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Recently I read a post over at Rocket Ink about Patrick Welkers’ podcast listening habits. It made me think about my own reasons why and what I listen to.
I love to listen to podcasts. I started listening about 5.5 years ago when I really grew tired of the radio. I figured I could use my commute time to catch up on news, learn about the something technical or pure entertainment. The time I listen now has increased due the enjoyment I get out of them. I listen at work (when it does not affect what I am working on), during my commute, working around the house - whenever it makes sense without ignoring my family or friends. Sometimes I listen just for company.
The funny thing is I hate talk radio. Below list of 27 or so regularly listened to podcasts that are all talk. So why would I listen to podcasts that are talk shoes? I think it because that I can’t pick and choose the programs on the radio to listen to, or I was never able to “connect” with the hosts.
Connection to the hosts and topics is really important. You spend a lot of time with these people in your head so you really need to love what you are hearing. They become your “friends” in many ways. A few days before a weekly show is released I start to look forward to the shows because of this connection. Very similar to how you might feel about a character on a favorite televisions program.
The list below is always changing. Shows with be added and removed. Sometimes if I am really behind I will remove an episode for the week. I try not to get anxiety ridden about having a lot of shows in the queue and I am not trying to reach “podcast zero” either. These are for my enjoyment, education only.
My podcast client of choice is Overcast. I love the Voice Boost (especially when I am in the car) and the Smart Speed to reduce the pauses in some shows. Using that feature has allowed me to listen to more shows and save time without speeding up the playback. I think to date I am over 70 hours saved.
Bold shows represent current favorites and ones I always listen to.↩︎