Guest Post by Shannon Martin, Director of Communications for Podbean
Do you have a growing stack of unread books? Are there topics you’d love to learn more about but wonder where you’ll find time?
Enter….Podcasts!
The Serial podcast brought podcasting further into the mainstream, with over 40 million people in almost every country downloading it. 73 million Americans now listen to podcasts monthly. Podcasts are simply audio on demand, available anywhere through smartphones, smart speakers, on our computers and in our cars. Though you likely know about podcasts, you might not know all the ways they can make you more productive.
Multitasking isn’t always the way to be more productive. However, podcasts might just be the perfect example of effective multitasking. Put in your earbuds and take a walk, work out or tidy up the house. Fill downtime when traveling with education and information. Listen to something useful on your commute. And, there is truly a podcast for any need.
Here are just some of the benefits you can get from podcasts (and examples for each):
- Pick up tips and advice from leaders. Biz Women Rock, Dose of Leadership, How I Built This
- Stay updated in your industry/specialty. White Hat v. Black Hat SEO, Lawyer 2 Lawyer
- Get inspired. TED Talks, Chicken Soup for the Soul, Inspirational Living
- Develop a new skill or pursue a new hobby or career.The Creative Coding Podcast, Write Now
- Keep up with knowledge and skills we all use. Grammar Girl, Improving Public Speaking
- Learn another language. Duolingo, Coffee Break French/Spanish/Chinese
- Deepen your knowledge of a subject or explore a new topic. Intro to Buddhism, In Our Time: Philosophy, Ben Franklin’s World
- Improve your relationships. One Extraordinary Marriage, Atomic Moms, Optimal Relationships Daily
- Keep up-to-date with current events and have interesting things to discuss at dinner parties. The Daily, TheDinner Party Download, Hidden Brain
- Get a dose of humor or entertainment. Satellite Sisters, Comedy Bang Bang
- Relax, meditate, and fall asleep easier. Mindfulness Mode, Meditation Minis, Sleep with Me
In addition, you can directly improve productivity with podcasts specific to that purpose. A few productivity podcasts to check out include: The Make it Snappy Show, The Productivity Podcast by Paul Minors, Productivityist, and Beyond the To Do List. Here’s a list of 10 more podcasts to boost productivity.
Podcasts 101: How to Listen
- Do you have an iPhone? Simply click on the purple podcasts icon. Search for any titles that interest you (or by keywords/categories). Play or download anything you find. Subscribe to get new episodes.
- Android user? Go to the Google Play store and download one of the many free podcast apps. Google released their own app recently, so when you Google something you’ll get podcast results and the link will open the app to play them.
- On your computer, you can search for podcasts (i.e., type in “best business podcasts” or a specific title) and will find various links with players where you can listen directly. Or, go to a podcast directory like podbean.com or iTunes to find podcasts, and click download or play.
- Smart speakers can play podcasts. Give it a try…just ask Alexa to play your favorite podcast (be warned: “she” sometimes has trouble understanding titles).
Bonus Tip: Host a Podcast for a Business Boost
Podcasts offer a great way to market your business, share your expertise, communicate with customers and more. Many organizations also use podcasting for internal communications. They find it’s a more effective way to communicate with their teams, especially with distributed or mobile employees.
If you want to explore starting your own podcast, feel free to contact me (via Linkedin information below or smartin@podbean.com).
Podcasts offer something for everyone. You might find yourself becoming a bit addicted. Fortunately, the side effects are all positive!
Shannon Martin is Director of Communications for Podbean and a freelance content writer/marketing specialist. You can connect with Shannon on Linkedin (shannonmartinwrites).
Melissa Gratias (pronounced “Gracious”) used to think that productivity was a result of working long hours. And, she worked a lot of hours. Then, she learned that productivity is a skill set, not a personality trait. Now, Melissa is a productivity expert who coaches and trains other businesspeople to be more focused, balanced, and effective. She is a prolific writer and speaker who travels the world helping people change how they work and improve how they live. Contact her at getproductive@melissagratias.com or 912-417-2505. Sign up to receive her productivity tips via email.
Excellent piece on podcasts! I regularly make the 2-hour drive to Atlanta to see family. Podcasts are a great way to have “company” on the trip. I also enjoy audiobooks – both business and pleasure “reading.” I have an AUX cable that allows me to listen to what my phone is playing through the sound system in my car so I don’t need earbuds while driving. If I have my GPS running on my phone, it mutes the volume on the podcast or audiobook and tells me about bad traffic ahead or any directions I need to follow. It makes for a great companion and the time goes quickly. Thank you for another great article.