how to not give a fuckpassive listening
you have a commute. you do dishes. you fold laundry. you walk the dog. you wait in lines. all of that time is currently being wasted on spotify playlists you've heard a thousand times or podcasts where two people laugh at their own jokes for 90 minutes.
the dead time problem
the average person spends two to three hours a day on routine tasks that require zero cognitive effort. that's 730 to 1,095 hours per year. at audiobook speed, you could consume 50 to 100 books annually without changing a single thing about your schedule.
let that sink in. you could read more books than 99% of the population by doing absolutely nothing different except pressing play.
why audiobooks hit different
reading a physical book requires dedicated time and attention. that's valuable, and you should still do it. but audiobooks fill a completely different niche — they turn mindless tasks into learning opportunities. you're not replacing deep reading. you're adding an entirely new input stream.
start with a book you've been meaning to read for months. something that's been sitting on your mental to-do list collecting dust. download audible, libby, or whatever app your local library supports (yes, most libraries offer free audiobooks — stop paying for things you can get for free).
how to make it stick
- 1.25x speed is the sweet spot for most people — fast enough to stay engaged, slow enough to retain
- bookmark passages that hit hard so you can revisit them
- listen to the same book twice — you'll catch entirely different things the second time
- match the book to the task — light nonfiction for commuting, deep philosophy for long walks
stop wasting your autopilot hours
every minute spent on autopilot is a minute you could be feeding your brain. you don't lack time to learn. you lack the habit of using the time you already have.
if this resonated, share it with someone who needs to hear it.