Shadowing Practice: How to Manage Your Time — 4 Easy Tips for a Better Day | Easy English for Beginners - Learn English Speaking with Video

Creando lección...
1
Hello everyone, and welcome back to Enjoy English Talks, where every conversation helps you learn.
2
I'm Judy.
3
Hello Judy.
4
Hello everyone.
5
I'm Jake.
6
How are you today, Judy?
7
I'm feeling very organized today, thank you.
8
I made a little plan this morning, three things I wanted to do before the podcast, and I finished all three.
9
All three?
10
Before we started?
11
What did you do?
12
I went for my morning walk, I cleaned my kitchen, and I called my brother.
13
And now I'm here.
14
And you, Jake?
15
I'm a little stressed today, Judy.
16
I had so many things to do this morning, but I forgot half of them.
17
Oh no, what happened?
18
I forgot to buy dog food for Max, I forgot to send an email for work, and I was late.
19
Again.
20
That sounds like a difficult morning.
21
Very difficult.
22
I feel like I never have enough time.
23
The day starts, and then suddenly it's evening, and I didn't finish anything.
24
Well, Jake, that's actually our topic for today.
25
Oh, really?
26
What are we talking about?
27
Today, we're talking about how to manage your time.
28
I have four easy tips for a better day.
29
Time management.
30
I need that.
31
I really, really need that.
32
Many people do.
33
You're not alone.
34
I hope today helps me.
35
But first, we have a small request.
36
Yes.
37
If you like our podcast, please click the like button.
38
Please subscribe to enjoy English Talks.
39
And share this episode with your friends and family.
40
Thank you.
41
It helps us so much.
42
We love our listeners.
43
Okay, now let's start.
44
I'm ready.
45
Please help me, Judy.
46
Let me ask you something first, Jake.
47
Do you ever feel like the day is too short?
48
Every single day.
49
I wake up, I look at my phone, I check my messages, and then, somehow, two hours are gone.
50
Many people feel this way.
51
I don't have enough time.
52
But here's something interesting.
53
Everyone has the same time.
54
24 hours.
55
You, me, everyone.
56
That's true, but some people do so much with their day, and I do so little.
57
It's not about doing more.
58
It's about choosing what matters.
59
That's what time management is.
60
Management means organizing, controlling, so time management means organizing your time.
61
Organizing my time.
62
Choosing what matters.
63
I like that.
64
Instead of letting the day happen to you, you plan your day.
65
You decide what to do and when to do it.
66
I see.
67
So right now, the day controls me.
68
Yes, and you want to control the day.
69
Think of it like this.
70
You're the driver, the car is the car.
71
Right now, you're sitting in the back seat and the car is driving itself.
72
That's a scary picture.
73
It is.
74
But today, we're going to put you in the driver's seat.
75
I like that.
76
Let's do it.
77
Where do I start?
78
I have four tips for you today.
79
Our first tip is called the power list.
80
The power list.
81
That sounds very cool.
82
What's that?
83
It's very simple.
84
Every morning, before you start your day, write a list.
85
A very short list.
86
Only three things.
87
The three most important things you need to do today.
88
Only three things?
89
But I have so many things to do.
90
Maybe ten.
91
Maybe more.
92
I know.
93
And that's the problem.
94
When you have ten things on your list, your brain feels stressed.
95
It thinks, this is too much.
96
I can't do all of this.
97
And then what happens?
98
You sit on the sofa and do nothing.
99
That's what I do.
100
Exactly.
101
But when you have only three things, your brain thinks, three things?
102
That's easy.
103
I can do three things.
104
So you start, and you finish.
105
Three things, not ten.
106
Not ten.
107
Three.
108
Choose the most important ones.
109
These are your priorities.
110
Priority.
111
A priority is the thing you need to do first, the most important thing.
112
Priority.
113
P-R-I-O-R-I-T-Y.
114
The most important thing.
115
Right.
116
And write them on paper, not on your phone.
117
On real paper.
118
Writing by hand helps your brain remember.
119
Hmm.
120
Can I try?
121
Let me think about my three things for today. Of course.
122
Go ahead.
123
Okay.
124
Number one, buy dog food for Max.
125
He looked at me this morning with very sad eyes.
126
Number two, send that work email.
127
My boss is waiting.
128
Number three, do my laundry.
129
I don't have any clean socks.
130
Perfect list.
131
Three things, clear and simple.
132
And when you finish all three tonight, how will you feel?
133
Like a champion.
134
Like a superhero.
135
See?
136
That's the power of the list.
137
It's small, it's simple, but it works.
138
I do this every morning.
