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It seems that podcasts are the hot topic of today’s youth and older generation alike - but is it just another fad that will fade into a distant memory with time? Or could plugging in to a podcast really be worth it?
With the rapid rise of podcasting, there is a treasure trove of meaningful content waiting to be explored – and just a few clicks away on Apple Podcasts and Spotify! So why aren’t we all rushing to discover it? Many claim not to be ‘podcast people’ and, as someone who also used to attest to this, I can now see for myself and tell you exactly why the world of podcasts is simply too valuable to us to ignore based on this simple statement.
The first and probably most tempting of benefits is that of entertainment. For those of you who swear that you would find no joy in listening to someone else talk for 30+ mins – what are you doing when watching your favourite Netflix shows? Is it not essentially the same thing? The only difference being that podcasts are the entertainment of the real world and you might be forgetting just how many various different topics fall under that category, as I imagine the exact number would be pretty steep. From politics to comedy and from business to health, the world of podcasts is far too vast in content to be idly written off without giving it a true chance.
This second benefit is for all of our fellow entrepreneurs out there. If you’re business-minded, ambitious and love shooting for the stars then you really ought to be investing in yourself at every given chance. But I get it, truly investing in yourself can be quite the tedious task. Busy-bees like us here at SUSN seldom have the opportunity to put aside time regularly in the day to, let’s say, read a book to enrich our knowledge. Don’t get us wrong – reading is amazing and when we do get the opportunity to sit down with a good book, it can be such a blissful experience! But… how often does that realistically happen? We’re constantly telling ourselves that we’ll find the time but it always seems to get lost in the whirlwind of other tasks clouding our mind. Enter podcasts…
When looking to self-invest, podcasts don’t ask to steal that precious time out of your day. In fact, they can become an integrated part of your routine as soon as you open up Spotify and click the play button. Whether you’re running errands, cooking or travelling, you can simply pop on a podcast whilst you go about your day. So, you’ll be absorbing all of that information and listening in on some valuable content without even having to tear yourself away from your to-do list! It’s so easy… almost too easy! So why wouldn’t we take advantage? The prize is a better you!
In the acceleration of the digital world, it can become far too easy to become swallowed up whole by social media and forget to take some time for yourself. The great thing about podcasts is, despite being on your device, you can simply press play and say goodbye to your screen whilst you listen. Scrolling through social media can very quickly turn harmful and, unfortunately, it’s difficult to remember when to stop and reconnect with yourself. Again, don’t get us wrong – social media is great and an influential platform to showcase yourself, your brand or your interests! But we simply can’t deny the impact it can have on us when overused. When you listen to that podcast episode, you won’t be scrolling relentlessly through an illusion of reality, but listening to real people discussing real things. There’s even a plethora of podcasts out there specifically tailored to discussing mental health and how to improve it! So, the next time that you plug in to a podcast, be sure that phone screen is facing downwards to truly reap the benefits that podcasts can bring.
It’s safe to say that podcasts are worth everyone’s time. Particularly for those of you who are looking to relax, reconnect or re-invest in yourself! I would hope that this would apply to essentially everyone, but, with the landscape of podcast episodes available to us, it may be hard for you to know just where to start. ‘Start Up. Start Now. Podcast’ is here to bring you the journeys of the success and obstacles behind influential UK entrepreneurs; if you want to get the real-life stories of people who have propelled themselves to success, we’d recommend catching up and keeping an eye out for new episodes!
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