In my never ending quest to learn more about the world and becoming the best person I can be, I’ve accumulated some techniques to optimise for as much learning as possible in my daily life.
Audiobooks
Audiobooks are a great way to devour books whilst on the move. Whether it’s fiction or non-fiction, audiobooks can help turn the daily commute to and from work. I use Audible for this purpose, it has a vast library and even the possibility to speed up playback. I rarely speed up fiction, but non-fiction I usually play at 1.25-1.5x speed. Some of my favourite audiobooks include:
- David Foster Wallace - This is Water
- The Happiness Hypothesis
- Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy
Podcasts
Similar to audiobooks, podcasts are a great way to accumulate knowledge on topics you’re interested in. One benefit over audiobooks is that they are a bit more bite-sized and can usually be completed in one setting. My favourite podcasts are interviews with interesting people, some of those are:
- Stuff you should know
- Giant Robots
- NPR - All Songs Considered
Conclusion
Whilst learning by filling in the gaps with audiobooks and podcasts is useful, it is likewise beneficial to switch off and be present and mindful. If you have other methods of accelerated learning I’d love to hear about it so please leave a comment or get in touch.