4 Spotify audiobooks to help shape your journey at university and beyond

As a student, it’s getting harder and harder to find time for leisurely reading. This comes as no surprise, what with deadlines to meet and a healthy social life to balance, on top of other responsibilities like taking care of your mental health and caring for dependents.

The solution? Spotify audiobooks. 

As a student, it’s likely that you’re looking at large sections of text on a daily basis, creating issues like sore eyes and the exhaustion that comes with long hours of single-minded focus. 

Still, regular reading is proven to be one of the most effective methods for learning. In fact, studies show that reading has many benefits for your wellbeing, including reducing stress, helping combat Alzheimer’s and dementia, and inspiring success. 

In this, the introduction of audiobooks — which are becoming widely available these days — offers the perfect solution for the tired-eyed student. Most are accessed through paid platforms like Audible, but there are just as many that can be found online for free. 

A popular option for many students is listening to Spotify audiobooks — which you can listen to for free with ads, or without ads with the special Premium for Students discount the platform offers. The music-listening and podcast app offers many genres of books to peruse, from fiction to self-help to historical and informative. 

More than that, you won’t need to sacrifice your wallet or your time to read a book — just pop in your earphones on the bus, train or even just while you’re on a walk, and you’re set. 

Here are some of the most helpful Spotify audiobooks to help boost your studies, wellbeing, and journey into young adulthood. 

Spotify offers students a discounted Premium subscription, giving access to a large library of music, podcasts and audiobooks. Source: Tolga Akmen / AFP

4 Spotify audiobooks every student should listen to

What Motivates Getting Things Done by Mary Lamia

If you’re a student, chances are you’ve suffered from intense bouts of procrastination, even amidst a looming deadline. “What Motivates Getting Things Done” tackles exactly that — and shows you that although it gets a bad reputation, procrastination is still a valid motivational style that can help you complete your tasks. 

Written by psychologist Dr. Mary Lamia, this book delves into the role anxiety plays in motivating you to get your work done. Specifically, Lamia points out two ways we work with our anxiety: task-oriented, where we complete tasks in a step-by-step way, and deadline-oriented, where we rush to finish an assignment right before it’s due for submission. 

What’s interesting here is how Lamia refuses to consider one approach better than the other. “Lamia provides illuminating insights into the positive and negative emotions that shape these attributes as well as a troubleshooting guide that offers concrete suggestions on ways to successfully harness stress and clear that to-do list,” shares Professor of Literature Michael Krasny in a review. 

Listen on Spotify here. 

Now What, Grad? by Chris Palmer

Have you just graduated, set aside your books, and panicked upon realising you have no idea what to do with your life after university? If so, “Now What, Grad?” is the book you need to be reading right now.

Here, author Chris Palmer tackles everything fresh graduates should know after university, including how to behave professionally, how to be a lifelong learner, finding a job and acing interviews, managing stress, and more. 

“The book takes readers by the hand and guides them step-by-step through the most difficult parts of that transition [into working life],” says Washington Post columnist Jay Mathews. “I love the emphasis on thinking first about what you really want and identifying those happy parts of your life that already hold clues to what you should be doing.”

Find the book on Spotify here. 

Spotify offers a range of self-help and motivating audiobooks for every situation and topic. Source: Nicolas Asfouri/AFP

Why Do I Feel Like An Impostor? by Dr Sandi Mann

Imposter syndrome is a serious issue faced by many students. It’s characterised by feelings of inadequacy even if you achieve or succeed at your goals, making it difficult to be confident or sure in your skills or abilities — especially if you’re taking a huge step forwards, like entering the job market for the first time.

“Why Do I Feel Like An Imposter?: How to Understand and Cope With Impostor Syndrome” tackles all of this and more. In this deeply insightful book, psychologist Dr. Sandi Mann looks into why 70% of people around the world suffer from imposter syndrome, scientific explanations behind the issue, and why it affects us. 

More than that, it’ll help you work out if it affects you through interactive quizzes — and offers tips and tools to overcome it if you do. 

Listen on Spotify here. 

The Changemaker Mindset by Ilja Grzeskowitz

Changing the world is something everyone hopes to do at least once in their lives — and nowhere is this more apparent than in students. University is where you go to discover the best of yourself, but also often the place you find your purpose and motivation for what you want to do with your life. Still, to quote Michael Jackson, to make a change you often have to “start with the man in the mirror”.

Spotify audiobooks such as “The Changemaker Mindset: How Innovation and Change Start with Inner Transformation” offer the perfect read. Written by German bestselling author Ilja Grzeskowitz, you’ll learn to invest in your own self-learning and growth to transform into an effective and impactful leader. 

Find this book on Spotify here.