Shadowing Practice: B1 English Listening Practice - Procrastination - Learn English Speaking with YouTube

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Hey everybody, welcome to this B1 English listening practice video.
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Hey everybody, welcome to this B1 English listening practice video.
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You can use this video to practice your listening and comprehension as I speak.
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Before we start, remember to sign up for our $1 listening practice seminars at polyglossa.com
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and download our free Listening Time podcast so you can practice your listening skills.
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So today, I'm going to talk about procrastination.
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I imagine that this is a relevant topic for a lot of you because many people have a tendency to procrastinate.
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So what is procrastination?
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Well this refers to the action of delaying your work until a later time.
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For example, let's pretend that you have a task that you're expected to complete by Friday.
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Procrastinating on this task might mean that you start working on it on Thursday.
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You postpone or put off this work until a later time instead of doing it earlier.
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This habit is widespread.
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procrastinate at school, at work,
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and in their personal life.
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And for the most part,
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procrastination isn't necessarily a good thing.
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Let's talk about some of the ways that procrastination can creep into our lives,
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and we'll talk about how we can kick this habit.
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Alright, first let's talk about procrastination when it comes to school.
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In my experience, I find that the vast majority of students put off their assignments,
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projects, and preparation until the last minute.
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For example, when a teacher would assign an essay that was due the following week,
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my classmates wouldn't even begin until the night before.
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They would pull an all-nighter as we say in English and try to do it all in one go.
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In this area, I can honestly say that I never procrastinated,
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but I was practically the only one.
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When I was given an essay to write,
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I would split the work up evenly and write a little bit each day.
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Let's say I had 7 days to write an essay and the essay was supposed to be 10 pages long.
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What I would do is divide 7 by 10,
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which is 0.7, and I would use that as the metric to know how much I needed to write each day.
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I'd write 0.7 pages each day and then by the 10th day,
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I'd have my essay finished.
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Instead of cramming all my work into one day,
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I'd space it out in a way that felt much more manageable.
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I never stressed out about having to do a ton of writing on the last day.
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This is one technique that you can employ in your own studies.
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Try to do an equal amount of work each day,
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and then you won't have to work against the clock to try to get your whole assignment
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or studying done in one night.
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Now let's talk about procrastination when it comes to work.
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There's a common tendency to put off undesirable tasks until later.
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While in the moment that might seem okay,
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later on you often end up regretting that decision.
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For me personally, when I put off an important task until later,
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I often dwell on the fact that I haven't finished it yet
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and I dread having to do it at a later time.
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In other words, I don't even get to enjoy the time
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that I spend not doing the task because I'm thinking about the fact that I still have to do it later.
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I'm sure some of you have experienced this as well.
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In my opinion, the best way to avoid procrastinating in this way is to do your most important
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or difficult task first thing in the morning.
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This is an important concept that can really change your life.
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Suffer now so you can enjoy yourself later.
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It takes a lot of discipline
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and willpower to commit yourself to doing the hardest task first
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but after you finish it the rest of the day is smooth sailing.
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Alright, lastly let's talk about procrastination in your personal life.
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Maybe you have some goals you want to achieve
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or things you want to do in life but you never actually get around to doing them.
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Well, one thing you can do to change this is to be more specific with your goals.
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For example, instead of having the goal to get good at English as soon as possible,
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make your goal measurable.
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How about, be able to hold a conversation with the native English speaker by the end of the year.
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This goal is actually something you can visualize, measure, and accomplish.
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Don't be vague with your goals.
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In this way, you can actually plan and take steps towards this concrete objective.
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Okay, now I'm going to ask you three questions about today's video.
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Write your answers in a comment down below.
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Number one, what is procrastination?
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Number two, what's one way to avoid procrastinating at work?
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And number three, how can you improve your personal goals?
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All right, before we go,
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remember to sign up for our $1 listening practice seminars
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and download our free Listening Time podcast so you can practice your listening skills.
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And of course, subscribe to the channel,
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click on the bell, and follow us on Instagram.
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I'll see you next time.

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Context & Background

In the video titled "B1 English Listening Practice - Procrastination," the speaker addresses a common issue that affects many individuals: procrastination. This listening practice not only helps learners improve their comprehension but also explores a relatable topic that can resonate with students and professionals alike. The speaker discusses how procrastination manifests in various aspects of life, particularly in school and work settings. By using real-life examples and personal experiences, learners can gain deeper insights into the habit of putting tasks off and find practical solutions to overcome it.

Top 5 Phrases for Daily Communication

  • Procrastination: the act of delaying tasks or actions.
  • Pioneer: someone who is among the first to explore or settle a new area or topic.
  • All-nighter: staying awake all night to complete a task, especially studying or working on a project.
  • Dwell on: to continually think about something in a way that makes you unhappy.
  • Put off: to delay doing something.

Step-by-step Shadowing Guide

To effectively learn English with YouTube and improve your speaking skills, especially on the topic of procrastination, follow this shadowing guide:

  1. Watch the Video: Begin by watching the video without pausing. Listen to how the speaker articulates their thoughts about procrastination, noting their tone and pace.
  2. Listen and Repeat: Play short segments of the video, pausing after each sentence. Repeat what the speaker says, mimicking their pronunciation and intonation. This technique, known as shadow speak, will help you sound more natural when speaking English.
  3. Identify Key Phrases: Focus on the key phrases provided earlier, especially the term procrastination. Practice incorporating these phrases into your own sentences related to your experiences.
  4. Record Yourself: Use your smartphone or computer to record yourself repeating the phrases and sentences after the speaker. This will help you identify areas for improvement in pronunciation and fluency.
  5. Practice in Context: Use what you've learned in real conversations. Try discussing procrastination with friends or classmates, employing the phrases and techniques you've practiced.

By following these steps, you can enhance your English speaking practice and gain more confidence in your abilities. Consistent practice through engaging materials like YouTube videos will provide valuable opportunities to shadow speech and improve your overall communication skills in English.

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.

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