On social media I have noticed there seems to be a recurring argument as to whether listening to audiobooks counts as reading, so I’m going to take this opportunity to share some of my thoughts.

I’ll admit it took me up until a couple of years ago to really get the benefit of Listening to audiobooks. To begin with, I was listening them when I was doing other things that required a fair bit cognitive attention.

I also used them to help go to sleep, same as reading, but found I had to rewind a fair bit the next day. I think my mind also began to associate them with sleep (more of this later).

As we go along, I’ll also list of what to do while listening to audiobooks. Some things require a little less cognitive attention that others, and you’d be surprised at the comments during the day when you can carve out a little audiobook time.

Eventually, after a bit of trial and error, I got used to audiobooks and now I listen to one or two a month, depending on length. Are audiobooks better than reading? Here’s what I’ve learnt.

Enjoyment

It’s believed that around 400,000 years, our hunter gatherer ancestors learned how to control fire. Doing this allowed them to cook food and meant that they gathered in the same place each evening. It’s thought that storytelling might have started at this time. We all know that lovely feeling, sitting around a campfire, our faces flickering in the flames, and someone launches into a good story.

In my own country of Ireland, we have a rich Celtic tradition of oral storytelling. First we had bards, held in high esteem, reciting poems about chieftains, praising their lineage and exploits. These later became Seanachaí, keepers of traditions and memories of clans, who became wanderers, drifting from place and place and telling their stories wherever they could find a fire, a warm meal and a bed for the night. Of course television and radio have largely replaced the art of storytelling, but we still have Seanachaí in Ireland and it’s a tradition worth preserving

We all know someone who is a born storyteller, someone who has you hanging on every word. There’s a great pleasure to be had in listening to someone like Billy Connolly telling his life story. Another one I enjoyed was the actor Gabriel Byrne. There are so many racantouers out there and it’s a great way to spend a few hours of your time.

Focus

We live in a world of constant distraction. A good test is to turn off the notifications on your phone and see how long it takes you to reach for it. If I’m reading, I leave my phone on the other side of the room, forcing myself to be conscious of having to get up and move towards it. I often stop myself half way across the room. There’s no doubting smart phones have ruined our concentration

A good exercise is to simply listen to an audiobook. If you’re walking, just follow it as normal, being aware of your surroundings. If you find yourself sidetracked, most audiobook players have an option to rewind (I’ve set up my AirPods so that a quick tap on the right pod rewinds fifteen seconds. Very handy, and stops me getting lost).

I’ve definitely noticed improvements in my focus since I began listening to audiobooks but it’s taken a bit of practice. Non fiction has been particularly good in this regard. I’d definitely say improving focus has been one of the benefits of listening to audiobooks.

Listening skills

It definitely seems that there are more talkers than listeners in the world. When’s the last time someone actually listened to you – or maybe more importantly, when’s the last time someone got your undivided attention? I think there’d be less discord in the world if we were more willing to listen to each other (looking at you, Putin).

Listening is not spending your time thinking of a response for when the other person finishes, or worse, interrupting them to blurt out your points, so important that they almost jump out of your mouth. Or offering advice, unless they’ve specifically asked for it.

No, listening is just being with someone. Listening to them, being present. Easier said than done of course, but it just takes practice.

Put on an audiobook, sit down and listen to it. Maybe start with just a couple of minutes. You’re not doing the dishes, or walking the dog. You’re listening to an audiobook. If you find yourself reaching for your phone….stop. You’re present, listening to an audiobook. It’ll improve your listening skills, rapidly becoming a lost art.

Watch the difference it makes to a person when they feel like they’re being listened to. Look at the impact – you’re opening your ears and hopefully your heart to another person.

You now have a magical ability, well done. Definitely a benefit of listening to audiobooks.

Good company

Back in 2020 I was walking the roads, trying to keep active and stop myself going insane during lockdown. One of the things I had plenty of access to were country roads that wound up and around the drumlins of South Armagh. So I’d take some companions with me when I walked, just to make the journey more enjoyable.

My favourite was probably good ol boy Matthew McConaughey (or ma·thyoo muh·ko·nuh·hay to pronounce it correctly). Up and down the narrow roads we went, in all sorts of weather. There were times I nearly fell into a ditch, such was the craic with Matthew. His school exchange trip to Australia had me doubled up with laughter and breathlessness at the top of a particularly steep hill.

