A while ago, I realised that I could plug my iPad in to the car to listen to audiobooks as I drove.

Then my iPad had an issue, so I tried to do the same on my phone… it didn’t work too well! So I’ve started to listen to audiobooks old school, by borrowing CDs from the library.

I have enjoyed listening to them on CD as they autoplay when I start driving, so I can listen on shorter drives too (I didn’t always have my iPad with me).

I have noticed a few things since I made this change.

The first is that I’ve been able to read more books! Reading more books is always a good thing, after all, stories are my happy place.

The second is that I’ve been able to focus on driving much more. I don’t know what it is about listening to a story that helps keep me on track, but it’s working.

The third is that those long drives aren’t quite so tiring. Again, I don’t know what it is about listening to stories that helps keep me going, but it helps a lot, especially when driving at night.

I make sure I have a good selection of audiobooks that I can listen to, and I mix them up depending on what appeals to me at the time. I am considering contacting some of the libraries I visit and asking them to choose one or two for me to mix things up a bit as it’s harder to search for audiobooks on CD as it is on apps like Borrow Box.

I can’t listen to an audiobook when I’m not doing something else, and I have found they are a perfect compliment to a long drive.

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There are way too many books being published and I simply can’t keep up!

I have so many books on my shelves that I want to read, but haven’t had the time to read them all. It doesn’t help that I keep adding books to the list.

It doesn’t help that I’ve got so many friends who are authors who keep publishing amazing books… I can’t keep up with those either!

Some days, I swear that life exists to stand in the way of me reading more books!

That said… I’m always on the look out for more recommendations!

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When I was at school, in class, I would do my work, then pull out my book to read quietly. I read Gone with the Wind this way in year 7! I now realise it was a way to block out the craziness and noise of the classroom. I also would read on the bus to and from school. I know now this was my way of calming down and having space between transitions.

As I got older and became a ‘responsible’ adult, I got the message that reading was a ‘waste of time’ and not productive… I also got very overwhelmed with being a parent of young children, and reading for pleasure took a back seat. Lately, I have realised that reading IS productive. It helps my mental health and emotional regulation more than I often acknowlege.

A few weeks ago, the weather was lovely and I took myself to my favourite cafe, treated myself to afternoon tea, and sat in the sun reading a book. It was amazing. Afterwards, I felt calmer and had more energy and focus than normal in the late afternoon. This is something I need to do much more often.

When I go on long drives, instead of listening to music or the radio, I listen to an audiobook. This seems to keep me in the moment much more and helping with the drive more than listening to other things. I wish I had discovered it much sooner than I had.

I am now working on ways to build reading in to my days much more often than the little snippets of time I usually afford myself. I realising the importance of reading to my everyday life and know that this is not just a hobby, it’s an essential service!

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