You know the feeling: after promising yourself you’ll do something productive, you realise you’ve lost hours to staring at your phone, listlessly flicking between apps without achieving anything other than a worryingly detailed insight into the daily activities of your colleague’s sister’s new kitten.
The average Brit spends almost three hours a day scrolling through social media. Most of us probably feel that that time would be better employed learning a new skill, seeing friends and family, or at least binge-watching the latest boxset.
But what if the problem isn’t our smartphones? And what if the solution isn’t going on a digital detox, or downgrading to a dumbphone, but is, instead, focusing on using our devices more constructively?
Sales of audiobooks have doubled in the past five years and a recent study, commissioned by Audible and undertaken by University College London, showed that listening to them is more engaging than watching films or TV. Researchers found that participants’ heart rates and body temperatures increased significantly more when listening to an audiobook than when watching screen adaptations of the same story, indicating a greater emotional response.
Perhaps it’s no surprise that more and more people are switching on to the fact that being on your phone doesn’t have to mean passively consuming media. Instead, you can choose to delight in the buzziest podcast, learn a new language, improve your mindfulness, or immerse yourself in an audiobook.
Sound good? Here are some of our best picks and tips to get you started ...
Learn a new skill
Learn Spanish with Paul Noble: Complete Course by Paul Noble, HarperCollins
If you want to learn Spanish without leaving the house, this could be the course for you. Paul Noble’s non-traditional approach promises to teach you more than 6,000 words in minimal time, without the need for rote memorisation.
A Classical Education: The Stuff You Wish You’d been Taught at School by Caroline Taggart, Audible
Proving that learning doesn’t have to end in the classroom, this audiobook reveals how the ancient world shaped modern society – from engineering and architecture to drama and philosophy.
Mindware: Tools for Smart Thinking by Richard Nisbett, Audible
Psychologist Richard Nisbett reveals how scientific and philosophical concepts can be applied to our work and home lives, providing a toolkit for smarter thinking and better decision-making.
How to Talk So Little Kids Will Listen by Joanna Faber and Julie King, Simon & Schuster
Based on years of workshops with parents and professionals, this user-friendly guide provides strategies for dealing with everyday parenting issues, from supermarket tantrums to fussy eating.
Personal development
Kick Ass with Mel Robbins by Mel Robbins, Audible Studios
Listen in as Mel Robbins (inspirational speaker and bestselling author of The 5 Second Rule) leads private coaching sessions with clients hoping to improve their jobs, relationships and health. Delivered in Robbins’s trademark no-bullshit style, it’s as entertaining as it is motivating.
Get Some Headspace by Andy Puddicombe, Hodder & Stoughton
If you’re burdened with a racing mind but aren’t sure that meditation is exactly the right thing for you, consider giving Get Some Headspace a try. Andy Puddicombe is on a mission to demystify the practice of mindfulness, encouraging time-starved listeners to take just 10 minutes out of their day to achieve greater levels of calm and clearheadedness.
The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck by Mark Manson, HarperAudio
In these uncertain times, perhaps unrelenting optimism isn’t the answer. That’s certainly the opinion of self-help blogger Mark Manson, who offers an antidote to the positive-thinking brigade, rejecting fridge-magnet platitudes in favour of radical acceptance. Backed by academic research, he argues that embracing – rather than rejecting – our fears is the key to lasting happiness.
Why We Sleep: The New Science of Sleep and Dreams by Matthew Walker, Penguin
Every major health condition – from Alzheimer’s to obesity – has been linked to sleep deprivation, but until recently science has been unable to tell us why a lack of sleep is so damaging. Now, British professor Matthew Walker takes an in-depth look at why sleep matters, and how we can improve ours.
Podcasts (free to Audible members)
The Butterfly Effect with Jon Ronson, Audible Originals
When German teenager Fabian Thylmann hatched a plan to make porn free to stream online, he couldn’t have anticipated the far-reaching effects of his get-rich scheme. This seven-part podcast sees bestselling author Jon Ronson unpick the often surprising consequences of Thylmann’s idea, with funny, sad and unexpected results.
West Cork, Audible Originals
True crime is a genre that lends itself particularly well to podcasts, allowing listeners to re-examine gripping cases step by step. UK producers Jennifer Forde and Sam Bungey meticulously investigate the unsolved 1996 murder of French film producer Sophie Toscan du Plantier, whose body was discovered near her holiday home in Ireland.
Where Should We Begin? with Esther Perel, Audible Originals
From infidelity to sexless marriages, renowned Belgian psychotherapist Esther Perel invites listeners to eavesdrop as anonymous real-life couples share intimate inside accounts of their relationships. It’s an occasionally confronting but always absorbing listen.
What Were You Thinking? Audible Originals
Journalist Dina Temple-Raston delves behind the headlines to tell the compelling stories of young adults (16-24) who made life-altering decisions with disastrous consequences – from joining Isis to planning a school shooting. As well as conducting interviews astutely, Temple-Raston sheds light on the neuroscience behind the risky behaviours displayed by adolescents.
Your first audiobook is free with a 30-day trial from Audible – £7.99 a month after 30 days. Renews automatically
