A New Tool for Using Time Efficiently

Do you have any tools that you often use to make the most of your time? I have one that I got a little while ago that I wanted to share with you today.

I have been thinking for a while that I would like to make better use of the time I spend drying my hair, something that perhaps other ladies can relate to.

I spend a lot of time in front of the mirror just drying my hair. In my case, it takes about 15 minutes per day, and that the time adds up... That’s 5,475 hours per year!

So I thought of listening to audiobooks.

I had never used them before, but I downloaded a trial version.

There are so many books and a wide variety.

I loved being able to “carry around” all these books, especially those really long, heavy ones!

So while I dried my hair, I listened to the first book. I was satisfied to be able to "read" a book even for a short time.

But after the second book, I noticed a few things.

The first is that when I listen with the hair dryer, I find it difficult to hear some parts, unless it is a high-pitched voice.

Also, if I don’t particularly like the voice of the person reading the audiobook, the content of the book does not come through as well as I would like.

This was a very new discovery for me, experimenting my new tool.

Or perhaps it would be better to say that I discovered that voices in general had such an effect on me.

So I am still continuing with the audiobooks, but when I am listening to them during my hair-drying time, I choose tracks that have a higher toned voice that doesn’t conflict with the sound of the dryer.

I also do this with music I listen to - specifically, jazz with wind instruments, or if it is an audiobook, I found out that English, rather than Japanese, tends to be more audible.

This is my own theory, but I think it is probably because English is spoken from deeper in the belly and is projected more dramatically than Japanese. Therefore, I feel that the voice comes through relatively easily.

I felt it was interesting to discover new things about myself and my preferences through this kind of experience.

With the rain we have had in Tokyo over the past few days, it looks like we will be seeing the last of this year's cherry blossoms in a few days.

May this be a week of a lot of smiles to you all!