Shadowing Practice: 10 Time Management Tips to Boost Your Productivity - Learn English Speaking with Video
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Do you always feel short of time?
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Are you constantly pressured to meet deadlines, whether it’s at work or at home?
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If so, you’re in need of some essential time management tips.
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During this video, we will uncover 10 top tips to help you get on top of your tasks and more in charge of your time.
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Here’s how to work smarter, not harder.
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1. Declutter Your Workspace The first step to time management success is having an organised workspace; if you work in a frantic way, you’re bound to waste time searching for papers or files.
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So, to boost productivity, start by decluttering your workspace and only keep any vital items around you.
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2. Create a To-Do List A good to-do list will help you stay on track, rather than swaying to and from tasks, and it will also give you a great sense of achievement when you’ve managed to tick off a large chunk at the end of the day.
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The best way to create your list is to analyse your tasks towards the end of your shift and prepare for the following day.
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That way, you won’t waste time in the morning when you’re most productive on something minor like a list.
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3. Prioritise Now you have your list of duties; you’ll need to rank them in order of priority.
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The way you do this is up to you – you could use a numerical ranking system, highlights or mental notes.
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What’s important here is to understand which is the most urgent job and get that out of the way first.
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4. Set Achievable Goals A great way to stay motivated is to set achievable goals.
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If you have 20 difficult tasks, it's apparent that you won't achieve them all in one day.
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Therefore, be realistic when prioritising and creating your list, so that you don't get disappointed when 5pm rolls around!
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5. Use Organisation Apps If you’re tech-friendly, an organisation app is what you need in your life!
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You could use a project management tool like Trello to keep your tasks visible and your workflow clear.
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On the other hand, if you want a simple checklist, Todoist is your perfect match!
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6. Don’t Multitask Many people assume that multitasking is a great skill to have, but if you’re not able to work fluidly, you’ll end up bouncing from tasks and wasting time in between.
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This can also lead to careless mistakes and forgetfulness.
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7. Reward Yourself When you’ve finished a big task, why not reward yourself with a treat?
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This could vary depending on your interests – you might want to order a coffee, a cake or have a catch up with your favourite coworker.
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Just don’t overdo it and have 10 cups of coffee a day – that won’t help anyone!
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8. Stay Off Social Media Unless you work in marketing, limit your time on social platforms when you’re trying to get jobs done.
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If you really can’t resist looking at every notification, put your phone on flight-mode or download a social media blocking app.
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9. Audit Your Time Once you’ve spent a week following your new plan, audit your time and see how productive you’ve been.
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You may see that you can spend less time on certain tasks and adjust your plan accordingly.
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10. Take Frequent Breaks Taking frequent breaks is crucial when trying to keep productivity levels up; otherwise, your energy levels will drop, and you will end up swaying from your work.
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Many competing theories suggest specific timeframes; however, you should figure out how long you can stay focused for and then take a 15-30-minute break in between.
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Developing these skills won’t happen overnight, but by following these tips, you’ll enjoy a much more efficient work life.
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If you’re looking for more productivity hacks, visit CareerAddict.com for more advice.
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And don’t forget to ‘like’ the video and click on the ‘Subscribe’ button to get more insightful tips!
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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This video has 33 sentences and 644 words to shadow. The speech runs for 3:31. The speaker talks fast, about 183 words per minute, so expect linked and reduced sounds. 82% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English; the rest is worth studying before you start.
Key vocabulary in this video
15 words from the video worth learning, with pronunciation and meaning:
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| productivity noun | /ˌpɹɒdʌkˈtɪvəti/ | The state of being productive, fertile, or efficient. |
| rank noun | /ˈɹæŋk/ | A row of people or things organized in a grid pattern, often soldiers. |
| skill noun | /skɪl/ | A capacity to do something well; a technique, an ability, usually acquired or learned, as opposed to abilities that are regarded as innate. |
| organisation noun | /ˈɔː.ɡə.naɪˌzeɪ.ʃən/ | Non-Oxford British English and Australian standard spelling of organization. |
| reward noun | /ɹɪˈwɔɹd/ | Something of value given in return for an act. |
| frequent adjective | /ˈfɹiː.kwənt/ | Done or occurring often; common. |
| productive adjective | /pɹəˈdʌk.tɪv/ | Capable of producing something, especially in abundance; fertile. |
| audit noun | /ˈɔːdɪt/ | A judicial examination. |
| sway verb | /ˈsweɪ̯/ | To move or swing from side to side; or backward and forward; to rock. |
| disappointed adjective | /ˌdɪsəˈpɔɪnɪd/ | Defeated of expectations or hope; experiencing disappointment; let down. |
| efficient adjective | /ɪˈfɪʃənt/ | Making good, thorough, or careful use of resources; not consuming extra. Especially, making good use of time or energy. |
| boost verb | /buːst/ | To lift or push from behind (one who is endeavoring to climb); to push up. |
| priority noun | /pɹaɪˈɒɹɪti/ | An item's relative importance. |
| compete verb | /kəmˈpiːt/ | To be in battle or in a rivalry with another for the same thing, position, or reward; to contend. |
| visible adjective | /ˈvɪzɪb(ə)l/ | Able to be seen. |
Phrasal verbs you will hear
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| end up verb | To bring to a conclusion. |
| figure out verb | To come to understand; to discover or find a solution; to deduce. |
| roll around verb | To move about on the ground while rotating and turning one's body. |
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 23 contractions and reduced forms, such as you're, don't, won't. Say them the short way, as you hear them.
- The “sh” and “zh” sounds: organisation /ˈɔː.ɡə.naɪˌzeɪ.ʃən/, efficient /ɪˈfɪʃənt/, crucial /ˈkɹuː.ʃəl/, notification /ˌnoʊtɪfɪˈkeɪʃn̩/
- Long words — get the stress right: productivity /ˌpɹɒdʌkˈtɪvəti/, organisation /ˈɔː.ɡə.naɪˌzeɪ.ʃən/, disappointed /ˌdɪsəˈpɔɪnɪd/, priority /pɹaɪˈɒɹɪti/, accordingly /əˈkɔɹ.dɪŋ.li/
How to practise with this video
- Listen to the whole video once without speaking and note the words you do not know.
- Start at 0.75× speed, shadow it sentence by sentence, then go back to normal speed once it feels easy.
- Record yourself and compare with the original, paying attention to words like productivity, rank, skill.
What is the Shadowing Technique?
Shadowing is a science-backed language learning technique originally developed for professional interpreter training and popularized by polyglot Dr. Alexander Arguelles. The method is simple but powerful: you listen to native English audio and immediately repeat it out loud — like a shadow following the speaker with just a 1–2 second delay. Unlike passive listening or grammar drills, shadowing forces your brain and mouth muscles to simultaneously process and reproduce real speech patterns. Research shows it significantly improves pronunciation accuracy, intonation, rhythm, connected speech, listening comprehension, and speaking fluency — making it one of the most effective methods for IELTS Speaking preparation and real-world English communication.