AUDIBLE | The Best Money I Have Ever Spent

DISCLAIMER: IMAGE NOT OWNED BY ME

Hey guys! Today I want to talk to you about Audible! An audio book service provided by Amazon. This isn't sponsored in any way, I just love audible! I've been a member for almost three years now, paying £7.99 a month that entitles me to one audio book to read at my own pace and is available even after I stop my membership. I can easily say it's the best money I've ever spent and today I'm gonna tell you why. I would also like to make a disclaimer that 90% of the books I read are self-help so a large portion of this article is based on my experience of using Audible for that particular genre. This DOES NOT mean that if you're not interested in self-help, that this information will not be of use to you!

I CAN EASILY JUGGLE MORE THAN ONE GENRE

So, as you have probably gathered by now, I am really into personal development which basically means that I invest a lot of time into learning how I can become the best version of myself. One of the best resources for learning is of course books! I like to read self-help books for personal growth and I like to read Crime/ Thrillers just for fun but I struggle to make time for both genres when I work full time, spend my free time writing for my blog and creating art content. I try not to use the phrase 'I don't have the time to...' because I believe that you can make time for anything that's a priority! 

However, juggling two books at the same time isn't ideal for me and when I swap between the two genres (read a self-help book and then read a crime thriller) I find myself a bit disorientated because they're two completely different worlds! I end up ditching the thriller because I have this unnerving need for progress in my life and find it hard to let myself do things for fun without feelings of guilt so I tell myself I don't need to read the thriller. Audible enables me to juggle them both! I now listen to self-help books through audible and I physically read thrillers. 

When I'm reading thrillers, I like to go to the book store and pick the one that jumps out at me. I like the 'old-fashioned' feeling of having the book physically in my hands and getting so caught up in the story that I turn page after page, hooked. When it comes to self-help books, I don't have the same desire to have it physically in my hands because I've found that listening to them is better for me.

YOU CAN MAKE MUNDANE TASKS PRODUCTIVE


Okay, this probably has to be one of the most exciting things about using Audible for me. Those mundane tasks that swallow parts of your day such as; a bus journey, a walk to work/school, getting ready, preparing food, showering, driving home from work- these can ALL be turned into a productive use of time with audible. Especially if you're listening to self-help or something else educational. This could be really exciting for you too if you love time efficiency or if you just thrive off of productivity like me! (Yes, I know I sound like Monica Gellar or Amy Santiago right now but.. that's a vibe here, okay?) 

IT ENABLES ME TO ABSORB INFORMATION MORE EFFECTIVELY

If you enjoy self-help books or you're interested in getting started, I highly recommend trying them out on Audible! Again, this is in no way sponsored, (I wish it was) I just want to spread the word because it has made such a big impact on my life. This might seem pretty dramatic to some of you but let's just pause for a moment and think about the fact that some of the most successful people read for the purpose of self development. Click here to view a great article by HuffPost about successful people and their reading habits! 

You may be thinking 'Yeah, that's cool but why do I need audible for that?' and that would be a fair question. If you physically read non-fiction books and find yourself easily and quickly retaining the information that you have read, you most likely fit into 65% of the population who are visual learners. This means you learn best from what you see (and read.) A smaller 30% are auditory learners which means they learn best from what they hear. And a very small 5% are kinesthetic learners which means that they learn best from engaging in some sort of activity or experiment. These statistics are based on the learning methods that are most effective, that's not to say that if you are primary a visual learner, that you won't learn anything through audio! It is very likely that you learn from more than just one method. Click here for more information on learning styles! (This article by Inc. is where I got these statistics from)

But, let's say that you are in the 30% who learn best from audio and you've been spending years reading books instead of listening to them! I have found that through listening to self-help books, that valuable chunks of information have stayed ingrained in my mind for months, even years after finishing an audio book! There's something really great about hearing the book being read by the author too (9/10 self-help books are read by the author.) Hearing their voice helps me to get a better understanding of the person that has put all this impactful information together and gives me a little bit more of the full 'story'. 

I CAN TRAVEL LIGHT!

You may or may not know that I'm currently in Australia (originally from the UK) and when I packed my bags I had to be incredibly selective with what I bought with me as I'm technically a 'backpacker.' Books are pretty bulky and heavy! And so I only brought two physical books with me (both thrillers) because I have all of my audio books tucked away inside a nifty little app on my phone. 

I CAN TRACK MY PROGRESS

Within the app, there is a progress tracker and who doesn't like to track their progress?! You can see how long you have been listening that day, that week, that month AND in total, where you are ranked from 'Newbie' all the way up to 'Master' which, may I add is a challenge and a half because I have been listening to books for three years and I am only half way up the ladder. My tracker says I have listened to a total of seven days, seventeen hours and 15 minutes. Seven days sounds like quite a lot but when you think that was over three years... Doesn't sound so hefty. 

There is also a badge earning system where you can earn bronze, silver or gold on particular challenges. These challenges may be 'You listened to 'X' amount of hours over lunch time' 'You have listened to 'X' amount of books twice' 'You have started 'X' amount of books but not yet finished them.' Oh my god, I am such an Amy Santiago because this excites me A LOT. 

IF YOU DON'T LIKE A BOOK, YOU CAN SWAP IT

I really like this feature because I've bought quite a few audio books that just weren't my cup of tea and you can't just return a book to Waterstones if you don't like it! I've also found that after swapping books I didn't like for another, (I'm not sure if this is a glitch or not) I was still able to listen to the book I didn't like. I guess there's nothing exciting about being able to carry on listening to the book you didn't like... but hey, the choice is nice. 

I hope you enjoyed this post on why Audible is the best money I have ever spent!

P.s. If you're saying to yourself right now 'I don't have £7.99 to spend on audible.' I will just ask you two questions.. Are you currently spending £5-£10 a month to eliminate ads and skip songs on Spotify? Are you paying £10-£15 on a gym membership that you're not getting full use out of? Hmmmm *sips tea*

Thanks for reading guys! Until next week,

LUNA EDEN X