What do you do while listening to audiobooks?

[Leslie]

Electric wrote: "Besides cleaning and playing games on my phone, I love printing and coloring Adult Coloring Pages. ^_^

http://www.coloring-pages-adults.com/"

Great link -- thanks!

[Anne]

Ed wrote: "I'm amazed when I hear people can concentrate and shop while listening to audiobooks? How do people do that. I have found that listening to audiobooks has been a great boost/incentive for long walk..."

I mostly listen to aludiobooks while I am working. It is amazing how many I have already listened to.

[Gibsonj338]

The only time I listen to an audiobook is when I am reading the book. If I listen to an audiobook by itself, I more than likely will start daydreaming and miss out on the story. I like getting my audiobooks on compact disc, mp3, and Playaway. I can go to any public library in the county I live in and the two adjacent counties to the county I live in and pick up the audiobook I want to read or go to library2go or cloud library and download audiobooks as well as ebooks.

[Terrence]

Walk my puppy and work out. Sometimes I shut my eyes while lying down to immerse myself in the world though.

[Mitch]

Mostly while driving or on business trips.

[Specs]

Yesterday walking in the snow here close to home while listening.

[Mara]

I listen while I walk, work on my computer, or just listen because I choose no to watch TV.

[Craig]

I drive to and from work or do house work.

[Lauren]

I listen while walking the dog (he gets long walks so that I can finish the chapter), cooking, folding laundry, cleaning and driving.

[Thomas]

I listen at work, it helps me stay focused.

[Paris (kerbytejas)]

Usually I listen at work - makes the day go by faster

[Mary]

I like to knit or go for a walk. I tend to get some good listening in while I drive to client meetings or run errands. I actually look forward to longer drives, especially when the book is good!

[Janna]

I listen while I work. Am a lorrydriver and find on longer trips that time passes faster when I listen to book than when I listen to music. Also when I cook sometimes but other than that I prefer to do my reading actually reading.

[Sandysbookaday (taking a step back for a while)]

I also listen while I work. I am in a couple of hours earlier than everyone else in the morning and listen while I am balancing the previous days takings and setting up the tills for the day. I listen while I mow the lawns, and do the housework. I listen while I am out walking.
I can't listen while I am on GR because I get so caught up in what I am reading from everyone else, that I miss listening to big chunks......

[Sophie]

Sometimes just lie in bed and listen to them and that's it.
Other times, play a game on my phone, tidy bits up etc. Depends how much concentration that particular book needs or the style of writing or how quick or slow moving it is.

[Abby]

I love these answers.

For me, audiobooks help me maximize my time, so I don't just sit and listen. I exercise or hike, do house chores, and listen during parts of my job that require less brain activity. Audiobooks are also good for commuting and road trips.

[Shanna_redwind]

In the summer, I listen while I weed and pick vegetables. I usually do that about 8 hours a day, so the audiobooks certainly help what is a mind- numbingly boring job without them. I even got my husband listening to them, while doing the same thing. He was a person who would only read about a book a year. Now he reads lots, in the summer at least.

[Carol]

I can't do certain things that require a lot of attention, while listening to audio books. I usually listen while driving around on my countless errands around town. Also, at the end of the day, I like to relax by playing video games on the computer. I can focus on the story, while playing these mindless video games. (But not Words with Friends...)

[Piper]

I only listen while in the car. I get my audiobooks the old-fashioned way: I reserve the actual discs at the library and play them in my C.D. player in the car. One of these days, I'll start downloading them on my phone or iPad!

[Rabid Reader]

I listen in the car, while cleaning house, doing barn chores, gardening, exercising..... pretty much when ever I have chance

[Donna]

Piper wrote: "I only listen while in the car. I get my audiobooks the old-fashioned way: I reserve the actual discs at the library and play them in my C.D. player in the car. One of these days, I'll start downlo..."

Piper, I bet once you start downloading to your phone or other device, you'll wonder how you got along with listening only in your car :)

[Robin P]

And downloading is not hard. I stuck with cassette tapes way too long because I thought I would have to be a techie to download or use digital. But there's really nothing to it these days. Personally, CDs were my least favorite medium as they are bulky and you can't keep your place when going from car to house. Even with cassettes I already listened while exercising, doing housework, etc. as well as driving.

[John, Moderator]

I went straight from tapes to downloading as I've never owned an actual CD player.

[Piper]

I'll take the plunge one of these days!

[Catherine]

I listen to audio books as often as possible - particularly while driving or doing housework. I introduced my Mom to audio books recently when we were traveling - we listened to four 12-hour books on our recent road trip (which is indicative both of how much driving we did and how much my Mom enjoyed the experience).

[Terrence]

I tried playing an online game while listening to a Text To Speech of a light novel. Not successful. Back to shutting my eyes while I listen or working out.

[Shilo]

I walk a lot! I go for long walks most days with my dog, about four miles a day, through our local natural park, and I am in heaven! it's my meditation, my relaxation, my favorite time of day! With the new technology (iPhones), it's so easy to stop and start the narration when necessary, to talk to people I run into, or whatever. Additionally, I stay very fit. I'm an audiobook addict! I also listen when driving.

[lateef523]

Hey, all! Just letting those who love listening to audiobook know that I've started my own youtube channel where I tell my own stories through the use of audio. Have a listen if you like!

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCtFP...

