6 Tips for Listening to Podcasts

With yesterday's post, I wanted to make a couple more posts on listening to podcasts.

While I feel that podcasts are universally listened to by many to some degree, I've had people ask me for tips. Whether it's how and where to start, how and where to listen to podcasts, or what app(s) to use, some want to listen to podcasts but aren't sure how to go about it.

Hopefully, this post will help with any questions you have relating to podcasts. Here are __ tips for listening to podcasts.

Tip 1: Choose one, and only one, app for listening to podcasts.

This may seem like an "obvious" tip, but it's not always something that comes to mind for people who want to start listening to podcasts. It can be nice to have 2+ apps for listening to podcasts so that you don't have to be jumping around from podcast to podcast. However, having 2+ apps just for podcasts can take up space on your device that you can use to store other things. Yes, it can be tedious to jump from podcast to podcast, but most podcast apps have a "library" feature where you can find all the podcasts you have listened to or want to listen to.

Tip 2: Look at your favorite book genres to decide the podcasts you want to listen to.

Podcasts can fall into similar "genres," or at least groupings, that books fall into. And it's really easy to do a Google search of podcasts of a certain genre - i.e. "young adult podcasts" or "horror podcasts." Most podcast apps will also have hundreds of podcasts available.

Tip 3: It's okay to jump between podcasts.

Sometimes, it can be easy to think "I need to finish this podcast before I move onto another podcast." However, this is not necessary. Many podcasts are regularly getting updated, so you'll never be able to "finish" it in the true sense of the word. So once you listen to all the available episodes of a podcast, you can move onto another one. You can return to it and listen to any new episodes.

Tip 4: You don't have to listen to podcasts in only one location or setting.

It can be hard to read in any or every situation you're in with certain book formats. Podcasts are different, though. As long as you have a phone - and headphones or earphones, depending on where you are - you can listen to podcasts any and everywhere. Just as long as you're not listening to a podcast in a situation where you can be easily distracted, you're good to go.

Tip 5: Set your podcast app so that you listen to the podcast episodes from oldest to newest.

I'm not sure about other podcast apps, but I know that with Apple Podcasts, you have to go to settings and make it so that you're listening to the episodes from oldest to newest. Unless you don't mind how it's set up, I find it smoother to listen to the older episodes before the newer episodes.

Tip 6: Don't be afraid to stop listening to a podcast if you're not enjoying it.

I did take this one from DNF-ing books: if you're not enjoying a book, you can set it down and not finish it. You can do the same with podcasts: if you're not enjoying a podcast, you can stop listening to it and move on to another one.

Listening to Podcasts

This is a topic I posted about before my big blog revamp at the start of this year. I wanted to discuss this topic a bit more, given that I haven't dedicated any posts to this yet.

We all know what podcasts are, or are at least familiar with what they are. However, just in case you're new to the game, here's what a podcast is: "An episodic series of spoken word digital audio files that a user can download to a personal device for easy listening" (Wikipedia). There are apps where you can listen to many podcasts on your phone, iPad, or another device. Most podcasts also have their own websites as well, where you should be able to listen to the episodes.

Personally, I wasn't a big podcast listener before Covid hit in early 2020. However, when Covid came to the US and we went into lockdown, I didn't want to be constantly on my phone or watching TV during my free time. This is why I turned to podcasts.

I started out with a podcast my dad and sister had been listening to for quite some time before this. Lore is a podcast created by Aaron Mahnke and the Grim & Mild team. Ever since I began this podcast, I have enjoyed it. I love creepy and spooky stories, but I can't always watch horror movies. The Grim & Mid podcasts, especially Lore, are a great way for me to satisfy my want for spooky stories without too much of the visual aspects of horror movies. However, I do need to make sure that I listen to the Grim & Mild podcasts during the day and before it starts getting dark.

Since beginning Lore and Grim & Mild's other podcasts, I have listened to more podcasts and fell in love with so many. Podcasts have been a great way for me to limit my TV and phone time. Although I do tend to work on things - like this blog - while I listen to podcasts, it's a better option than watching the same shows over and over again.