The Best Ways To Spend Time Alongside Your Favorite Podcast

Podcasts have exploded as one of the best forms of entertainment in the digital landscape. Whether you prefer a deep dive into concepts in arts, business, and other fields, or you just enjoy taking a couple of hours to hear from some of your favorite personalities, they’re growing more and more popular. However, a lot of people have trouble simply slowing down for that length of time and need something to keep them busy. As such, here are a few things you can do to accompany your podcast in a way that either gives a sense of accomplishment or just allows you to lock in and really engage.

Commuting

Rather than commuting being something you should do while listening to a podcast, it’s more of an opportunity to make a little more use out of your commute. Podcasts are perfect for transforming what might otherwise feel like wasted time into something a little more intentional and personal. Part of your brain is always going to be focused on the road, or on your surroundings if you’re on public transport, but listening to podcasts gives your brain something to do while your body mostly autopilots during a familiar routine. It can also give you something interesting to keep your brain occupied later in the day during the more monotonous parts of your job.

Walking Outdoors

Any kind of physical activity while listening to a podcast is a great idea, allowing you to take care of yourself without letting your mind get too bored. While most people prefer to listen to up-tempo music during more strenuous exercises like running, slower exercises like going for a walk are the perfect time to listen to stories and conversations. Keeping your brain engaged can make walks feel much shorter, which can make it easier to turn routine exercise into a habit. You might even find yourself listening a lot more attentively than you would be if, for instance, you were simply sitting still. While you can easily walk on your treadmill, being outdoors not only gives you a relaxing connection to the nature around you, but it also encourages you not to stop early. After all, you have to make it back home before you can stop.

Crafting And Hands-On Hobbies

One of the things that can make us feel restless while listening to podcasts is that we’re engaging one part of our brain while leaving the other totally free. This is why podcasts pair particularly well with any kind of hobby that involves getting hands-on, such as knitting, painting, or even taking on simple DIY projects around the home. That way, your brain and hands are able to engage independently in their tasks without much interruption between the two of them. Podcasts don’t take your eyes away from what you’re doing, either, making them much better for crafts than watching videos.

Low-Pressure Puzzles

Keeping your brain active can help you ensure that you don’t become bored and disengaged from what you’re listening to, but at the same time, you don’t want to distract yourself from your podcast, either. That can make the lower-stakes puzzles, such as crosswords and logic grids, a good fit for podcasts. They’re engaging enough ot keep the brain active and busy, but not so difficult or demanding that you’re going to find yourself constantly losing track of the conversation or discussion. The key is choosing puzzles that don’t demand intense reading or constant re-evaluation. When balanced well, puzzles and podcasts enhance each other, keeping your mind and hands busy while your attention remains fixed.

Casual Card Games

Card games on the simpler side are another great match for podcasts. Some games, like solitaire, take it slow and rely on pattern recognition and long-term strategy to reach a win state (or at least attempt to), while faster-paced games like blackjack (even free versions) involve fast decision-making and risk management, allowing you to keep one side of the brain active, but not the side that’s still able to actively listen to and engage with people talking. These games move at your pace and, in not too long, become intensely familiar, so that the predictability of the mechanics never gets too distracting from what you’re trying to listen to, creating an almost meditative rhythm without leaving you overstimulated or mentally drained.

Tidying Up The House

You don’t necessarily have to find a way to make your podcast time productive. For one, it’s important to have some relaxation time not dedicated to any specific task, especially if you already tend to have a full workload. However, if you do feel a need to keep your hands busy and move around as you listen, podcasting can also make cleaning a lot more enjoyable. Repetitive tasks like doing the dishes and folding laundry go by a lot more quickly, as they require minimal mental effort, allowing you to connect with what you’re listening to much more actively. You might even find that you begin to associate cleaning with certain shows, which can make the prospect of getting up and tidying the place a little less frustrating.

Finding Your Podcast Game

If you’re a videogame, then there are plenty of games that are so well-suited to podcast listening that you would think that they might be designed around it. Roguelike games such as Balatro or Slay the Spire work similarly to playing solitaire or blackjack, allowing you to learn rules and recognize patterns so that you’re able to play at your own pace without interrupting your ability to engage with what you’re listening to. You typically don’t want to pick games that require constant reaction time or force you to make deep decisions quickly, or those with a story that engages the creative side of the brain, as they can crowd out podcasts.

Lastly, there’s always the option of taking a nap while listening. You might not catch all of the podcast and find yourself having to rewind later, but for a lot of people, they can be a great sleep aid. 

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