The combination of (roundtable discussions|debates|audiobooks) with (walking|cleaning house|washing dishes|other chores) is the most productive procrastination technique I have. It changes mental context, stimulates the brain, and makes the chore enjoyable. I even sometimes do it while writing code. Of course, I can't take it all in, but I still find that it enriches my experience.

I do chores as yoga exercise, never thought of adding podcast to the blend..

I work in manufacturing, and sometimes i listen to podcasts, but sometimes i meditate(like tai-chi, attention to body movements) while working.

Meditating is harder(and coffee is helpful), but when successful, is much more satisfying.

I'm still not sure I approached a meditative state by "meditating". When I play drums I do get into a slight trance / bliss where I kinda become music and my mind shifts off.

The key to flow/meditativr-state is sussposed to be fitting the processing capability someone's brain has , to the task. That way all of your attention is given to a network called "task mode network" and no attention is left to the "default mode network " (which is resonsible for mental chatter and self in past/present) so the brain becomes quiet.

So maybe there's a way to make chores more demanding of attention[1] ? Like deciding to do them in a different way or focus on more/different details ? Maybe that's why the Japanese tea ceremony is so complicated ?

[1]As drumming is , altough maybe there's something meditative about music?

I do that all the time. I think I did this from birth. Anything boring I twist it to make it "interesting". I achieved supposedly a 10x throughput increase in my last mission (stupid job though) by applying checking constraints so tight it was a choreography.

This doesn't work all the time though. I believe there are limits to ones ability to influence it's mental state. Last year, very sick, I could sense the calming effect of meditation. But tonight for instance, after a violent incident, my mind is racing.

You are experiencing Flow: https://www.amazon.com/Flow-Psychology-Experience-Perennial-...

That's quite interesting. Any reading material about that?

Some of it from internet research about flow, so hard to pinpoint specific material. Some of it from this very good youtube lecture: "the end of suffering and the default mode network" .

Thank you. I'll make sure to watch it :)

Very interesting lecture! Thanks!

It also works with audiobooks. It's especially great if you can't find the time to read books the traditional way.

Audible 2x during any walk or mindless activity means you can easily get through a book a week without any lifestyle changes. Literally has changed me life.

I do all of my podcast from 2-2.4x depending on the speaker. Silence skipping gets it to an effective 3x speed. Most people hear me listening for brief periods and wonder how I understand any of it. It's a progression to get there, but it is totally doable. I'm sure some people can go faster, but I just tell them to go up .1x at a time until it sounds right.

Interesting. How do you change the speed, via software? I use VLC Player and it only seems to have a few speed settings.

I use Smart AudioBook Player for Android. It has adjustable playback speed from 0.5x to 2.5x in 0.1x increments.

Will check it out, thanks.

VLC player actually has speed adjustments at .1x granularity. I only use VLC for video, but I watch most stuff on it with the speed up.

Thanks, maybe I missed it, or have an older version. Will check.

Which podcast app do you recommend?

pocketcasts on android is what i use, and i know it has silence trimming and playback speed from .5 to 3.0 in .1 increments.

I have the paid version so im unaware if some/all of these feature require the paid version

I use podcast addict on Android and have for years. It's a little on the techie side with all of its options, but I have it mostly set and forget I really just adjust the speed per podcast which it remembers for you once you set it. I have the paid version which I recommend.

*Literarily has changed your life. Sorry, I'll show myself out :-)

Audible 2x: Literarily change your life, without any lifestyle changes.

I actually got into audiobooks because of walking. I am preparing for 100km walk, so I walk a lot (and by a lot I mean 2-5 hours walks). And while walking in silence can be quite enjoyable and meditative by itself I felt that too much time was wasted. Audiobooks make a great companion.

The a16z podcast would generate a bunch of ideas irrespective of what your feet are doing.