I stopped Listening to podcast probably sometime at the end of summer or the very beginning of fall.

why did I do it? It’s all because of the environment in which I became comfortable listening to podcasts. A big part of this had to do with the app I was using called overcast by marco arment. It was just easy platform. I had everything I wanted to listen to in it. I played set up the way I wanted them and then everything changed so I tried pocket cast for a minute, but I couldn’t get used to it so I just decided that I’ve been listening to too many podcast to begin with and that I would not listen to any podcast until a compelling reason came to me.

a compelling reason did not come to me, and I have realized that I spent so much time listening to podcast that I took up time when I could be using free time to allow my brain to explore thoughts on its own, and this has been a transformative thing for me I use this time in the morning. I take my dog Maverick for a walk. It usually takes between 30 minutes in an hour, and I do not listen to anything I don’t have headphones and I don’t have music playing. I do not have a podcast on. I only have my ears out for the environment. I’m in and your thoughts do amazing things when you allow yourself to just be present in the moment.

I had so many years of listening built up, especially to some podcast, which had been around for many many many years. The accidental tech podcast is probably the one that I “miss” the most, but I don’t miss it. I just find the comfort of their voices. The familiarity of it was the comfort I wasn’t really putting a lot of thought into what they were saying. I wasn’t really analyzing the things that were happening. I was just having it on his background sound

anyway I used to have an entire page dedicated to the podcast so I listen to. It’s largely irrelevant now.

I’ve been doing this for about six months and I don’t see myself going back. Some of the benefits that I’ve seen personally or that I have more time to read. I feel like I have better insight into the way my world operates because I have a better understanding of the world around me because I’m being present in it and not trying to escape from it… look this is really starting to sound like one of those quack, self help gurus that you find in the weird corners of the Internet that the conspiracy theorist seemed to all applaud. I know this feels conspiratorial, but I really do challenge everybody to give up routine in order to be present and see what happens.

My challenge to you: pick a week in January or February and do not use audio or a television. This background content you can still watch TV. You can still listen to music, but it must be an active process. It must be the reason that you intended to do it not because you’re doing something else Do this for a week go outdoors go for a walk be present in nature and see how you feel at the end of that week my guess is this will be easier than you think it is and by the end of the week you will appreciate what you have done.