleaning different areas of the home, especially in the kitchen. It’s easy to get lost in an audiobook while washing dishes, sweeping up, and wiping down the table. I’ll also listen to audiobooks while preparing meals - it’s not as common that I do that simply because it usually requires a little more attention from me, but when possible, I will.

If I’m doing a job outside, I’ll often throw my headphones on. Building, gardening, or other yard work are all great chances to throw in a pair of headphones. If you’re trying to get kids to help out with the jobs outside, headphones aren’t going to work well. However, if your kids are playing or doing something else, then throw your headphones in, and listen away.

The other place I love to listen to audiobooks is in the car. I always let my kids know that I’ll be turning my audiobook on, and they’ll just sit and listen as well. They don’t generally find them interesting, but they also don’t complain. They’re plenty content to just watch what’s happening outside on the road. I get several minutes of audiobooks in while driving around doing different errands.

Where to get audiobooks

You can get audiobooks from several different places. If you’re not listening to too many audiobooks, Audible is an excellent option. It will basically get you one free book a month, and you can choose from the latest and greatest audiobooks. For most people, this will be sufficient, and since you’re paying, you’ll be motivated to listen.

Audible doesn’t completely cut it for me though - I tend to listen to an audiobook a week. As such, I am leaning heavily on my local library for getting audiobooks. They also have a huge number of options for audiobooks, generally through Overdrive. Hit up your local library website to find what options they have available for audiobooks for free.

Of course, you can always buy audiobooks as well. Try to wait for a sale on them, but if there’s a must have book that you just don’t want to wait for, or can’t find somewhere else, then buying audiobooks is a great option.

Conclusion

Audiobooks are a great way to listen to a book, and they are super easy to find and listen to. You should be able to listen to a book a month with at least a few minutes of listening each day.