For someone who has always dreamed of making a living as a writer, I spend surprisingly little time reading anything besides Goodnight Moon and The Cat in the Hat. I love to go to the book store and I always come home with a pile of books that I am dying to devour. But somehow 75% of them never make the cut once I get them home. It has nothing to do with wanting to read…it has everything to do with the fact that I am the queen of multitasking.

The only way I got through my Master’s degree was by reading my textbooks and articles on the treadmill at the gym (back before elliptical machines and Pilates classes were all the rage). It was a sort of co-dependence I had; I would exercise to study and study to exercise.

Now that I have a 50+ hour-a-week job, two kids, adjunct teaching at the University, and this writing opportunity, reading rarely makes the list. So, for the past few years I have been missing out on great business books, juicy novels, and my self-help favorites. And did I mention the 75 mile (each way) commute to work? Who has time to read a book?

Then, a friend at work turned me on to Audible.com. What a great resource for an overworked, under-read hybrid mom like me! I can download audio books in every category (business, classics, fiction, self development, etc), plus podcasts, newspapers, magazines, and more.

Pricing per book is similar to the cost of the hard cover book, but Audible also offers some subscription options for avid readers (or in my case, commuters).

Don’t be intimidated, the process of purchasing and downloading your books is easy, even for the less tech-savvy mom. And the online help and instructions are really easy to follow.

Step 1: Join Audible.com (free)

Step 2: Download iTunes (fast and free). Even if you don’t have an iPod, you’ll need it to access your audio books.

Step 3: Choose a plan and shop for your books. Once you purchase a book you will see it listed in “My Library”

Step 4: Click on “Download It” to have a copy saved to your computer. You’ll find it in your iTunes account once the download is complete.

Step 5: Select your listening preference:

• -- Listen from your computer through iTunes
• -- Burn a CD so you can listen in your car (this is my choice). You will need a CD burner on your computer for this.
• -- Put the book on your iPod and listen while you fly, work-out, vacuum, tune out the basketball game, etc.

Since discovering this service I have made my commute to work more productive (nourishment for my inner multitasker), learned a great deal from top business books, and now I can actually participate when I go to my monthly book club meeting, instead of just drinking the wine!

Courtney Briggs is a working mother of two and an MBA with over 15 years of advertising, sales, sales training, and management experience. Visit courtneybriggswrites.blogspot.com to learn more about her and her work. Check out momstrengths.blogspot.com to learn more about your unique Mom Strengths and how to use them to be a happier, more successful mom.