Want to Listen to (More) Audiobooks? Pick Up a Craft!

So why not combine audiobooks and crafting? And why not pick up a craft in order to listen to more audiobooks?

It is understandable that many people would prefer to devote themselves to one activity at a time as much as possible; mindfulness, which has become increasingly popular in our current hectic lives, is the most important reason behind that choice, but what if there are benefits to be found in practising arts, a craft, or a simple hobby, and listening, all at the same time? What if we picked up a craft in order to be able to read more books every year? To finally get through that classic we always wanted to get to, or to keep our TBR under control?

The first time I listened to an audiobook I did it because I wanted to start running, but running is, by far, the sport I dislike the most. I find that the word hate comes off a bit strong, but I also know it is the best word to define how much my dislike for running runs – pun intended – deep. Yet, I felt the need to be more active, and audiobooks got me through it. I didn’t gain a habit of running, but I gained a pure love for audiobooks. Before this, I found audiobooks difficult to follow because all I did was sit and listen. A few minutes after pressing play my mind was travelling somewhere, and I had stopped paying attention to what I was hearing. When I started running and played an audiobook for the first time, however, I understood that I wasn’t doing this audiobook thing right: audiobooks were great, but I needed to be active to listen to them.

A few friends started listening to audiobooks because I raved so much about them, because I shared tips on how to get into the habit, and it brought me immense joy to learn that someone had found some sort of refuge in something that I cherish so much.

One of those friends creates dolls and ornaments made of felt, and with two young kids in the house, she manages to put in some more reading while working in orders for her shop. The other enjoys painting and went as far as revealing that reading was hard for her because it made her sleepy, so she couldn’t read for long stretches of time. Now that she has a chance of listening to audiobooks while creating her art, she was able to find the joy of reading all over again. Both friends are thankful for the extra reads they can put in while practising their work and craft.

In my previous job as a cleaning lady, I managed to put in a few audiobooks every week. But then I moved to another country and got a different job, and although I still find the time to listen to audiobooks on my commute to work, or while doing chores around the house, my listening hours have reduced drastically. Since I find myself unable to read nonfiction in print, this became a bit of an issue: I wanted to learn more, to read educational books and memoirs, but my TBR kept piling up on the app and it was taking me weeks to listen to only one book. I needed to stop approaching audiobooks merely as something I did while doing something else, and I had to start finding something else to do while listening to audiobooks.

Enter crafts. I embroider more, I started sewing again, and I even bought a watercolour set because, even though I am terrible at drawing, all these crafts allow me to sit down and use my hands, enabling my ears and my brain to focus on the story I am being told (all this without commitment: I don’t need to be good, I just need to be busy and creating).