Time to listen, time to think

I found this article interesting https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2026/aug/31/the-one-change-that-worked-stopped-listening-to-podcasts-creativity – the author found that constantly listening to podcasts was getting in the way of thinking.

I certainly listen to podcasts and audiobooks a lot and it made me think about how I use them.

I find they’re very useful getting through housework where plenty of distraction is vital!

But sometimes when my family is around it would be nicer to have something we are all listening to together while we do our separate tasks, listening can put me in a different world and it’s nice to have things to share.

I find sleep podcasts incredibly helpful for calming my mind and getting back to sleep when I wake up at 3am, though I try not to be too dependent on them.

As for exercise, I enjoy it a lot more than housework so I don’t necessarily need the distraction as much as the article’s author.

So when I set off for a run today, I experimented with running without a podcast. I found it was ok, but I didn’t have a big burst of new ideas. By contrast after about 30 minutes I switched on a podcast and was immediately drawn into a fascinating discussion about hope and despair on the Prancing Pony Podcast. This was followed up by a very interesting panel discussion on The Body Pod about exercise and nutrition for mid life women which did give me ideas I want to put into practice.

I use bone conduction headphones so can hear the world around me, so I am safer and didn’t miss the skylark over the fields.

Overall my run was richer for having good content to reflect on.

But it’s important to be selective. I agree with the article that so many podcasts feature more or less random thoughts from a couple of male comedians which can get a bit samey after a while. I find I really enjoy listening to older women’s voices, which aren’t as easy to hear in the mainstream media, but are often full of humour and insight that feels inspiring and relevant for me.

So I find podcasts mostly beneficial for me, as long as I keep the quality up and try to include my family more. But I’m glad I took the time to think about this.

How does the media you consume affect your life?