It is unlikely that Matthew will ever get time out of his busy Hollywood schedule to come over to the townland of Racabary to head out for a walk and a chat, but for a few gloomy weeks in Ireland he was a ray of sunshine on my morning perigrinations/constitutionals.

I love it when the narrator is also the author of the book. Maybe because it’s their story they find it easy to invest their emotions into their words. Billy Connolly, I’ve mentioned. Sinead O’Connor is another one – her book is raw and personal, as you’d expect, but she’s got a wicked sense of humour and she chuckles her way through parts of her story. Again, great company.

Exercise

Walking is one of my favourite forms of exercise. Hard to beat a hike or just a few laps around your favourite park at a brisk pace to get the blood flowing and shake off the cobwebs.

I ran for a few years but found listening to anything other than music was impossible. The more physical the exercise, the harder I’ve found it to concentrate.

Walking is perfect for audiobooks. You go at your own pace, taking in your surroundings whilst listening to a good book. Sit down and take a rest if you need to, maybe with a coffee. If you’re thinking what to do while listening to audiobooks, walking is one of the top excuses to squeeze in a couple of chapters.

It actually encourages exercise too – the number of times I’ve walked an extra bit because I wanted to find out what happened after a particularly exciting cliff hanger or because I’ve become totally immersed in the story. I’ve walked miles, happily, with some great audiobooks.

And of course, not only are you exercising your body - by practising your listening skills and improving your focus, you’re getting a mental work out as well.

Meditative

I’ve always had an interest in meditation and one of my favourite things to do is mindful walking. It’s pretty simple: be aware of your surroundings, the sensations in your body and the feeling of your feet touching the ground. And on you go, just noticing things.

I have done this with audiobooks too – the words are just another thing in the river of consciousness. I’m just present with my audiobook.

Even better has to be listening to books about mindfulness whilst walking – the soothing teachings of Thich nhat hanh have been a particular favourite whilst sauntering along country roads. Definitely a healthy benefit of listening to audiobooks.

Learning

Fiction has always been my first love when it comes to books but audiobooks have helped to broaden my horizons. Just this year I’ve heard the Hidden Valley Road: Inside the mind of an American Family, about a family where six of the children are schizophrenic, the remarkable ‘Say Nothing’ about murder and memory in the North of Ireland that reads like a thriller, and only last week ‘The lonely Century’, about how loneliness is an epidemic in society and what we can do to connect to each other again.

I’ve also found it’s been good for my memory, something that you notice suffers a bit when you get older.

Listening to audiobooks has allowed me to read more, always a good thing with time at such a premium.

Downtime

You’re out on a lunchtime walk and you see Tony from accounts coming towards you. He’s caught your eye and you know it’s about that report that was supposed to be on his desk. He slows down and you can see he’s mouthing something about ‘due yesterday.’ You point at your earphones, smile and say ‘Stevie Kings new book sure is a real zinger!’ and increase your pace.

I’d a bad habit of eating my lunch in front of my PC, still responding to emails, the odd phone call and people asking you stuff in the office. A proper lunch break to give yourself a head rinse is to be as far away from your desk as possible, both mentally and physically. Take your audiobook out for a walk around the block or if that’s not an option, go sit in your car for a bit and listen that way.

Time management

One of my favourite to do, and it always has been since I was child, is to make space in my day for reading a book. Finished working, all the chores done? Time to get comfortable with a book. Maybe I’m cracking open a new one that I’ve been waiting for, or racing towards the end of one that has had me spellbound for a week or two.

But not everyone has the luxury of carving out time for a book. We live busy lives and have commitments. So listening to an audiobook on the commute, be it in the car or public transport, is a great way to get some quality reading time in.

Space

I love my bookshelves and will alway be surrounded by books. But I’m also a fan of ebooks, as they don’t take up space, nor do audiobooks, except for some megabytes. Which also leads me into my next benefit of listening to audiobooks…

Cost

You don’t always need a costly subscription to listen to audiobooks. I borrow from my local library, via the Libby app on overdrive. Borrowbox is another fantastic app to link with your library account that you can use.

I’ve written here about my the various audiobook subscription services.

Empathy

There’s just something special about a particular moving passage being read by a narrator able to invest the right amount of emotion into the words. Studies have shown that reading improves empathy and increases understanding.

