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For me, I have to listen to audio books during the right activities. Mindless things that don't take the thinking part of my brain like doing dishes, driving a car, riding a bike, walking. It absolutely can't be background noise or the only thing I'm doing because I'll either zone out or fall asleep.

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Driving works for me, though I no longer drive to work so don't listen to podcasts or audiobooks. A colleague suggested playing mindless games on your phone while listening; the minor focus required for the game gives you enough to do without getting distracted.

Simon Tatham's Portable Puzzle Collection for IOS or Android is an excellent collection of games with variable difficulty. I enjoy Galaxies, Net, Inertia, Pearl, Guess, and Untangle the most.

I found that http://0hn0.com works perfectly for this. (Not affiliated, just a fan.)

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