On Reading Versus Listening

 I feel that combining audio books with written books can be rewarding.  Both media have their own advantages and disadvantages from my point of view.

I find audiobooks more flexible.  For example, I could be doing light tasks like cleaning kitchen counters while listening to an audio book.  I can even be prepping s simple meal.  A good audio book elevates those  experiences from mete shore into pockets of time peppered with engaging moments.

I may be listening to Benjamin Hardy recounting the heroic story of Michael Angelo as he invested efforts into his transformative growth from an apprentice into the venerated and immortal artist he has become.  I can feel inspired by both such liberating transformations built through lofty vision and tireless execution.  While going through my required chores, I feel the audiobook gifting me with new mental models to help me revamp my view of the world.

While flexible and more enjoyable, audio books are not as effective as written books when it comes to retaining what I read.  Sure, they help build new scaffoldings that help me absorb new materials.  However, the struggle I go through while reading written versions of books help me retain the written material better.

I believe there is a science behind it.  Reading promotes making new neural connections in our brains.  The more engaged we are during reading, the more robust our new neural connections become, and hence the better our retention.

I feel I should continue to work with the best of both approaches.  It is said that self-education is the best education there is.  Navigating both these worlds will help me improve and eventually transform myself.