The house is quiet and you finally get a moment to sit down and breath. You decide to read that book that’s been collecting dust since you bought it. Just as you get comfortable and settle in, your infant wakes up, or your toddler is calling you because he has to go potty. Whatever it is, now your kids are awake and want mom. Your glorious, oh so needed reading time has quickly come to an end.

OR

You have come to the conclusion that the only way you can keep up with your book club is if you read a chapter or two every night before bed. But because your day was packed with work, kids and maintaining a home you are exhausted and as soon as your body hits the bed you are out….PTFO. So that book you’ve been dying to read sits on your nightstand unread yet again.

Does this sound like you? Because let’s be honest, both those scenarios are me. I can’t catch a break. So most of my reading is done on a car ride- if I am lucky enough to be a passenger. And even then my daughter wants to talk about any and every idea that pops into her head; that I am fully expected to be a subject matter expert on and my son just wants to talk about the airplane he sees flying across the sky. So my focus on the book is basically nonexistent. 

Why I Love Audiobooks and Why You Should Too!

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I have always been an avid reader but since becoming a mom finding time to read during the day is hard. Reading for me is self-care. It is exhilarating to get lost in a story and for a brief moment be emersed into a reality that isn’t your own.  So when I can I try to find 10-15mins to slip away and crack open that book.

But then I discovered Audible

My goodness, whoever came up with the audiobook is a genius. I mean really!

I wasn’t always a fan of audiobooks. My first book was The 12 week year. Great book, but I could not focus on it. I thought it was a book that would be good to listen to while working. But I found that for me this particular book was better read and not listened to. I found myself rewinding to quite often and fumbling to jot down ideas. So I actually didn’t go back to audible for a few months… Then one day I realized I had racked up 6 credits!

You see, I thought Audible was included in my Amazon Prime membership. Oh, how naive I was. Well, one day I actually read the automated email alerting me that I had received a new credit and now had 6 credits! Six credits? How in the world did I get so many credits? By not reading the fine print. That is how.

Learn from me, audible is not part of Amazon Prime. I repeat Audible is not part of Amazon Prime.

So I figured, I paid for these credits, I might as well try another book. My next book was a flop. I had been wanting to get this book for quite some time, but man was it annoying to listen to.

Just when I had come close to losing all hope I purchased “Girl Wash Your Face” by Rachel Hollis. The first audiobook I actually completed. And man was it good. But do you know what was even better than the book? Listening to the book. I listened on a 3-hour plane ride, in the car, while cooking dinner and while folding laundry. Whenever I had time that required little brain power, I listened to a book. And I ended up finishing the book in less than 3 days. All because I was listening while doing the normal day to day tasks that I would otherwise complete in silence.

Listen while doing menial tasks

Listening to my book on audible was a game changer for my daily productivity. I hate to say it’s multitasking because I have recently come to believe multitasking is a myth. But if you are able to kill two birds with one stone and get a little self-care in there as well, I say go for it!

But really when you look at it, what are you doing on your daily commute to work or while folding laundry? Probably listening to music or watching TV. All the while that book you so desperately want to finish is just sitting on a table somewhere in your house collecting dust. Instead of worrying about when I will be able to sit down with a good book, I have found a way to include audiobooks into my daily routine that allows me to get through books 

 

I will never lose my love for physical books and I fully believe reading your own books sets a good example for my kids, so I do try to read physical books when I can. But for this season in my life audiobooks have been a true joy to have available to me.

 

Do you listen to audiobooks or are you able to make time to read? I am in the market for a good book. Tell me a few of your favorites in the comments!