Listen at x2 speed. A 40 min podcast becomes a 20 min podcast and is clearly comprehensible and enjoyable. It actually gets annoying hearing regular speed for how slow it is.

Set your podcast app to autoskip the first and last 1 to 2 min (depending on the podcast) as these are usually ads and shoutouts to other podcasts. A lot of podcast episodes are less than 10 min in total. Skipping 2 min is 20% of the podcast time.

Delete upcoming podcast episodes that are not of interest. You don't have to listen to everything.

I listen any time I can give attention. Commuting (40 min x2), chores like cleaning (an hour a day), gym (an hour every other day). I'll even listen in the shower or while shaving or while I'm sitting in the park watching my kids play on the swings from a distance. I'm effectively listening for 2 hours max (real time) in a day. With double speed this effectively gets through 4 hours of podcast content.

I even put one earphone in and listened to podcasts while getting a root canal and crown at the dentist. It makes a huge difference if you can keep yourself mentally engaged rather than just staring at the ceiling and thinking about the drill grinding away your tooth. Podcasts can be amazing and much better than doom scrolling brain dead content (just need to avoid brain dead podcasts).