Vocabulary

I don’t know how many times I’ve heard a narrator say a word and thought, Oh. That’s how you pronounce that. I can only imagine the benefits to children in terms of their vocabulary. And it’s a great way of developing your skills if you are learning a new language. Another great benefit of audiobooks.

Sleep

I know I said at the beginning of this article that I had to adapt my habits with audiobooks because my mind started to associate them with sleep, but that’s because they worked. I have an occasional struggle with insomnia in that I awaken too early and they have been a great companion in the four poster inn, usually at 4 47 am in the morning. Non-fiction worked well, but I also listened to some exciting page turning fiction, as my stubborn brain now thought I was trying to stay awake, it decided it was time for me to go back to sleep. A bit of reverse psychology on the old noggin.

Choosing an audiobook where the narrator has a soothing voice also helps with sleep. I recently listened to ‘Meditations’ by Marcus Aurelius which was read by the English actor, Richard Armitage. His deep baritone voice was often just what I needed to send me back to the land of nod, dreaming I was a wise philosopher king.

Relaxation

This is one of my favourite benefits of audiobooks. Hearing a beautifully written book, wonderfully read by a skilled narrator, is such a delight for your ears. I find it incredibly relaxing to kick back with a great book and disappear for a bit.

I’ve already mentioned and Gabriel Byrne , Billy Connolly and Matthew McConaughey above and there are so many more, depending on your reading interests. I’m currently enjoying ‘The end of the affair’ by Graham Greene, read by the English actor, Colin Firth, who really enhances it, as it’s told in the first person.

What to do while listening to audiobooks

• Washing the dishes, cleaning, ironing - any of those fun tasks that won’t do themselves. They offer a great opportunity to listen to another couple of chapters. Personally for me there is no more boring task in life than ironing, but listening to audiobooks almost make me look forward to it. Almost, I said.

• Exercise. As I said earlier, walking is a great opportunity to listen to your current book. Running is another one, though take care on busy streets.

• Driving. Another good one, though maybe better for longer drives rather than navigating your way through busy cities. Traffic jams are an obvious one, just make it something relaxing.

• Bathing. Yup, no more worries about getting soapy suds on your favourite novel. Light a candle, set up a bluetooth speaker (away from the water, obviously) lie back and relax. Glass of wine? Yes please!

• Queueing. Research suggests we spend six months of our lives queueing. So whether it’s in the doctors surgery, waiting to board an aircraft, or in line for the groceries, there are ample opportunities for a bit of audiobook listening.

• Relaxing. Whether you’re lying on a beach, or sitting in a park, lock yourself into to an audiobook.

• Drinking coffee. We all have that favourite seat in our local coffee shop, that allows us to watch the world go by. And most importantly, do a bit of people watching. This is a great time to get a bit of listening in while supping on a latte.

• Cooking. Chopping, slicing, chopping - there’s a lot of prep in cooking. And that means lots of listening opportunities. Just don’t take the end of a finger off when a chapter reaches a climax.

• Gardening. When you’re engaged in a bit of yard work, maybe that’s doing a bit of planting in springtime or sweeping up some leaves come autumn time, invest in a good pair of earphones and listen while you work.

• Sleeping. Listening to audiobooks when sleeping is something I’ve done unintentionally, when I’ve nodded off. I’ll usually backtrack when I next return to my audiobook, making sure I haven't missed anything. You can fall asleep when listening to audiobooks, but I’m not sure about learning. And there is something extremely comforting about waking up to a favourite audiobook or narrator.

• Working. Perhaps there are some tasks at work that don’t require your full attention, such as the mindless admin we can’t avoid. Perfect time to wade through some monotonous task that won’t wait, whilst enjoying an audiobook.

So there you have it. How are audio books useful in our life? They can relax us, we can learn from them, they provide good company, help us develop empathy, improve our vocabulary and listening skills.

But perhaps most importantly, we can just enjoy listening to them. Simply, humans like stories.

Those are just some of the benefits to listening to audiobooks that I have discovered. For me, audiobooks are just another way that I enjoy books.

I’m sure there’s some I’ve missed out, so please let me know in the comments below about the advantages you have found, and share your own favourite audiobooks. And if I’ve missed anything out on my ‘what to do while listening to audiobooks’ list - let me know!