Productivity Hack: Listen to Audiobooks

Listen to Audiobooks

One day, I was in the gym and, as usual, all the popular weight machines were taken. In this situation, it is perfectly fine to ask a person using a machine we are interested in if we can jump in and use it while they rest between sets. So, that’s exactly what I did, striking up a conversation with the person using the machine I wanted to use.

This person had headphones, so out of social politeness, I asked them what they were listening to. Unsurprisingly, they were listening to music. I mentioned that I prefer listening to audiobooks, as I can listen to them while at the gym, commuting, shopping, or doing almost anything else where I am moving around, alone, and free to listen while my body is occupied with routine and mundane activities.

Upon hearing my comment, the gentleman told me that he had only read about 4 books in his entire life. While this is not uncommon, it was still shocking to me, as I go through about 52 books per year, which provide me with a significant amount of useful information. 52 books is not a random number either, as a study found that 52 books is the average number of books that an average CEO reads each year. Perhaps this is one of the reasons why they are CEOs in the first place. Of course, it is recommended to listen to non-fiction books, as that is where the most valuable information is stored.

Another tip from productivity experts is to listen to audiobooks (or watch videos) at 2x speed. This is possible because our brains are capable of processing information much faster than it is usually presented. For example, when people are speaking, we are able to hear and understand them at 2x their speaking speed. Of course, there may be times when we encounter fast or slow talkers, and in those cases, we can adjust the speed to, for example, 1.5x or 2.5x. This allows me to listen to twice as many books, audiobooks, videos, etc., which is great as lately, I want to do more with my time. 

Additionally, when something is bad or uninteresting, I also skip it altogether or fast forward to an interesting part. This way, I have already walked away from boring movies or presentations, while most other people stayed out of some made up sense of social obligation, which I simply don’t have or want to have. I have one life and I don’t want to waste it on things that aren’t important to me. Some people may call this rude, but I call it being alive.

As for the excuse of not having enough time, some of the most successful and busiest people, like Bill Gates, Oprah Winfrey, and Warren Buffett, make sure to dedicate 1-3 hours every day to reading and learning, regardless of their other responsibilities. It’s almost like not having time to go to the gym, meditate, or exercise – we need to make time for these things because they are important.

Furthermore, I often come across people who claim they don’t have time to read a book. In these cases, I always mention the magic of audiobooks. They can be listened to on the go, making use of the dead pockets of time in our day, such as during commutes or when performing routine tasks like cleaning or cooking. Instead of wasting time, we can actively listen to audiobooks and fill our minds with useful information that can truly change our lives.

Picture of Roman Russo: Author of Optimal Happiness

Roman Russo: Author of Optimal Happiness

Roman Russo wasn't always happy and struggled with his own negative emotions, anxieties, and depression, until one day he pledged to resolve this part of life, whatever it took. The journey took 6 years, but it was worth it. Today, Roman considers himself to be one of the happiest people alive, part of the 1% of the happiest elite, and he now teaches others a working and universal happiness formula to reach a similar goal. He offers his best advice on Optimal Happiness social media, newsletter, blog, and books, and teaches a complete and unconditional happiness formula in his online courses.

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“The problem is that of optimization,” states Roman Russo, author of Optimal Happiness: The Fastest & Surest Way To Reach Your Happiest Potential. There is plenty of advice on how to be happier or less sad, but no one is speaking about how to become the happiest we can be. And this is the difference that makes all the difference. By not looking at our maximum potential for happiness, we fall short of achieving it. After all, we all have hundreds of ideas on how to be happier or less sad, but most people still feel like they are not living their best lives. As such, Optimal Happiness explores the question of how to be the happiest we can be, regardless of who we are, where we are from, and what our life circumstances are. It proposes a complete and unconditional formula for happiness and explains how you too can become happy today and forever, inviting you to join the 1% happiness elite and become one of the happiest people alive.

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