One of our favorite books of all time is 168 Hours by Laura Vanderkam. Our biggest takeaway from that book is the idea of “being in alignment” versus the “myth of multitasking.” When you’re multitasking, you’re doing two things at once, but doing neither very well. For example, responding to work emails while playing a game with your child. To do both of those activities to their full potential, they need to be done separately because they both require active thinking.
On the other hand, being in alignment is when you’re doing two things, at the same time, equally well –– because one task only needs your body and the subconscious part of your brain, and the other task only needs the active part of your brain. For example, if you take a walk and talk to a friend at the same time, you’re using your body and the subconscious part of your brain to walk (because you don’t have to actively be thinking in order to walk; your body just knows what to do), and you’re using the active part of your brain to talk and connect with your friend. You’re walking and talking at the same time, and doing both equally well.
That’s the difference (and power) of being in alignment instead of multitasking.
Whenever we’re doing something that our body and mind can do on autopilot (like walking, driving, getting ready, nursing a baby, working out or cleaning the kitchen) we try to be in alignment by listening to audio books or podcasts –– because we feel like we’re getting a 2-for-1. We’re getting something done and learning something new!
We dive into the concept of alignment and the Multitasking Myth on our podcast – Life with Amy and Jordan. If you have time, we’d love for you to check it out!
A common question we get from our online photography students as well as our podcast listeners is this…
What podcasts do YOU listen to? That’s a great question! We have a few current favorites that we subscribe to. Here’s our list!
Our Top 5 Favorite Podcasts
1. The Dave Ramsey Show
For 35 years, Dave Ramsey has shown millions of people how to become debt free and save for their future — including us! We’ve been listening to him for over a decade and don’t plan to stop any time soon! We owe a serious debt of gratitude to Dave (pun intended) for showing us God’s and Grandma’s ways of handling money. We don’t know where we’d be without his help! Also, for all the married couples out there… did you know the number one cause of divorce in North America is money fights and money problems? When we learned that, we wanted to get on the same page about money as fast as possible!
2. Parenting Great Kids with Dr. Meg Meeker
Meg Meeker is “America’s Mom” and for GOOD reason. She’s been a practicing pediatrician for over 25 years and has authored six books on parenting. We’ve read a lot of her books –– like Strong Fathers, Strong Daughters and Strong Mothers, Strong Sons –– and they’re fantastic. She’s wise and non-judgmental, the way a good grandmother is; but at the same time, she has a strong point of view about parenting that’s backed by research and a lifetime of experience working with kids and parents of all ages, including her own! When she’s not the expert in a given field, she brings in first-class guests to help her listeners understand a parenting topic more clearly. We’ve learned so much from Dr. Meeker and have learned about so many invaluable resources from her show that’ve helped us become much better parents to our kids.
3. Life.Church with Craig Groeschel
If you’re a follower of Jesus (like us), or even if you’re not but you’re curious about Christianity, or you’re NOT interested in faith but you just want some really solid life lessons and principles taught by a gifted and passionate teacher and speaker, this is the podcast for you. Craig Groeschel is the pastor of Life Church, based in Oklahoma City. It’s one of the largest in-person (and online) churches in the entire world. These are the guys who created and developed the YouVersion Bible app. We love the heat Pastor Craig brings every week. His energy is contagious! Plus, he’s not what you expect from a pastor. He’s not a perfect person who’s lived a perfect life. He shares openly about his past mistakes and his present struggles, and we think that humanizes him and makes him more relatable and approachable to anyone who listens to him.
4. The Craig Groeschel Leadership Podcast
Once a month, Craig also does a leadership podcast! These are less focused on faith and more on leadership, but of course as a Christ-follower, his faith informs a lot of his decision making principles. He leads one of the largest churches in the world, so he has a lot of authority and wisdom in this area. If you like his sermons, you’ll love this, too! If you lead in any capacity, you’re going to get a lot out of this podcast. We certainly do!
5. Life with Amy & Jordan
SHAMELESS PLUG ALERT! Our podcast is for people who want to enrich their lives by making small, decisions that lead to great outcomes. During each episode, we share personal stories and experiences from our life on topics like marriage, business, parenting and more. And we like to have fun along the way! So we hope they make you smile and laugh. We also pray, through the mistakes we share and the things we’ve learned, that they make an immediate difference in your life.
