“No, you!” – Why Audiobook Listeners aren’t lazy.

You might have read my blog post about audiobooks and ableism. When someone calls listening to audiobooks lazy or cheating it directly hurts readers for whom audiobooks are the most accessible form of literature.

But I also have a few things to say in defense of all the many audiobook listeners who aren’t disabled and who are regularly confronted with how their favorite form of enjoying books is “less than”.

So, let’s talk about the so-called “lazy people” who don’t read “real books”. (Yeah, sorry, I’m literally air-quoting while writing this, taking my fingers off the keyboard to make super angry air quotes).

#1 Listening to Audiobooks while doing Chores

Everybody will tell you how great audiobooks are while doing chores. And yet… audiobooks have this reputation of being a lazy thing.

You know what cleaning your house and doing mountains of laundry is NOT? Lazy.

It’s actually the exact opposite of lazy. It’s people working hard without being paid for it.

And the least you can grant them is a bit of entertainment and a chance to enjoy literature despite… you know… working all friggin’ day!

#2 Work and Audiobooks

I know a lot of audiobook fans who listen during their work. Depending on what your job is, that can really save you from going out of your mind with boredom. It’s actually one of the audiobook benefits I hear audio fans name most often.

You know what doing your job isn’t? Lazy.

But I’m repeating myself.

So, let’s talk about health again. This time, it will be about the smaller things that don’t tend to register as that much of a health issue…

#3 Resting Tired Eyes

After working at a computer all day, many people have tired eyes. When they want to enjoy a book in the evening (or not bother their eyes more by watching TV), an audiobook means they can rest their eyes and still get entertainment and relaxation.

And we all deserve to rest and relax!

#4 Motion Sickness

You might look at that person with headphones on public transportation and think: “They could have gone for a ‘real’ book, what’s their excuse?!”

But many people suffer from motion sickness, and the only way for them to read while being in a moving vehicle is an audiobook.

Everyone deserves to enjoy a nice book during their commute, or make their holiday trip more fun and relaxing with a good story.

#5 Getting More Reading Time

Many people, especially parents of younger children, don’t find much time in their daily life to sit down and read a book.

Audiobooks help them enjoy books on a regular basis and listen to one or more books in a week, instead of finishing maybe one print book every other month.

And you know what multi-tasking to increase your reading time is not? You guessed it: lazy!

Related article: Audiobooks vs Reading Ebooks or Print

Now, of course, I know that this isn’t exactly what people have in mind when asking if listening to audiobooks is lazy. But that’s the thing! In reality, most audiobook fans multi-task and enjoy their books super efficiently.

It’s easy to judge people based on our impression of them, and most of us (me, for sure) are prone to do it.

It takes a conscious effort to take a step back and remind ourselves that people might have very good reasons for the choices they make. That they aren’t taking the easy way out or are just lazy, but actually make the smartest choice for themselves and practice self-care. That their reasons for doing what they are doing might not be instantly apparent.

So, let’s all try to judge less and enjoy more audiobooks 🙂

Eline

Eline Blackman (pronouns: she/they) fell in love with books as a child – with being read to and reading herself. 10 years ago, she bought her first Audible book. It was love at first listen! An average of 250 audiobooks per year has become the new normal and you will rarely see Eline without a wireless earbud. Romance and Fantasy are the go-to genres for this audiobook fan.