Most mornings, I lay in bed a little too long or fall back asleep, and leave myself a limited amount of time to get ready for my day. Between making coffee, packing a lunch, and getting dressed, I have no time to be on my phone. Enter: my love affair with podcasts.
As soon as I gather myself out of my blankets, I have a podcast on for some morning media consumption. Whether I am listening to the news, or some interesting mystery, podcasts always keep me entertained and informed. After being an avid listener of many podcasts, I have compiled a list of my top five favorites.
1. The Daily:
Created by the New York Times and hosted by Michael Barbaro, The Daily is by far the best way to start my morning. Monday through Friday, The Daily discusses a key piece of news, always interesting and highly captivating. The Daily also highlights other top stories in the United States in every podcast.
Every episode is around half an hour, perfectly timed with my morning routine or commute. Not only is the content extremely relevant, but after listening to The Daily, I feel like I know a little more about what is going on in the world.
2. Cold Case Files:
Based on the show "Cold Case Files" on A&E, Cold Case Files podcasts chronicle cold cases that have been reopened and solved with new forensic technologies. Detectives, witnesses, family members, and occasionally victims themselves speak about the tragic cases covered in this podcast.
This podcast has a new episode weekly, and is always a chilling but interesting true-crime story. Warning, this podcast, though amazing, is not for the faint of heart.
3. Ted Talks Daily:
From the moment I listened to my first Ted talk online, I was hooked. When I realized I could listen to a different Ted talk every weekday, about an unlimited number of topics, you can imagine my excitement.
Not only is the Ted Talks Daily podcast educational, the talks are always with some of the most intelligent or inspiring people. Whether you like to hear about self driving cars, or the history of human emotions, Ted Talks Daily has endless amounts of information about any interest you might have.
4. Lovett or Leave It:
I am pretty into politics, as in I am scrambling to keep up with what is going on in the United States political scene, but Lovett, former speechwriter for the Obama administration, helps me understand the chaos.
Each week, different guests join Jon Lovett to discuss the top news and happenings. But instead of being a formal or serious "news-sesh," there are rants, games, and bad impressions to keep things interesting. If you like Pod Save America, or current events, Lovett or Leave It is the podcast for you.
5. The Tim Ferriss Show:
I was recently introduced to Tim Ferriss and his genius, but I am a fan. Ferriss, an author, entrepreneur, and public speaker hosts The Tim Ferriss Show and spreads knowledge in each podcast. Numerous experts, celebrities, performers, and business-people are interviewed by Ferriss.
Each episode shares different practices, routines, ideas, and tactics of highly successful people so we mere mortals can get our lives together a little bit at a time. The Observer calls Tim Ferriss "the Oprah of audio," and I couldn't agree more. Though this podcast has some longer episodes, it's a great listen, with great insight on how to live life a little better.