Mina’s App of the Week – Audible
By Mina Guirguis, Marketing Consultant at Heinz Marketing
When life gets busy, which let’s be honest, happens often, it can be easy to set aside non-work-related goals. Specially, goals around self-growth and career development are pushed to the wayside. I fall in this trap more than I would like. That is why my app of the week is Audible. I love reading, but there are 3 big issues that come with reading books. Not enough time, cost, and storage space. Audible fixes all these issues.
It’s Time Efficient
In such a fast-paced world, it’s important to find ways to multitask. That is one of the best aspects of Audible. I can’t devote time to just reading, but reading while I’m doing something else? Absolutely! My favorite time to use Audible is when I’m working out, driving, or cleaning. Something relatively mindless so I can really listen to the book. This method makes these tasks more enjoyable too! Don’t be surprised if you’re excited to get stuck in traffic just so you can listen to your book for a few moments longer. Audible even includes a feature that speeds up the reader for those of you that absorb information quickly. Time is a precious resource, and Audible helps you get the most out of it.
It Can Save Money
Speaking of resources, books can get expensive. While there are great used bookstores around, reading can quickly become an expensive hobby. While audiobooks can also be expensive, Audible offers a ton of discounts that can often be cheaper than buying the physical version. At its current price of $15 a month, you get one free audiobook of your choosing and access to thousands of audiobooks from their library. It is essentially the Netflix of audiobooks. I have found so many great little gems by just clicking on their recommended page. Having the book stored digitally has the added benefit of never being damaged or lost as well. It’s a win-win!
It Saves Space
Do you like packing for trips? That was rhetorical, nobody does! The worst is when you don’t have enough room to back a book or two. So then you’re sitting there on a plane or a cramped car counting the seconds until you reach your destination. Audible solves that problem by only taking up as much space your phone does. All your books can be available in your pocket. No need to worry about space, misplacing your books, or the airlines losing your bookbag. It also makes home storage easier as well. Having bookshelves upon bookshelves can quickly fill up space in your home. As someone who moves a lot, I love not dealing with loading and unloading heavy boxes of dozens of books.
As you have guessed, I’m a big fan of Audible, and books in general. So below are some of my favorite books that you can read (or listen to!) the next time you are looking for something new.
Book Recommendations
The Psychology of Money: Timeless Lessons on Wealth, Greed, and Happiness by Morgan Hosuel
This is such a great little book about Behavioral Economics (one of my favorite subjects). It’s the perfect finance book for people who hate finance. It consists of 20 super short and well written chapters, each providing a lesson on how to think about money. Many of these lessons are told through real life stories and it is just overall a fascinating read. Don’t be surprised if you blaze through this one in a weekend.
Predictably Irrational: The Hidden Forces That Shape Our Decisions by Dan Ariely
Another great Behavioral Economics book (last one I promise). This one takes a more scientific approach using experiments and data to show how human behavior is so irrational. This is a great follow-up if you read the first book on this list and want something meatier.
What Every BODY Is Saying: An Ex-FBI Agent’s Guide to Speed-Reading People by Joe Navaro
Have you ever wished you could read minds? Well, this book might help you get as close as possible. The author, a former FBI investigator teaches the reader what he learned about body language and how you can get a good idea of someone’s true intentions just by how their body reacts. It’s a fast-paced read and provides a unique view on social interactions.
Check out our other app of the week blogs below!