7 Benefits of Listening to Audiobooks

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Audiobook Benefits in a Nutshell

Have you ever wondered if audiobooks have any benefits? What about what the benefits of audiobooks may be? If you answered yes to those questions I can tell you you’re in the right place. Sometimes it can be hard to sit down with a book for a half hour to an hour each day. One of the best ways to combat that is through the use of audiobooks. They are really a game changer when it comes getting your daily dose of book in.

Think about this for a minute, when was the last time you had a chance to read a book? When was the last time you asked someone what books they’ve been reading? The sad true is that we live in a time with access to information constantly but people don’t read as often as they could. You may be wondering what the real benefits of audiobooks are, I have found 7 that I think are most worthwhile.

1)  Audiobooks Are Easy To Listen To While Doing Other Tasks

This is pretty self explanatory but I’ll give you some examples. Audiobooks are great to use in place of music when you are doing things like driving, exercising, cleaning, cooking, or maybe even at work. You will be amazed at how many more books you can listen to when you start playing them all the time. This reason by itself makes audiobooks worth it. Imagine how nice it would be to listen to your favorite motivational book at the office or a thriller while you’re cleaning your house.

2) Audiobooks Are Great For Dyslexics

I came across this after talking with a few of my friends about books. I knew one of them was dyslexic but had never considered how it would affect how often they read. We were discussing how often someone should read and they complained about how difficult it was. I pointed out that audiobooks are a great alternative. They tried it out and became hooked on the idea of listening to audiobooks. The is also one of the benefits of audiobooks for students. I know people that struggled with textbooks because of dyslexia. Most schools offer software that will turn textbooks into audiobooks.

3) Listen To Them With Others

Listening to audiobooks with friends and coworkers has been a fun experience. It gives you a chance to hear other people’s opinions about a book. It is like going out to the movies. In the end everyone has the same ideas to talk about and it’s fun to dig into what could be going on in the background of the book’s universe. Ready Player One by Ernest Cline was the first experience I had with how great audiobooks can be. After listening to that books with my coworkers we are all excited to go see the movie when it comes out. Fingers crossed that it will be a good one. 

4) Listening To Audiobooks While Reading The Book

This one sounds strange but it works out really well. Reading and listening to audiobooks at the same time gives you more things to remember. It ties into Edgar Dale’s cone of learning. That is an interesting topic that I can talk about another day. What you need to know is the more ways you do something and the more work it takes to do those things the easier it is to remember. I’ve used listening to the audiobook while reading the book to learn about stock options, real estate investing, stoicism, and starting a business. None of those topics are easy but I think listening to the audiobooks while I read helped me with retention. This is one of the biggest benefits to audiobooks.

5) More Simple Than Reading a Summary

Unless you are in a big rush to read through a summary for some reason audiobooks are a great option. It is painless to listen to a audiobook. On the other hand you could buy a summary which won’t give you all the details. An alternative would be to jump on Reddit. I know that great summaries can end up on Reddit but you have to be careful about what people are saying. It’s easy to leave out important details. If it were up to me when picking audiobooks vs reading Reddit, I’m going to go with an audiobook 9 times out of 10. There is a lot to be said about sticking with a community though and if you find the right one the users on Reddit will treat you right.

6) Audiobooks Are Great For Adults

The benefits of audiobooks for adults pretty much covers everything I’ve mentioned plus more. Adults are the largest group of people in the world. Many of them are limited on time. Not only that but as you get older your eyesight can decrease. Audiobooks counteract that because you can listen to them instead of reading them. Adults are also limited on time bringing back the benefits of listening while you do other things. It also ties into the last benefit I have to talk about.

7)  Adjustable Speed

One of the coolest benefits of audiobooks is that you can adjust the speed. I personally like to listen at anywhere from 1.5x to 2.5x speed. It all depends on how many times I’ve listened to the book, how the voice actors voice sounds sped up, and how hard to comprehend the books is. I usually recommend starting off at 1x to 1.5x and going from there when you are new to audiobooks. This is not the time to listen with your friends they will probably look at you weird when you start playing a chipmunk book at them.

The Benefits Are Real

As you can see there are many benefits to audiobooks. I’m sure if you sit there and think about it you can come up with a few more on your own. Now that you’re thinking about audiobooks you should check out Audible from Amazon. They seem to really know what they are doing. Once you started you’ll see that audiobooks are good for the brain. There aren’t too many other ways to have fun while you learn. It’s nice to know that you can listen with friends when you have a fun book or you can read along with a hard copy if it’s something more serious. Don’t forget how many audiobook benefits there are. Now get out there are start listening.

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Why You Need An Accountability Partner

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Accountability Partners as a Strategic Success Tool

Have you ever started something but didn’t finish? Or worse yet you said you were going to do something but never even got started? Don’t worry you’re not alone. When it comes to getting stuff done getting started is the hardest part and keeping it going is a close second. That’s where accountability partners and groups come in to help you succeed.

Accountability partners and groups are people that get together that have a similar common goal. One example would be a book club. They have a common goal of finishing and discussing a book (or maybe a few). These partners and groups are important to success because they keep you accountable for the things you say and do. Think about this, how hard is it going to be to tell you group of friends you didn’t’ do something? Pretty hard, especially if you know they stayed accountable for the same task. It’s kind of like peer pressure except your peers are convincing you to improve your life!

