What to Do While Listening to an Audio Book
One of my favorite things about audiobooks is that they let you fit more reading into a day that might otherwise have very little room for it. You can get completely wrapped up in a novel while folding laundry, listen to a memoir on your morning walk, or make a long commute feel considerably shorter simply by pressing play.
I love reading a physical book when I have the time to sit down and give it my full attention, but listening to audiobooks has opened up an entirely different part of my day for reading. Instead of choosing between finishing a book and getting something done, I can often do both.
For me, the sweet spot is anything that keeps my hands busy without requiring too much of my brain. Lately, crafting has become one of my favorite examples. I can work on a punch needle project while listening to an audiobook and suddenly realize that I've spent an hour happily immersed in both. There is something especially satisfying about ending a listening session with both several chapters finished and visible progress on something I've made.
The trick is choosing the right combination. Not every form of multitasking works well with an audiobook. If the activity requires you to read, write, make complicated decisions, or process a lot of other information, you're probably going to miss part of the story. But repetitive chores, familiar routines, exercise, crafts, and all those little pockets of otherwise wasted time? They're perfect.
So, if you've ever pressed play and wondered what to do while listening to an audio book, here are some of my favorite ideas.
What to Do While Listening to an Audio Book
The best activities for listening to audiobooks tend to fall into a few categories: things you need to get done anyway, activities that help you relax, things that get you moving, and stretches of time when you're going somewhere or simply waiting.
Below, I've gathered more than 15 ideas, along with audiobook recommendations and genres that pair especially well with each one.
Productive Things to Do While Listening to an Audiobook
Audiobooks can transform chores from something you dread into an excuse to get back to your book. In fact, a sufficiently gripping audiobook can make you strangely enthusiastic about finding another closet to organize.
Cleaning
Cleaning may be the ultimate audiobook activity. Vacuuming, dusting, wiping down counters, cleaning bathrooms, and tidying rooms all keep your body occupied without requiring much mental concentration.
This is when I want something completely addictive. Try a thriller, mystery, or suspense novel with short chapters and plenty of twists. A book like The Guest List by Lucy Foley can give you that "just one more chapter" feeling—and perhaps result in an unexpectedly spotless house.
If you're easily distracted while doing chores, choosing a fantastic narrator can make a huge difference. I've also rounded up some of the best audiobook narrators if you want to find voices that can make almost any task more enjoyable.
Laundry
Sorting clothes, moving loads from the washer to the dryer, folding, and putting everything away are wonderfully repetitive tasks for listening to audiobooks.
This is a good time for a sweeping family drama or historical fiction audiobook that gives you plenty of story without demanding that you catch every tiny detail. Try The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid if you want something immersive enough to make folding an entire basket of laundry feel less tedious.
The added benefit? You may actually finish putting everything away instead of allowing the clean laundry basket to become a temporary dresser.
Dishes
Doing dishes is another short, contained task that's perfect for squeezing in a chapter or two. Put in your headphones before you start loading the dishwasher or tackling the pots and pans and you'll probably be surprised by how quickly the kitchen gets cleaned.
Because dishwashing sessions tend to be relatively short, I like fast-paced books with chapters that are easy to dip in and out of. Mysteries, rom coms, and celebrity memoirs are particularly good choices.
Cooking and Baking
If you're making a recipe you already know well, cooking and baking can be fantastic times to listen.
I'd pair a leisurely afternoon of baking with something warm and character-driven. A cozy mystery, food memoir, or comforting romance fits especially well. The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches by Sangu Mandanna would be a fun companion for an afternoon spent baking something delicious.
There is one caveat: complicated new recipes may require more concentration than you expect. If you're constantly rereading instructions and measuring unfamiliar ingredients, you might want to pause the audiobook until you reach the mindless chopping, stirring, or cleanup portion.
Mindless Work Tasks
Not every work task requires your complete intellectual attention. Organizing files, formatting something, sorting supplies, stuffing envelopes, updating repetitive information, or completing other routine administrative tasks can sometimes pair well with an audiobook.
