The word podcast comes from “iPod” and “broadcast” and are series of audio and video files that anyone can download or stream and listen to. There are a plethora of apps available but my favorite are iTunes (on Apple devices), Stitcher and podcast addict.
I caught up with podcasts last year when I was reading articles of James Altucher who runs his own podcast show ‘The James Altucher Show’. Since then I have been following a lot of podcasts which have helped me not only be motivated but also focussed. I prefer listening to podcasts than music while traveling or doing stuff that requires less cognitive attention.
As a Ph.D. student, people spend a lot of time on screen and or while doing experiments or running simulations. People can utilize this time to listen to podcasts and learn from experiences of people. Also, there are a plenty of podcast series available now, in this post I have listed my favorites. Feel free to comment your favorite below if its missing from the list. My list ranges from academic to entrepreneurial podcasts to even self-help.
1. ACS Publication podcasts: They contain the interview of researchers on their groundbreaking work and challenges faced. I found a real treasure of knowledge and love listening to it wherever something in my field of interest pops up.
2. Ted Talks audio: Well they are indeed “ideas worth spreading” and a must listen.
3. Tim Ferris: The author of “4 Hour Workweek”, Tim Ferris is one of the most influential people when it comes to motivating people. He interviews guests who are exceptional in their fields and basically tries to figure out what led to their success. If you like him, do read his book “Tools of Titan”.
4. ‘The James Altucher Show’: As mentioned above James Altucher was the reason I started listening to podcasts. He is one of the most influential people on LinkedIn. He also maintains a good presence on Quora and some of his answers are worth reading. He also a has a blog and a huge following including me 🙂
5. Mixergy: It’s a podcast where founder Andrew Warner interviews young entrepreneurs. It’s one of the most honest podcast you can find out there and Andrew’s narrative is so good that he makes even their sponsor’s advertisements sound interesting. Why a Ph.D. student should listen to it? Well, I personally feel the problems that many of these entrepreneurs face are analogous to researchers.
6. SmartPassiveIncome: The stipend that Ph.D. students receive is merely sufficient to meet our needs. Some people even have to support their family on that. In such situations, a few extra bucks will never hurt. I firmly believe that every Ph.D. student should start working on a plan to set up a passive income source this could range from making explainer videos of their field on youtube to writing a blog. This podcast interviews people who have successfully built a passive source of income over the years.
7. The Internet of Things: In today’s world, every device can be connected to the internet and can be easily operated with voice command. Stalwarts like Amazon and Google are investing heavily in this technology and their products like Amazon echo and Google home have been fairly successful. So if you are a gadget geek like me you would definitely love this podcast.
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