139
Three things on a piece of paper.
140
I put it on my desk, and every time I finish one, I cross it off.
141
Cross it off?
142
Yes.
143
I draw a line through it.
144
Done.
145
And that feeling, Jake, crossing something off your list, it feels so good.
146
I want that feeling.
147
You will.
148
And here's one more thing.
149
If you don't finish all three, that's okay.
150
Don't feel bad.
151
Move the unfinished one to tomorrow's list.
152
The important thing is that you started.
153
So it's okay if I don't finish everything?
154
Yes.
155
Progress, not perfection.
156
Three things is a guide, not a test.
157
Progress, not perfection.
158
I like that.
159
The power list.
160
Okay, what's the next tip?
161
Now, tip number two.
162
This one is called time blocks.
163
Time blocks.
164
What are those?
165
A time block is when you give each task a specific time.
166
You don't just say, I'll do it later.
167
You say, I'll do it at 10 o'clock for 30 minutes.
168
So I decide the exact time.
169
Yes.
170
Look at your power list, buy dog food.
171
When will you do it?
172
Maybe after lunch, around 1 o'clock.
173
Good.
174
At 1 o'clock, I'll go to the shop.
175
20 minutes.
176
That's your time block.
177
1 to 1.20.
178
Dog food, done.
179
And my work email?
180
When is a good time for that?
181
In the morning, at 9.30.
182
It'll take about 10 minutes.
183
Perfect.
184
9.30 to 9.40.
185
Work email.
186
Now your day has a shape.
187
It's not a messy cloud of things to do.
188
It's a plan.
189
A plan with times, like a schedule.
190
Exactly like a schedule.
191
A schedule is a plan that shows when you do each thing.
192
And here's the key.
193
During your time block, you do only that one thing.
194
Nothing else.
195
Nothing else?
196
No checking my phone?
197
No phone, no messages, no videos.
198
Just that one task for that time.
199
Then you move to the next block.
200
That's hard for me.
201
My phone is always calling me.
202
Jake, come here.
203
Look at me.
204
You have a new message.
205
I know the feeling.
206
But your phone can wait.
207
Your time block can't.
208
Try putting your phone in another room during your time block.
209
In another room?
210
That feels scary scary.
211
It does at first, but after a few days, it feels amazing.
212
You'll be surprised how much you can do in 30 minutes without your phone.
213
I want to try that.
214
Do you use time blocks, Judy?
215
Every day.
216
My morning walk is a time block.
217
7 a.m to 7.20 a.m.
218
Walk.
219
No phone.
220
Just walking and thinking.
221
Then 7.30 to 8.
222
Breakfast and reading.
223
Two simple blocks and my morning feels calm, organized.
224
That sounds really nice.
225
Two blocks and your morning is done.
226
Exactly.
227
You don't need 20 blocks.
228
Start with two or three.
229
Keep it simple.
230
Simple.
231
I like simple.
232
What's the next tip?
233
Next up, this one is very important.
234
It's called one thing at a time.
235
One thing.
236
But I always do many things at the same time.
237
I know, many people do.
238
They eat breakfast while checking email.
239
They talk on the phone while cooking.
240
They watch a video while studying.
241
That's me.
242
I do all of those things.
243
Every day.
244
And how does it work for you?
245
Not very well.
246
I burn my food, I forget what I read, and I miss things in conversations.
247
That's because your brain can't do two things well at the same time.
248
This is called multitasking.
249
Multi means many.
250
Task means a job or activity.
251
Multitasking is doing many things at once.
252
Multitasking.
253
M-U-L-T-I-T-A-S-K-I-N-G.
254
Doing many things at the same time.
255
And here's the truth.
256
It doesn't work.
257
When you try to do two things, your brain switches between them, back and forth, back and forth, and every time it switches,
258
it loses a little energy, a little focus.
259
Focus.
260
That means giving all your attention to one thing, right?
261
Exactly.
262
Focus.
263
F-O-C-U-S.
264
All your attention on one thing.
265
And multitasking kills your focus.
266
So multitasking is actually slower.
267
Yes.
268
It feels fast, but it's slow.
269
And you make more mistakes.
270
Think about it this way.
271
You're reading a book.
272
Your phone buzzes.
273
You check it.
274
You reply.
275
Now you go back to your book.
276
But wait, where was I?
277
You lost your place.
278
You read the same page again.
279
That's wasted time.
280
That happens to me every day.
281
Every single day.
282
Like yesterday.
283
I was reading an article for work.
284
Then I checked my messages.
285
Then I saw a funny video, then I watched three more videos, and then I forgot why I picked up my phone in the first place.
286
See?
287
That's exactly what happens.
288