[Sue]

Anything from listen while laying in bed in the dark while hubby sleeps, doing dishes, driving (and when the kiddos are in the car we listen to one as a family so I squeezed more in with them and great to keep them from fighting during long drives), walking, laundry or just when I'm somewhere with lots of people and it would be impolite/awkward to pull out a book. Or is it just me who has family that think your crazy if you read a book but they'll all be crowded around the tv or sitting there and no ones talking while they each entertain themselves with their phones? But I'm the strange one for puling out a book? hmmmm..... anyway it can be better if everyone just thinks I'm playing something on my phone which sometimes I do a puzzle or bejeweled or something like that.

[Sue]

Bobby wrote: "Like a lot of people it seems, while driving and cleaning. Unexpectedly like several people, I also fall asleep a lot to audiobooks. They quiet all the other voices in my head."

Yeah keeps my brains from spinning outta control. And sometimes the voice is so soothing it actually helps me fall asleep.

[brenda]

Mostly while driving, sometimes taking a bath or at work while typing

[Meena]

I listen to books while driving, clean house, making dinner, grocery shopping and more. I can't listen while I am working since I have to have my own thought then. There are a few books I have listen to a few times (almost anything read by Tim Gerald Reynold) that I will re-listen to when I do things that require more attention.
Funny story about listen and grocery shopping; I was l shopping listing to book 5 of GOT and it was dragging on an on. (Spoiler but you most likely know) Then they kill Jon Snow as I an reaching for something and I gasp aloud. The lady next to me and asked if I was ok. Oops

[Specs]

Funny, Meena!

[Johan]

Carolyn F. wrote: "Driving, shopping, working (only when I'm sorting stuff or something else mundane, or scanning mail), cleaning, getting ready in the morning, before/after evening shower, surfing net without having..."

How do you surf the net without reading anything?
Google images?

[Karen]

mostly I am driving. My commute is an hour and 20 each way. I also listen when I knit, needlepoint and cross stitch.

[Rayne]

I listen mainly while driving to and from work, unless my daughter is in the car. Much of what I listen to isn't appropriate for little ears.

I also sometimes listen at work or while cooking.

[Mahlon]

Mostly I'm not sleeping... I guess you could say I'm an insomniac, my most productive Reading hours seem to be between 4-9am. I discovered that audiobooks make the time pass quicker than any other reading format… thanks audible!

[Specs]

Same here, Manda. Now I'm so addicted to this way of going to sleep, I sometimes wonder what I would do without.

[Gail]

Me, too...can't sleep without being plugged in.

[Melanti]

I've found one particular book is really, really good at sending me to sleep within a couple of minutes.

I set the sleep timer to 15 minutes but with this guy's soothing voice, 5 would be plenty. I'm over half done with the book but really, I couldn't tell you a thing that's been said so far.

It's also non-fiction, so there's no plot to follow or events to spoil for when I eventually do get around to reading/listening with more concentration.

If I'm lying awake in bed, resting until it's time to get up, I just listen to whatever my main audio book is.

[Mahlon]

Yes that is certainly my experience Manda (and others) It's nice to know i'm not the only one :)

[Specs]

We could start a club ;) zzzzzzzz

[Carol]

I do as much as I can while listening to my audio books. Drive, cook, dinner, walk dogs, play mindless video games (I can retain what the book is saying).

[Ed]

What book do you listen to that sends you to sleep in five minutes? Great comments. Like the one about four mile walks

[Melanti]

Ed wrote: "What book do you listen to that sends you to sleep in five minutes? "

The Hero With a Thousand Faces

To be fair, as long as there's a bit of background noise and it doesn't have sudden changes in volume, I usually don't have much of an issue falling asleep.

[Imjustme]

It depends on the book I'm listening to.

If it's a self help, religious, educational book, or one that really pulls me in then I'm driving, eating, taking a walk, pretty much something that doesnt take too much concentration.

If the book is one that didn't grab my attention while reading but, I still want to finish then I'll listen to it while cleaning, shopping, etc. This way I'm listening but, I'm not completely committed lol

[*Dawn]

I volunteer 20+ hours a week at my local food bank. I used to shop with clients, but now I mainly spend all day sorting non-food donations (clothing, housewares, books, toys...) so I have a lot of time to listen to books. Everyone knows if they have to ask me a question, they need to give me a second to reach up and push pause on my earbuds!

[Tracey]

I thought I'd answered this one! But I don't see me here (sorry if I actually am repeating myself). I'm part of the listening-at-work and listening-in-the-car clubs. There is a huge amount of noise at work, and rather than trying to get a handle on it, management gave me the option of using noise-canceling headphones. Of course, they didn't want to pay much for them, and they're meant more for low-frequency sound and not the happy-hour levels of voices that are so common here... Anyway. I alternate between podcasts and audiobooks, and it's the only good thing about the job some days.

And I haven't found an iPod adaptor that I like yet, so I've been picking up books on cd, mostly on ebay, to listen to in the car, and I don't mind my commute nearly so much.

At home, if I'm doing something like playing a computer game or cleaning, I feel like I'm wasting time if I don't have an audiobook playing. Multi-task ftw!

[Kelsey]

I listen while I am driving home from work. I listened last night while I was laying in bed and played Solitaire. It has to be while I can't concentrate on anything else or I'll get distracted.

[Mai]

exercising mostly