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I am an avid audiobook lover, but I wasn't always able to focus while listening. My mind would wander, and I'd soon realize that an entire chapter had gone by without my noticing.
After hearing other readers complain of similar problems, I decided to conduct some research and, together with my own experiences, came up with recommendations to help readers get the most out of their audiobooks.
If you've given up on audiobooks or have never given them a try, I encourage you to try these strategies. Audiobooks have greatly enriched my life and the lives of so many others. People who love to read could be missing out on the joy of audiobooks.
Improve your mental focus. If you aren't sleeping or eating regularly, your brain will be in no condition to focus on anything. As a writer, I sometimes get my days and nights mixed up, and I have to take measures to get myself back into a healthy sleeping routine. The same goes with meals. When facing a deadline, I often eat when I'm stressed, without consideration for regular meal times. Ironically, these bad habits undermine my goals.
Keeping your environment organized can also help with mental focus. I'll be talking about this in a future segment, but, for now, if you find you can't concentrate, try organizing the clutter around you.
Relax. Your mental focus can also be improved by using relaxation methods and imagery to overcome worry. The more anxious, nervous, or stressed you feel, the more easily you can be distracted by outside stimuli. When you're anxious or stressed, your body is on high alert, and your brain is paying attention to everything around you. Before you attempt to listen to an audiobook, try some deep breathing exercises. A calming bath may also get you in the right frame of mind.
Eliminate distractions. Sometimes, instead of trying to focus harder, we may need to simply eliminate all distractions. When you're first getting into an audiobook, choose a quiet room without any music or other sounds. Turn out the lights. Let your friends and family members know not to disturb you. Turn off all notifications. Use deep breathing exercises to clear your mind. Give yourself twenty minutes to focus on this one thing: your audiobook.
Limit your listening activities to mindless tasks. Once you've done the above, it's time to integrate audiobook listening into your daily routine. Listening to audiobooks can make many obligatory duties, like driving in traffic, waiting in line, and completing household chores, much more enjoyable; however, it's important that they be rather mindless. For example, I can listen to an audiobook while I'm driving on a familiar route, but if I'm traveling someplace new and need to pay attention to directions, there is no way I can listen to an audiobook. Likewise, I can listen to an audiobook while I'm waiting in line at the grocery story, but while I'm hunting for items on my list, I can't also listen to my book. Listening to my audiobook during a daily walk is a special treat.
Have an audiobook on you at all times. For the reasons stated above, you can get more out of your audiobooks if you always have one handy. Throughout your day, you never know when you will have some idle time: while you're waiting for your meeting or appointment to begin, while you're sitting in traffic, while you're waiting for your friend to arrive for your lunch date, or while you're walking across a huge parking lot to your building. Having an active audiobook and earbuds with me at all times makes it super easy for me to get through lots of books while adding little spots of joy throughout my day.
Take short breaks. I rarely have the chance to listen to my audiobooks for long spans of time, but, when I do, taking a short break can help me to better focus. This is true for any activity requiring our attention. Pause the audiobook to go get a drink or a snack or to take your pets outside. Just five minutes can be enough to help you to stay on track with your book.
Alternate between reading and listening. It can be easier to get into an audiobook if you start reading the book in ebook or print first. Once you're familiar with the world and the characters, you won't have to work so hard to listen. If you're having problems with your mind wandering while listening, try alternating between reading and listening. You will soon find that you're so into the story that focus is no longer a problem.
Keep practicing. Sometimes it takes a while to train your mind to focus while listening to audiobooks. Try the strategies I've listed above and keep practicing. You might be wondering why I would encourage you to go to all this trouble, when you can easily carry your ereader or paperback around. Well, you can't read a book while you're stuck in traffic. You can't read a book while you're crocheting or knitting a familiar pattern. You can't read a book while you're performing household chores. It's easier to get away with wearing earbuds when you're at a party or seminar you don't want to be at than it is to whip out a book. Don't give up on audiobooks. They've enriched my life and they can enrich yours, too.
If you're new to audiobooks and would like to give them a try, Audible has an awesome subscription deal where you get the first month free, and you can cancel if you don't want to continue. Otherwise, it's $14.95 per month. According to Audible, this is what your Audible membership includes:
Monthly or annual Audible credits: Credits can be exchanged for any single-volume Audible title (1 credit = 1 audiobook).
Keep unused credits: Credits issued on or after April 1st, 2019, can be kept for a year before they expire, as long as your membership is active.
Member discount: All Audible members can make regular (non-membership credit) audiobook purchases at a 30% discount.
Easy audiobook exchanges: Active members can return titles they are unsatisfied with for up to 365 days after the original purchase date.
Audible Originals: Audible Originals are made to be heard-produced exclusively by Audible for the audio format. You won't find them anywhere else. Members choose two from a selection of six every month.
If you use my referral link, you'll get TWO free audiobooks with your first month's subscription. Although this link will take you to a specific book, you can choose something else once you've opened your account.
My US referral link: https://www.audible.com/pd/B06Y41GCZ4/?source_code=AUDFPWS0223189MWT-BK-ACX0-084071&ref=acx_bty_BK_ACX0_084071_rh_us
My UK referral link: https://www.audible.co.uk/pd/B06Y4DPDKK/?source_code=AUKFrDlWS02231890H6-BK-ACX0-084071&ref=acx_bty_BK_ACX0_084071_rh_uk
These links will get you the first audiobook in my Mystery House Series, but if you've already read it and would like a different book of mine, you should be able to change your choice once you open your account. If not, please email me at eva@evapohler.com, and I'll give you a different link.
I hope you found this article helpful. Now go forth and read more books!
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