I’ve fallen in love with puzzling and listening to audiobooks
I usually do most of my audiobook listening while working - I work from home doing an admin job so unless I’m on the phone or doing calculations, I have plenty of brain space for stories - but I’ve recently fallen in love with a whole new way of listening to audiobooks.
When I commute into the office and did in-office overtime I would get some good listening time in, and I sometimes listen while cooking or doing chores, but this is a whole new world for me.
Audiobooks have often been something I used in order to multitask - to get as much done as possible at once and not ‘wasting’ any extra time or opportunity.
Then I fell in love with jigsaw puzzles.
Why? Let me tell you.
They make my brain quiet
One of the few activities I do without a screen
They’re good for your brain
I find it very calming and relaxing
I can get absorbed for hours and hours
So basically puzzling gives me the same benefits as reading, but I also get to add that listening to an audiobook to that purely for fun and enjoyment. I work full time, have a website and a podcast and have to be a human too, so taking a few hours here and there to just switch off completely - in a way that I haven’t been able to in a very long time - is a really treasured time for me.
I started off with Ravensburger Disney puzzles, I’ve dipped into Cloudberries, and iI’m doing my first Laurence King at the moment (it’s HARD), and I’m obsessed.
With a long weekend off of work and a Disney puzzle, I managed to listen to about 2/3rds of Tamsyn Muir’s ‘Gideon the Ninth in two afternoons - spoiler: I loved it. I’m slightly confused still about how it all works, but I’m happily along for the ride. It’s just such a mindful activity and anything that turns my brain off without the use of a screen is invaluable to me.
I did this one!
Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to work on my puzzle (The World of Sherlock Holmes by Laurence King Publishing, if you were wondering) and start listening to ‘Harrow the Ninth’ - a grand plan for a work-free afternoon, if you ask me.
Please tell me about your favourite puzzles and your favourite audiobooks!
Written by Sophie