Now you may be thinking this concept sounds pretty cool but you have one big question, “How do I even find an accountability partner or group?”  The answer is there are a few different ways to get involved.

3 Ways to Find Accountability Partners or Groups 

Local Groups

Local GroupsNetworking is going to be a big part of meeting people and being part of an accountability group. You can find local groups through your hobbies or other interests. If you want to be part of Toastmasters find a local group and join. If you want to be around more people that like RC cars or planes go to a local hobby shop and ask around. There are thousands of people meeting everyday you just need to get out and find them. If you are having trouble with finding groups the next two ways of getting into a group are for you!

Create Your Own 

Creating your own group may not be the easiest way to go about this but it’s definitely the most rewarding. There are a few things that need to be done to create your own group. One is finding a place to meet. A simple solution is finding a park, a Starbucks, or someone’s house that is easily accessible.

Next you want to find a few like minded people to come together and create a group. Ideally you can find these people through your network. If you don’t have a network yet starting with an online group or a local meetup may be easier. Depending on your goals you can decide the main focus of the group (a book club reads books).

Next pick a time and date and be consistent. The third Monday or second Thursday of a month are great examples. This is something you want the entire group to agree on. At a later date you can work as a group to change the date but to start pick something that is easy to remember.

Online

OnlineThere are an abundance for online groups that can be joined. Some of these groups only meet online while others just use the internet as a way to market themselves. Depending on your personality either option will work. You can find these groups through social media like Facebook or apps like MeetUp. Check into if the groups are only online or if they meet in person before you join, it wouldn’t be fun to join a group just to find out that you don’t even live where they meet.

Now What Do We Do?

One you have a group you’re going to want something to do. There are a few options out there. You’ll notice that most groups have a structure that is consistent with each meeting. You don’t to show up to a book club and spend the entire time talking about something unrelated like sports or video games. That’s why it is important for an accountability group or partnership to have a structure.

Regular Meetings

The idea of regular meetings is going to be the easiest option for everyone involved. The group can pick a time and location for the meeting. Once this is set it should not be changed unless the group is better off changing time and locations at a future date.

The next thing the group will want to figure out is a schedule for the meeting. A good way to do that is to have a short period of time at the beginning for catching up as everyone rolls in. After everyone has arrived it’s time to get serious. Depending on your group you may want to do 10 to 20 minute time slots for everyone to talk about what they did do, didn’t do, and what they want to improve on. If your group has presentations this would be the time to do that. If these two ideas don’t sound right for your group then it’s time to discuss with them what will work best.

At the end of these meetings everyone should have had a chance to talk and make goals for the future. These goals can be as individuals or as a group. It’s up to you to decide what will work best for you.

Group Events

Group EventsGroup events are as formal or informal as you want them to be. These kind of events can be anything from team building to a guys or girls night out. This is the time when your group is creating a bond that will make you feel the need to stay accountable.

One of favorites group events for the groups I’ve been involved with were local sports games. It works out well because they are relatively cheap compared to professional games and almost everyone can have fun. If your group isn’t into sports it may be possible to find trade shows or conventions that interest the team. Remember this is about bonding with the group so find something that the group can enjoy.

Classes

Education is important for becoming successful and part of an accountability group or partner is helping everyone achieve more. One of the best ways to improve the group is through taking classes. This doesn’t have to be through a college or anything formal. If you or your group members see a seminar or class on a topic related to the group everyone has a chance to learn. Keep on the lookout for local events that are related to what you and your group want to achieve. A local personal finance seminar can push a personal finance accountability group to the next level.

Any time you take a class make sure to take notes and share it with the group. If multiple people in the group want to learn the same thing it can turn into more of a group event and it will make learning more fun. Remember this is about education and helping yourself and the group. Learning is one of the foundations of success so help your group learn!

Accountability On Your Own

Make a PlanThe groups or partners may make accountability easier but you still have to make sure you are accountable to yourself. This means that between meetings it’s important to stay on the right track. It may be hard to stay accountable when you aren’t checking in with your group or partners regularly but here are a few ways to do it.

  1. Use a daily journal to write down your daily, weekly, monthly, and long term goals.
  2. Create a “To do list” of all the most important activities. The more important the task is the higher it is on the list. Don’t skip tasks for something easier.
  3. Look at the end result you want and create a plan from end to beginning. This is your roadmap to success. Make adjustments as needed.
  4. Create a unique habit that helps you achieve your goals and stay accountable to yourself.

Everyone is different so try new things and experiment. If something works out well for you bring it to the group’s attention. It’s never a bad thing to help yourself and the group at the same time. Your group members may even start using your accountability tricks to improve themselves outside of the group.

Achieve More Through Accountability

It may not seem like it at first but accountability is a big part in becoming successful. You never know when something you are working on could change your life. It is important to surround yourself with people that also want you to succeed. Bringing those kinds of people so that everyone has a chance to achieve more. The more accountable you are for your actions the better. If you can bring people together with a common goal it makes it even easier.

Don’t forget that one of the best ways to achieve success is to create a culture of accountability around you. Share your ideas and goals with friends and family. Find new people to spend time with that want to achieve more just like you do. If you think that someone you know would benefit from learning more about accountability share these ideas with them. Help others join our community of people that believe everyone can achieve more!