A few years ago, I stumbled onto the podcast train. I think they’re great for a few reasons, of which six I will discuss.
I know that many of you already know about podcasts and enjoy them yourself, but if you are one of those people that haven’t started listening to podcasts, you’re missing out on a lot of benefits.
Bottom Line Up Front
There are quite a few benefits of listening to podcasts, but the most notable are the ability to learn about almost any subject, they can make mundane tasks like commuting productive, they can make commutes seem shorter, they are free entertainment, they provide up-to-date information, and they prevent music playlist burnout.
There are more benefits than this but these are the benefits that I personally find most notable.
Entrepreneur Spotlight: The Last Chance Podcast
Before I discuss the benefits of listening to podcasts, I just want to showcase my good friend Matt. He’s the creator of The Last Chance Podcast.
More than that though, I owe my podcast listening habits to him. He’s the one that got me into listening to them a few years back, and he has also had me as a guest on a few of his episodes.
What I enjoy about his podcast is he really just talks about whatever it is he wants to. He’s like… the poor man’s Joe Rogan, but more approachable.
He maintains a very wide aperture when it comes to his stance on pretty much all topics. He is open to different ideas and different viewpoints, and that sort of perspective is just refreshing, especially in a world so polarized on many subjects, one way or the other.
Anyway, it is an up-and-coming podcast where he talks about really interesting topics. For example, he interviewed one of his Airbnb guests that stayed at his listing. He also talked about insomnia of which he has personally struggled with.
A really great aspect to the size of his channel at this point is that if you had something you might want to talk about, there is a possibility of you potentially going on his show and talking with him about it, or talk about a suggestion made from a listener.
Probably not something you could do with Mr. Rogan.
Anyway, if you haven’t listened, give it a try, subscribe, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ rate him on Apple Podcasts. He’s releasing an episode once a week. I highly recommend it. Find him on whatever you use to listen to podcasts. And if you don’t know how to do that (because you don’t listen to podcasts), just click here to get you started.
6 Benefits of listening to podcasts
So, as I was saying, there are outstanding benefits to listening to podcasts.
But aside from these podcasts, there is just something intangible when you listen to them.
You almost get to feel almost a personal connection with some of the hosts. I’m not sure what that is called, but I know it isn’t a phenomenon associated only with podcasting. The same can be said with gaming streamers and YouTubers.
Let's discuss my favorite benefits.
#1 Learn about (almost) anything
This seems like an obvious one but this benefit carries the most potential.
Invest in yourself. It is the only investment that really matters in the end. You can learn about search engine optimization, politics, news, history, real estate investing, books, finance, and so much more.
The crazy part is that podcasts continue to grow as it is a relatively new media platform, at least compared to the oversaturated blog platform. Go figure.
#2 Productivity during a commute
I have a 45-minute commute and it was definitely hard adjusting to it at first. (I used to think anything over 20 minutes was unacceptable).
Listening to music can last for a while but it sure is unproductive.
So I started listening to those recordings where you can learn a language, and that probably lasted a few weeks. It is just not enjoyable and immersive, the way podcasts are.
Enter podcasts. They are perfect for mental immersion. You get engrossed in the subject of whatever it is you are listening to. Many podcasts have episodes that are 30 to 45 minutes in length, and so they’re perfect for commutes.
Instead of driving and wasting 90 minutes a workday, I am putting most of that time to good use, and learning about something interesting, investing in myself, making me better in the end.
#3 Makes the time go by faster (commute)
For the benefit of commutes, this one is big.
Long commutes can be grueling, especially when you hit traffic. But podcasts can be so immersive that I sometimes find myself sitting in the car in the parking lot at work, unable to stop listening to the current episode that I am on because it is so captivating.
Outside of this though, I have also used it to listen to for mundane tasks that don’t require a lot of brainpower but do require a lot of repetition.
#4 Free entertainment/education
Podcasts are absolutely free. They are free entertainment, unlike that monthly subscription to Spotify or whatever music streaming people pay for nowadays.
But more than just free entertainment, investing in one’s self typically requires forking over some hard-earned capital.
Education doesn’t come cheap for the most part. College is largely a scam and costs a fortune. (fight me)
Masterclasses cost money, online courses cost money, everything costs money, so it seems.
Podcasts are a platform that you can learn for free on. I will say that I have not learned everything I need to know about a subject from podcasts, but I have learned enough to give me a framework of what I need to look for going forward.
It also helps validate what I learn, driving home information that I need to retain.
Real estate investing is something that I have learned all on my own and revolved largely around podcasts.
#5 Up-to-date information
As opposed to the very rigid nature of traditional education, podcast information is very up to date. Formal education can be like turning the Titanic.
Example: Ever taken a class on something information technology-related? I have and they’re laughably outdated. Information Technology is a perfect example of how quickly traditional formal education can quickly go stale, especially with how rapidly changing something like Information Technology is.
Podcasts fight for relevance in order to gain an audience. That is just the way it works. It is similar to how websites fight for relevance, and why Google continues to evolve its algorithm, not to torment website managers or SEO experts, but because Google is trying to get the most relevant and useful information to customers.
Do you know what isn’t trying to get relevant information to students? Textbooks.
#6 Prevent music playlist burnout
I remember when I would listen to music every day on my commutes. I would get so sick of those playlists.
Not with podcasting. You are keeping that playlist fresh for your workout, or your next beach trip or day at the lake.
Conclusion
If you aren’t listening to podcasts, you really should get started. The most difficult thing about getting started listening to podcasts is finding a podcast channel that you can just jump into and start listening to.
Don’t worry, you don’t need to start at episode one of the channel (many are in their hundreds and even thousands of episodes). Pick a subject that you like, search for it, and just go for it. Give it a quick listen if you think their voice is annoying, move on.
Use podcasts to make productive your wasted time, invest in yourself, and don’t burn that beach playlist out!
Time to Pay it Forward
What podcasts do you listen to? Comment down below any suggestions.
Tell me what you think of The Last Chance Podcast.
Subscribe if you haven’t already, or else you might miss out on my frequent rants. Who knows, you might learn something.
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