Podcasts are free education. But most of us do not know what to listen to or have ended up listening and got bored quickly. While there is no remedy for shortening attention spans, here are a few podcasts that can make your 2023 more productive.
What did we do before on demand music, audio books and podcasts? How did we get our chores done? How did humanity manage to endure boredom for thousands of years while cleaning rooms, doing dishes, cooking food and doing the laundry? These existential queries seem relevant seeing the amount of time I spend in devouring audio content while getting the necessary things done.
On a more serious note, active listening is one of the skills that are not really talked about. At least not in the same terms as the current job focused skillsets like Python, Machine Learning and Tableau. And that makes sense too.
Yet, the human entity also needs a holistic set of things to do which can sometimes take his mind off the daily routines. Maybe some human entities also want to connect with another and a careful attention to the words spoken is sometimes more than enough. For me personally, the world is full of things that I had no clue about and listening to podcasts have helped me gain at least some additional knowledge and a lot of perspective.
“Most people don’t listen with the intent to understand; they listen with the intent to reply.” –Stephen R. Covey
Given below are a few podcasts that I discovered over the last year which I will continue to listen in 2023.
1. Philosophize This!
There are ideas that shaped the world as we know it. From Jean Paul Sartre telling us to accept the fluidity of existence and that life does not have a preordained logic or is inherently meaningful to Socrates warning us that democracy is not inherently good but is only as effective as the education system surrounding it.
This podcast is beginner friendly and is highly recommended for philosophy aficionados. The material can get dense quickly so you might need to take small pauses to really grasp what was being said. But how better do you explain the nature of ideas that forged the world we live in today
2. Tech Crunch
Tech news headlines covered in a crisp and concise way. This podcast covers everything in tech in quick 5 minute bites. Follow Tech Crunch to stay on top of industry knowledge.
Did you know that Google has launched HD maps as an improvement on Google Maps to make your driving easier or that the little shopping icon you see on instagram will be gone by the next update? I didn't either.
For more on the latest updates on your favorite tech companies (Apple & Tesla loyalists I am talking to you) this is the best way to keep a tab on what your company is up to.
3. The McKinsey Podcast
This is an intriguing business and management podcast featuring conversations with leading experts.
The topics include but are not limited to strategy, technology, leadership, marketing, business operations and organization.
So hop on over to this all interesting podcast to learn more about the world and get some answers to questions you never asked yourself. Like seriously, have you wondered why space is so important for businesses all of a sudden? or when will we have flying cars? Okay, that might not happen just yet but rest assured we do know the rough timelines for EV adoption. That makes all the difference for me. To get an answer to such questions make sure to keep an ear out for this amazing podcast.
4. The Seen and the Unseen
The Seen and the Unseen is a weekly podcast hosted by Amit Varma. It takes its title from Frédéric Bastiat’s famous essay, ‘That which is seen and that which is unseen’. In his essay, Bastiat uses the example of what later came to be known as the “Broken Window Fallacy”, and pointed out that to evaluate the consequences of any action, we need to look at both its seen effects, which are often the rationale behind the action, and its unseen effects, which include unintended consequences and ripple effects.
This Sunday Podcast contains long 3 to 5 hour conversations with tenured professionals from different fields - Sports Reporting, Advertising, Marketing, Economy you name it. The conversation seems to flow like butter and you get to know the world better from the eyes of some charming and highly accomplished Indians.
5. Curiosity Daily
This is an award winning podcast from Discovery which will help you get smarter about the world around you in less than 10 minutes.
In the words of Nate time flies when you are learning supercool stuff and this podcast promises to "Blow your mind by helping you to grow your mind"
You will learn about how giving plants alcohol might make them resistant to drought, if being kind to narcissists makes any change in their behavior. You will also learn if your brushing routine is really going to be a factor in getting cavities and if using faces in social causes really helps in making the cause memorable.