This is one situation where I'd avoid a complicated literary novel. Instead, choose an easy-to-follow memoir, essay collection, or familiar genre. If you have to keep pausing to think about work, you want something that won't become impossible to follow after a 30-second interruption.
Relaxing Things to Do While Listening
Multitasking doesn't always have to mean productivity. An audiobook can also accompany the activities you use to deliberately slow down.
Taking a Bath
A long bath and a good audiobook are an excellent combination, particularly if you're trying to stay off your phone.
This is the time for something atmospheric and indulgent. Try a cozy romance, gentle historical novel, or beautifully narrated memoir. You don't necessarily want the literary equivalent of an action movie. Pick something you can settle into.
Add a candle, a drink, and a great narrator and you've essentially created your own tiny literary retreat.
A Spa or Skincare Day
If you're doing a face mask, giving yourself a manicure, soaking your feet, or going through a longer skincare routine, put on an audiobook instead of automatically turning on the television.
Memoirs work particularly well here because they can feel conversational. When the author narrates their own memoir, it can almost feel as though you're spending the afternoon listening to someone tell you stories.
Coloring
Adult coloring books are practically designed for audiobook listening. Your hands stay occupied, but the activity doesn't involve language or complicated decision-making.
Pair coloring with fantasy, historical fiction, or another immersive genre. This is one of those rare combinations where you can completely disappear into the world of a book while still doing something tactile.
Journaling
This one requires a little qualification. Writing while listening to an audiobook usually doesn't work particularly well because both activities rely on language.
But if your journaling practice includes decorating pages, adding photographs, scrapbooking, drawing, organizing supplies, or filling in simple trackers, those portions can work beautifully with an audiobook.
When it's time to actually write and reflect, hit pause. You'll enjoy both activities more.
Crafting or Knitting
This has become one of my personal favorites.
Knitting, crocheting, embroidery, punch needle, needlepoint, simple sewing, and other repetitive crafts are ideal because they keep your hands busy while leaving your mind available for the story. Once you know the pattern or technique well enough that you aren't constantly reading instructions, hours can disappear.
I particularly love a long, immersive novel for crafting because I don't mind settling in for a lengthy listening session. Historical fiction, family sagas, and mysteries all make great audiobook recommendations for a craft afternoon.
And there is something wonderfully old-fashioned about making something by hand while someone tells you a story.
Active and Outdoor Things to Do While Listening
You don't have to sit still to read. Some of my longest listening stretches happen when I'm moving.
Walking or Hiking
Walking is one of the best activities for an audiobook because your body can settle into a rhythm while your mind follows the story.
For a neighborhood walk, almost anything works. On a hike, I'd choose an adventure, travel memoir, nature writing, or page-turning novel that complements the feeling of exploring.
Just be mindful of your surroundings. If you're walking near traffic or on a busy trail, keep the volume low enough that you can hear what's happening around you.
Working Out
If music doesn't motivate you, try an audiobook while working out.
Memoirs, thrillers, adventures, and motivational nonfiction can all work particularly well. Choose something with energy—a narrator whose performance makes you want to keep moving rather than curl up for a nap.
Audiobooks are especially good for repetitive cardio such as walking on a treadmill, using an elliptical, or riding a stationary bike.
You may even find yourself exercising for another ten minutes because you want to know what happens next.
Gardening or Yard Work
Pulling weeds, watering plants, planting flowers, raking leaves, and doing other repetitive outdoor jobs are excellent opportunities for listening.
For gardening, I'd lean toward a cozy mystery, historical novel, nature memoir, or charming character-driven story. Something like The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman has exactly the kind of clever but comfortable energy I'd want while puttering around outside.
Dog Walking
If you're already walking the dog every day, you've essentially been handed built-in audiobook time.
This is particularly useful if your walks are usually about the same length. A 30-minute walk every morning can quickly turn into several hours of reading each week.
