Podcasts For The Win!

I'm guilty of trying to consume information faster than my schedule - or my brain - will allow. The stack of books on my nightstand is high, and the number of eBooks on my Kindle that I intend to read won't be done until the end of the year, unless I magically come across some free time that I didn't know about.

The fact is, we all have day jobs. Those day jobs take up a lot of time. When you look at your schedule on paper, you probably block off the forty hours devoted to your job and, in my case, twenty extra hours for the second job on weekends (student loans are expensive!). I then take out the two hours a day for the commute back and forth to said jobs, and that leaves me with a few hours before I need sleep.

I'm not a morning person. I'd love to be, but the reality is that I can never get up earlier than 7:00am, and I never jog like I wish I did because when I get home, it's dark out and I'm scared of the bears that prowl around the woods - not to mention the lynx that devoured our last chicken!

So, if I only have so many hours in a day, and I can only spend a few reading (if I'm lucky), my only other option to get the information that I desire processed into my brain is to listen to podcasts on my commute. Currently I have three different writing podcasts on my iPad that are fantastic and entertaining. I'd highly suggest subscribing to "The Creative Penn" and "The Self Publishing Podcast". These are both very informative. I've learned so much on my commute that wouldn't have been possible without these generous writers recording their thoughts and interviews for others to listen to. It reminds me a lot of taking an interesting course at the University.

The third podcast that I check out regularly is "Writing Excuses". This one is another panel of writers and artists who talk about the elements of craft and the struggles that writers face and how to overcome them.

I don't listen to these podcasts on every drive, but I certainly listen to a few hours a week. It's a great use of time that would otherwise be wasted just waiting to get to my job. When the hours in a day really count, listen to some great podcasts. I can't imagine being without these great resources throughout the week.

Maybe someday I'll get my brothers to make a podcast of my own. Hmm...