The Sounding Board

I listen to a lot of podcasts.

Well, podcasts and YouTube series. I feel like there’s never enough hours in the day to soak information from the amorphous abyss we call ‘The Internet’ but podcasts help me utilize the time where my mind is free but I can’t stop to read, like when I’m walking or driving. Here Michael Simmons describes these moments as ‘time confetti’ and explains how listening helps him leverage it:

Tripling your reading speed means reading a book in two to three hours. At this rate, an extra hour per day of reading is the equivalent of a 46-day vacation per year, where you spend eight hours a day reading. That’s nearly 150 books you wouldn’t have read otherwise.

I’d like to take this opportunity to toss in a few tips of my own.

1. Really, really, really, don’t forget that you can adjust the speed of most YouTube videos. And then don’t forget that there are plenty of great YouTube videos to learn from!
2. Don’t be afraid to delete a few without listening. I subscribe to around 50% podcasts than I could possibly listen to as to ensure that I’m never stuck on a train with nothing to listen to. But, as with any task, you need to know when there’s too much on your plate.
3. Ask around for recommendations! There are more great podcasts than there are ways to discover them. Personally, I’ve become a huge fan of the A16Z podcast. The topics are varied (but center on tech and venture capital), the episodes are brief (around 30 minutes each), and they have an excellent cast of experts excited to share what they know.

And, if you’re already a podcast maven then tweet me (@_RaymondSawyer) and let me know your favorites. I’m always looking for more.