Choose something episodic or easy to resume—a mystery series, memoir, romance, or narrative nonfiction can all work well. Eventually, you may start associating certain streets or parts of your neighborhood with whatever book you were listening to at the time.
Things to Do While Listening On the Go or While Waiting
One of the biggest advantages of an audiobook is its ability to reclaim all those odd little pockets of time when reading a physical book isn't practical.
Driving and Commuting
A daily commute can become dedicated reading time when you have a great audiobook waiting for you.
The best choices for driving are engaging without being overly complicated. Thrillers, mysteries, memoirs, romances, and narrative nonfiction are all strong options.
Long road trips are even better. If you're traveling with children or other family members, choosing a book everyone can enjoy turns the audiobook into part of the trip itself. I've collected some of my best family road trip audiobooks if you need ideas before your next drive.
Running Errands
Grocery shopping, pharmacy runs, returns, and other errands become considerably more enjoyable when you're also halfway through a good book.
For errands, I prefer an audiobook with a straightforward plot because you'll inevitably need to pause when talking to a cashier, checking your shopping list, or figuring out which aisle has the thing you need.
Romance, cozy mysteries, memoirs, and lighter contemporary fiction are great choices because they're relatively easy to start and stop.
Waiting in Lines or at Appointments
Think about how often you automatically reach for your phone when you have ten minutes to wait.
Instead, press play.
Waiting at the doctor's office, sitting at the DMV, standing in a long checkout line, waiting for your coffee order, or arriving early for an appointment can all become miniature reading sessions.
Books with shorter chapters are particularly useful here. Essay collections, memoirs, short stories, and fast-moving fiction are easy to consume in small increments.
Ten minutes may not feel significant, but those little listening sessions add up surprisingly quickly.
Watching Kids at Activities
There are plenty of moments as a parent when you need to be present but don't necessarily need to be actively participating—sitting through a practice, waiting outside a class, or watching a child happily occupy themselves at the playground.
An audiobook can be a great companion during those stretches, provided you can still pay attention when needed.
This is another situation where I prefer an easy-to-follow book rather than something dense. You want to be able to pause instantly, respond to what is happening around you, and return to the story without wondering what you missed.
How to Choose the Best Activity to Do While Listening to an Audiobook
The best audiobook activity is one that occupies your body without competing with the book for your attention. If you keep realizing you've missed the last five minutes, the activity you're doing probably requires more mental bandwidth than you realized.
A few guidelines can make listening to audiobooks while multitasking much more enjoyable:
Keep your hands busy and your mind relatively free. Repetitive, familiar activities such as folding laundry, walking, crafting, or cleaning tend to work best.
Avoid activities that have their own words. Writing an email, reading an article, following detailed written instructions, or having a conversation will compete directly with the audiobook.
Adjust your playback speed to the task. You might comfortably listen at 1.5x while walking but need to slow down while cooking or navigating traffic. There's no prize for listening faster.
Use good headphones when appropriate. A great book shouldn't become indistinguishable background noise. Clear audio makes it much easier to stay immersed in the narration. Just make sure you can still hear your surroundings when safety requires it.
Match the complexity of the audiobook to the activity. Save complicated books with multiple timelines, large casts, or dense ideas for activities that require almost no thought. Choose lighter, more linear stories for errands and situations with frequent interruptions.
Pause when you need to. Successful multitasking isn't about proving you can process two complicated things simultaneously. If something requires your attention, pause the audiobook and come back to it.
The real joy of an audiobook isn't simply that it allows you to squeeze more books into your reading life. It's that it can make ordinary parts of your day more interesting.
Laundry becomes another chapter. Your commute becomes reading time. A long walk becomes an excuse to find out what happens next. A quiet afternoon spent crafting can transport you somewhere entirely different.
And when you find exactly the right pairing—an addictive thriller and a house that needs cleaning, a sweeping historical novel and a punch needle project, or a funny memoir and a long drive—you may discover that you're looking forward to the activity almost as much as you're looking forward to the book.
That's the kind of multitasking I can get behind.
