Just in time for the holidays and your downtime, I thought I would offer you a Christmas/Hanukkah/Kwanzaa gift that you can enjoy during your downtime over the holiday break. I have been busy finding new items with which to fill my ears and brain when I’m not working with one of you, my valued clients. So here is a selection of ideas for filling some lazy hours at home – or some hours at the gym, while jogging, or wherever you indulge in your leisure reading and listening!
Podcasts
(no links because all are easily searchable via whatever podcast streaming method you use):
123rf.com
Slate’s If/Then: This will probably only appeal to tech junkies, but it’s a great example of investigative journalism meets tech. Unlike Note to Self (which I have recommended before) this one is much more focused on the impact of tech than it is on life hacks.
Death, Sex and Money: This podcast investigates real stories on subjects not often broached in mixed company. Among the recent topics are a long-form interview with a “professional” and shameless shoplifter; an exploration of the life of a food addict and his struggle to stay “sober” in the face of a delicious cookie, and a murder convict at Sing Sing who is up for parole. You get the idea. Riveting stuff.
Love + radio: This is a kind of grab bag of interesting stories. One episode that mesmerized me was actual recordings from the “Secrets Hotline” which people call to tell their most guarded truths. Another digs into the aftermath for someone who claims to have found a bloodied man on the side of the road – an experience that proved to be life-changing for the subject.
In Our Time: This one is an outlier. It’s a BBC production (plays on Radio 4 in the UK) that gathers a group of academic experts and digs into some topic or concept of historical significance. It is decidedly scholarly, but very interesting in the way that auditing an actual Oxbridgian course on (say) medieval instruments (or an equally unfaniliar topic) might be. Some of the episodes I have enjoyed include one on Mary Queen of Scots, and another on Bird Migration.
Email Subscriptions
123rf.com
Next Draft: Coverage of daily news with the added benefit of aggregation from a ton of varied sources. They go deeply enough that you can indulge your wonky impulses if you want – but keep their own summaries short enough that you can get the important information when you don’t have time.
Long Reads: Exactly what it sounds like. These are curated long articles from a variety of sources. They cover every kind of taste and subject you can imagine, and mostly those you haven’t. Just great.
Flipboard: You may have been solicited by this one as an app on your phone. I opted out because the mobile user interface was so incredibly annoying. BUT – if you go to the website and opt in to topics you care about, and then subscribe for the email digest, it is much less intrusive and pushy. I now look forward to every edition I get, whether their daily or weekly version. The website has an incredible UI that keeps expanding options for topics as you select – kind of like Quora. Then it curates lots of media and brings fresh material you didn’t see elsewhere.
I hope this list makes your holiday more relaxing, while also thrilling you with expanded horizons, wonder and the fun of discovery! Don’t be shy, let me know what you’re enjoying in the way of mind-expansion. Use the links to my Facebook page, LinkedIn profile or just shoot me an email. I am perpetually on the hunt for new ways to learn and grow. I will pay it forward if I like it too!
If you would like to return the favor of a holiday gift to me, there is only one thing I would like:
Please refer your friends, colleagues and peers for a complimentary coaching session or no-obligation consultation.
If you are a current client, yes, there is a reward! If not, schedule time with me for yourself. Give the gift of an amazing 2018, with unprecedented results and satisfaction! It’s easy to refer, just send this link where scheduling time with me is just a click away!