You started with one thing, but your brain jumped to another, and another, and another.
289
You lost your focus.
290
And the article?
291
I never finished it.
292
Right.
293
That's 30 minutes gone, and you still need to read the article later.
294
So multitasking didn't save you time.
295
It wasted your time.
296
The better way is this.
297
One thing, finish it.
298
Then the next thing.
299
One thing at a time.
300
Finish, then next.
301
Exactly.
302
Like your time blocks.
303
During your time block, one task.
304
All your focus.
305
Then move on.
306
So no more cooking dinner and watching videos.
307
No more cooking and watching.
308
Your food will taste better.
309
Okay.
310
And my kitchen will be cleaner.
311
Okay, one thing at a time.
312
Got it.
313
Good.
314
And here comes our last tip.
315
This one is my favorite.
316
It's called use your small moments.
317
Small moments?
318
What do you mean?
319
Think about your day.
320
There are short, free moments everywhere.
321
Five minutes here, ten minutes there.
322
We call these pockets of time.
323
A pocket of time is a small, free moment.
324
Like waiting for the bus, waiting in line at the shop, sitting on the train.
325
I have lots of those moments, but I usually just scroll my phone, looking at nothing important.
326
Most people do.
327
But those small moments are gold.
328
You can use them for something real.
329
Like what?
330
In five minutes, you can listen to one English lesson.
331
You can review ten new words on your phone.
332
You can read one page of a book.
333
You can write three sentences in your notebook.
334
Five minutes is enough for all that?
335
More than enough.
336
And think about this.
337
If you use three small moments every day, that's 15 minutes of extra time.
338
Fifteen minutes?
339
That's not bad.
340
Wait, 15 minutes a day, 7 days a week, that's almost 2 hours a week.
341
2 hours a week?
342
From moments I usually waste?
343
Yes, and in 1 month, that's 8 hours.
344
In 1 year, almost 100 hours.
345
100 hours?
346
That's incredible!
347
All from using your small moments.
348
Walking max in the morning?
349
Listen to English.
350
Waiting for your lunch at work?
351
Review your word list.
352
Cooking dinner?
353
Well, after you stop multitasking, use the waiting time to listen to a podcast.
354
I already listen to English when I walk max, five minutes every morning.
355
See?
356
You're already doing it.
357
You just need to notice more small moments and use them.
358
They're everywhere, between meetings at work, before bed, while your food is cooking.
359
While my food is cooking?
360
That's a good one.
361
I always just stand there and stare at the pan.
362
Now you can listen and learn instead.
363
And here's the beautiful thing.
364
These small moments don't feel like work.
365
Five minutes doesn't feel hard.
366
It feels easy.
367
And easy things are things you keep doing.
368
Because they're too small to say no to.
369
Exactly.
370
Too small to say no to, but big enough to change your life.
371
Small moments, big results.
372
That's a beautiful way to say it, Jake.
373
Um, you know, Judy, I always thought time management was about big, complicated plans.
374
But these tips are so simple.
375
The best things are simple.
376
A short list, specific times, one task at a time, and using your free moments.
377
That's it.
378
No big plan needed.
379
I feel better already.
380
Like my day is more organized just by talking about this.
381
That's because now you have a plan.
382
And a plan gives you control.
383
Control.
384
I like that word.
385
Time management gives me control.
386
Okay, let's review.
387
Yes, let's see what we learned.
388
Today, we talked about how to manage your time.
389
Yes, we learned four tips.
390
The power list, write three important things every morning.
391
Good, and time blocks.
392
Give each task a specific time.
393
One thing at a time.
394
Don't multitask, just focus.
395
And use your small moments.
396
Those five-minute pockets of time are gold.
397
I remembered all four.
398
Perfect.
399
You remembered everything.
400
I learned a lot today.
401
And I think our listeners learned a lot, too.
402
This was great, Judy.
403
Well, that's all the time we have for today.
404
Thank you so much for listening to Enjoy English Talks.
405
Yes, thank you, everyone.
406
It was fun.
407
Please subscribe to Enjoy English Talks.
408
Give this episode a like.
409
And share it with a friend.
410
Now, we have a question for you today.
411
Yes, please leave a comment below.
412
Tell us, how do you organize your day?
413
Do you make a list or follow a schedule?
414
Write it in English.
415
We would love to read your answers.
416
See you next time.
417
Bye everyone, keep practicing your English.

