Never have enough time in the day? Necessities leaving little to no time for creative thinking or planning? A problem, I think every single one of us has mentioned, either here, or on their own blogs at one point or another. A regular theme in a busy, hectic life.
Do you manage your priorities and losing out is that, what if time? The period of time where we get to wonder and muse. Too busy fitting things in to actually stop and practically plan some things ahead, to allow yourself the time to wander the corridors of future possibilities Maybe you just don’t get to keep up with the things you love. Music that allows your mind to work it’s magic or let’s not forget, that relax word.
Last week, and I know I may be late to the party, but I found two things that have increased my idea pot tenfold and has me still functioning as a writer when I normally wouldn’t be.
What are these two things I’m singing the praises of?
- I bought a cheap wireless radio transmitter thingy, that plugs into my iPhone/(iPod) and allows me to listen to it through the car radio speakers on the way to work.
- I subscribed to several podcasts including;
- The Creative Penn,
- Grammer Girl,
- The Write Lines and
- Tiny Desk Concerts for some musical content.
So, every drive, to and from work, I plugged in and away I went. I’ve had a week of doing this now. My drive to work is about 45 minutes. I have started by listening to some back podcasts of Joanna Penn from The Creative Penn. From listening to these, I created a list of various things; websites and books to look up that would be helpful to me one way or another, idea’s for the blog, ideas to keep me organised and something as simple as having my laptop on the kitchen table so I can grab ten minutes every so often, rather than just waiting until I have a bulk of time to go and sit at my desk. A whole bunch of stuff I’d have missed had I not been listening to podcasts in my car.
Whatever you’re interested in, there is a podcast or fifty out there waiting for you and you don’t even have to block off any extra of that precious time to listen and benefit from them. Podcasts can be listened to easily while you’re on the move, either in the car or on public transport.
Are you already using them? What do you listen to? I’d love to know your favourites so I can add them to my list.
Margot Kinberg says
Rebecca – No doubt about it that modern technologies such as podcasts are revolutionising the way we get things done. They’re very useful and flexible ways to learn and share information. Thanks for highlighting these great examples!
Rebecca Bradley says
I’m beginning to wonder how we ever lived without it all Margot. I’m sure we were all much more relaxed!
Peter Domican says
I listen to a lot of podcasts including the Tiny Desk Concerts and the Creative Penn. I’ll try the other two. I find the Creative Penn a bit ‘pushy’ at times but it’s a very good podcast in terms of content and specifically the business of writing. I also like ‘Write For Your Life’ which covers similar topics but I think is more tuned to the writing side. I love the ‘The Verb’ (BBC Radio 3) podcast to stimulate my own use of language and to hear Ian McMillan’s wonderful voice.
In terms of productivity, I’m a big fan of GTD – Getting Things Done by Dave Allen. There’s a podcast but I’d really recommend the book. I also listen to a podcast called Home Work which is for people who work at home but has lots of tips for being more productive esp. useful apps / programmes.
Rebecca Bradley says
Thanks for the comment Peter. I am going to look up the other podcasts and subscribe. As you see, I have plenty of listening time in a week and the variety of podcasts help in different area’s of what I’m trying to do. Thank you!
Alex J. Cavanaugh says
I’ve not listened to many podcasts, but I know several authors who listen to them every day. There’s a science fiction – fantasy writing one I need to catch more often.
Rebecca Bradley says
I might have to get the name of that one from you Alex as what I’m working on in the background is something along those lines – kind of.
Annalisa Crawford says
I’ve heard lots of mention about writing podcasts recently. I’ve never listened to any, but I might test out some of your links to see what I’m missing.
Rebecca Bradley says
Let me know what you think Annalisa. They really get my mind working and inspire me!
Stacey Mitchell says
I don’t listen to many podcasts, but the Creative Penn one is great. Oh, and you mentioned ‘what if’ time — I use the time when I’m in the shower to think about the next project/chapter/article/scene. Guaranteed quiet time for about… ten minutes…!
Rebecca Bradley says
There are snippets of time where we can think, but I find I’m inspired by the podcasts. I may be getting slightly addicted to them now!
Kirsten says
I like the ‘Writing Excuses’ podcast. It’s not too long, and is geared to all levels of writers from beginners to pros. The Odyssey SF/F podcasts are great too, but longer. I find it hard to keep up with them all, but I will look into the Creative Penn ones!
I do a lot of brainstorming while I’m away from my writing desk, and listening to music really helps with that! My (paper) notebook is never far away in case the perfect line or plot twist strikes me! 🙂
Rebecca Bradley says
I’ve downloaded the Writing Excuses one, Thanks Kirsten!
Elle Turner says
I haven’t listened to podcasts for a while, but it would be a good way to make use of my bus journey to work. Thanks for the tip – I’m going to check out the podcasts you mentioned 🙂 xx
Rebecca Bradley says
Let me know hoe you get on with the Elle.
Vikki Thompson says
I’ve not really got into podcasts yet, I should really shouldn’t I 🙂
Will check out your links Rebecca.
Rebecca Bradley says
Let me know what you think Vikki. I know they won’t be for everyone, but I do find they seem to jog my mind and make me think about things and have given me several ideas to work on.