By John Arenas | December 31, 2013

Best Business Podcasts and Radio Shows

New Year’s Resolution: Don’t Let Commute Time Go to Waste

The morning commute has been criticized for being yet another disruption from those long stretches of uninterrupted time that we need to be productive. While we wait for more companies to get on board with flexible work hours, there are myriad ways to make that time on-the-go work with you rather than detract you. In fact, that pesky hour-long commute can be a great use of uninterrupted time if you prepare for it.

Sure, that time can be used to make phone calls or send emails, depending on your mode of transit. But we are often so pressed to complete work that we rarely take the time to fuel ourselves with new knowledge and kills that can rev up the work we do.

Try to prepare for the day by taking a break from the output in favor of some input. One of the simplest means of doing this is by changing what you’re listening to. There are dozens of pod casts designed to motivate and educate. There was a time where I remember sitting in the car with my mother as she listened to National Public Radio on the way to work in the morning. The radio news station still provides some of the top downloads/podcasts for learning about the world and the mind. The Writer’s Block is a weekly reading that features stories, essays and poetry by a variety of authors and genres. Wait Wait…Don’t Tell Me!, also from NPR, is a way to listen to the news and get your brain working. The host invites listeners to phone in and they’re quizzed on current events—with a touch of sarcasm.

Lifestyle Business Podcast is a weekly program for getting into the entrepreneurial mindset, led by two established lifestyle entrepreneurs who talk about running and growing business all while traveling the world; and CopyBlogger Radio provides tools for creating poignant content for online brands and businesses.

For those who need to dive right into their documents and programs but are not hands-free, programs like Dragon Dictate can turn your talk into text and help you to alter and move files through voice commands, so you can knock out a few bullet points from your car.