Who Will Benefit from This Video?

This video is perfect for beginner English learners looking to boost their speaking skills while picking up practical life advice. If you struggle with daily conversations or want to practice real-world dialogue, it’s a great fit. It also works for those prepping for IELTS speaking practice, as it focuses on natural, conversational flow—key for exam success. The simple, relatable topic of time management makes it easy to follow, even if you’re new to the language.

Useful Words & Phrases to Add to Your Vocabulary

  • Stressed: Feeling worried or overwhelmed (e.g., "I’m a little stressed today").
  • Time management: The skill of organizing your time well (e.g., "I need better time management").
  • Organized: Planned and in order (e.g., "I’m feeling very organized today").
  • "The day is too short": A common way to say there’s not enough time to do everything.

These phrases are easy to use in daily chats and will make your English sound more natural—great for english speaking practice.

Tips for Nailing the Pronunciation

The speakers in the video use clear, slow English, making it ideal for shadowing practice. Here’s how to get the accent right: - Focus on the rising intonation in questions (e.g., "How are you today, Judy?"). - Notice how "I’m" and "I’ve" are shortened—this is common in casual speech. - Practice repeating phrases like "I forgot half of them" to match the natural rhythm. For extra practice, use a shadowing site to record yourself and compare it to the video. Tools like shadow speech or shadowspeaks can help you refine your pronunciation and fluency, turning this dialogue into a powerful learning tool.

¿Qué es la Técnica de Shadowing?

Shadowing es una técnica de aprendizaje de idiomas respaldada por la ciencia, desarrollada originalmente para la formación de intérpretes profesionales y popularizada por el políglota Dr. Alexander Arguelles. El método es simple pero poderoso: escuchas audio en inglés nativo y lo repites en voz alta de inmediato, como una sombra que sigue al hablante con solo 1-2 segundos de retraso. A diferencia de la escucha pasiva o los ejercicios de gramática, el shadowing obliga a tu cerebro y músculos de la boca a procesar y reproducir simultáneamente patrones de habla reales. Las investigaciones muestran que mejora significativamente la precisión de la pronunciación, la entonación, el ritmo, el habla conectada, la comprensión auditiva y la fluidez al hablar, convirtiéndola en una de las metodologías más efectivas para la preparación del IELTS Speaking y la comunicación en inglés en el mundo real.

Técnica de shadowing: lee la guía completa paso a paso →