We frequently discuss productivity and efficiency on The Friday Rally. Mainly because it is an awesome topic that when applied to our lives we are able to get more done and feel more fulfilled. I love the topic and I seek out and consume information every chance I get. Podcasts, articles, and books are all great sources to find information. There is actually so much information that it would be impossible to reach the bottom of the well. How do we even find the time to consume more information anyway? You are busy, I am busy, everyone is busy. It’s not easy to carve out any more time. The good news is that today I am going to share with you one of the most transformative actions I have ever taken in my life.

I am a believer in the idea that we make time for the things we truly want to accomplish and excuses for the things we “want” but don’t want to pay the price for. One thing that I truly want is to be as educated as possible. The more I know about myself and the world around me the better decisions I can make with the evidence at hand. Better decisions will lead directly to better outcomes for myself and my family. One of the greatest tools for education throughout the history of humanity is books. But, it takes time to read, and we already established that we are all too busy to add additional demands on our time.

There is a solution and its name is Audible. I am sure that most of you have heard about this service from Amazon. It is strictly audio books. For $15 dollars a month you get 1 audio book. You can also purchase more credits if you want more than 1 book for the month. Sometimes they even have sales and deals to get more books at a time.

I have been using audible for almost 3 years now. My library is currently at 62 books. I listen to both fiction and non-fiction, but my favorite genera are the personal development/productivity/business books.

So when is the optimal time for utilizing audible to learn more and improve our lives?

In the car.

I listen to my audible religiously on the drive to and from my office, as well as any other drive time I have available. It is time that I can use to educate myself instead of just driving. It is time that I have hijacked to improve my life, and it has been noticeably effective in a positive way.

I have noticed huge gains in multiple areas of my life including but definitely not limited to…

• My speaking
• My writing skills
• My motivation
• My thinking
• My logic and the presentation of ideas and concepts
• My physical health

Now I understand that it does cost money. When we have to pay for something we are always a little hesitant to make that move. But, most of us don’t hesitate to pay for cable, Hulu, Netflix, or HBO now. I use some of those services myself and I can tell you without a doubt that if I had to choose just one above all the rest it would be audible. The knowledge I gain without having to sacrifice any more family time is immeasurable. And, like I said, it is something I truly want so I find a way to make it work.

The last little bonus I have for you is a cool program audible has available. If you have an audible account you can gift a book from your library for free to someone else with an account. They can also give a book from their library to you. You can only give one book to each person but you can give and receive a book to multiple people as long as they have different accounts.

So, I will offer to anyone that reads this, if you have an audible account let me know and I will send you a book for free. I would also love to receive a book that you enjoyed from your library. It will give me a glimpse into you, who you are, and your growth journey. Just let me know.

And if you don’t already, utilize that time in the car. You won’t regret it.

Chris