Magpie Journals: Loving the Way We Listen

On figuring out life changes, how to use a podcast queue, and an invitation to Queuesdays.

This year has been something for the world, hasn't it? My personal life isn't much different - I moved states, thinking that the job market was okay enough that I would have a job in the new city (yes I had multiple options lined up. They all fell through. We move on.). We're able to get by, but the changes in life have been a lot to handle.

It can be expected that my podcast listening habits have also changed drastically. I have more time to listen to shows, but not always the emotional energy to listen close enough for a review. It was a bit of a nightmare until I started using my queue.

Long-time podcast enthusiasts may find it shocking that I've barely used a queue before - but I have podcast friends who don't either. I'm not judging, we are not judging - but we are going to talk about it.

I started actively using the queue for one of the four-hour drives between Baltimore and New Jersey. I picked episodes I was curious about that day, and off I went, no longer worried about picking a new episode while zipping up and down Interstate 95. I am an extremely practical person at heart, so this is the best use case for the queue.

In the months since, I realized somewhere that the queue was not only hands-free practicality, it's also a great notebook. Friends and family can attest that I tend to keep journals nearby, and try as I might to keep things organized - it ends up being a mess. It's catch-all notes, post-its, and snippets of whatever. Podcasts get lost in the mix.

Enter: the queue.

Every day, I open up my preferred podcast player (shoutout Pocketcasts!) and filter my podcasts for new releases. From there, I add interesting podcasts to my queue, and off I go.

What is waiting in the queue will change throughout the day. I'm not just using it to keep track of new episode releases, I'm also using it to keep track of new-to-me discoveries. Did my podcast friend mention a show? Did I stumble upon something in a newsletter? Did I get a great submission? What about when the algorithm is actually feeding me what I want?

The answer: Add it to the queue.

Yes, sometimes, episodes fall off of the queue unlistened. We mourn them, but always remember that they will have a home in someone else's speakers.

I have loved this new way of listening so much that I started a weekly celebration of the queue - Queuesday. It may be an obnoxious hashtag to spell a million times once a week, but more importantly, it's fun. Listeners and podcasters are sharing what they're listening to, and I've stolen podcasts from queues my friends have posted. I am enjoying seeing how everyone's habits are different, and how I can be more varied in my listening. Some friends send me a list of downloads to post for them, some friends use queues, and other friends make things up for the joy of sharing their podcasts.

Everyone reads different books, we watch different movies and tv shows. We're also all going to listen to different podcasts. I love learning the way we all listen, whether it be what you listen to, or how you listen to it.

I invite you to share what you're listening every Queuesday on your favorite social media platforms. I'll be there, so come say hi!

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