Continued Education Through Audio

Recently I got hooked on listening to podcasts. The last time I listened to one, the quality and selection were very poor, only techies could produce them, and it simply wasn’t that interesting. How quickly times change as the technology improves – Stitcher currently contains over 25k radio shows, live radio stations and podcasts.

Podcasts are not limited to technology fields either. There are thousands of podcasts dedicated to health, fitness, wealth, entertainment, hobbies, religion, and sciences.

With smart phones, everyone is just one app away from an unlimited collection of audio resources, AND IT IS FREE. Stitcher is probably the most popular podcast app on the Android platform; I think Apple has most podcasts built into their app store, making them instantly available to our Apple friends. If you use Stitcher, it does a fantastic job staying synced between your mobile platform and Web platform so you can pick up right where you left off on any device.

Most podcasters today have decent audio equipment, far fewer technical issues than just a few years ago, and those who become popular have worked out a format that works well for their topic. There are two primary types of podcasts: those which focus on interviewing guests (think talk show style), and those run by domain experts who share their knowledge (think DIY-TV).

Multi-tasking is not always the best use of your time, but I think an exception can be made for listening to audio while doing many other tasks throughout your day. It is tough to read a book while responding to emails, working out at the gym, driving a car, or mowing the lawn, but listening to audio works perfectly. And if you can’t find an hour a day to fit in a few podcasts, you should really reconsider your priorities.

Many entrepreneurs have turned to podcasting as a way to further open-source their businesses, and I’m a huge supporter of open-sourcing business models. Have you ever wanted to find out why some companies appear to be effortlessly successful? Take a listen to Entrepreneurs On Fire and you will learn the dirty secrets of entrepreneurial success.

Everyone needs to keep learning and improving themselves, but it can be difficult to fit education into our business days. Podcasts are a great place to start. You can get started today for free – just install the app, plug in your headphones, hit the gym, and start expanding on your knowledge!