Shadowing Practice: How I Manage My Time || Time Management in Real Life | English Learning podcast" - Learn English Speaking with YouTube

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Hello and welcome to Hollow English.
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We're so glad you're joining us to practice your listening skills today.
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It's great to be here. Hey everyone, welcome back to the podcast. I'm Ryan and I'm Emma. And okay, I have to say this first. Ryan is drinking coffee again.
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Again? That sounds like a problem.
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It is a problem. This is like your third cup today.
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No, no, this is my second. The first one doesn't count.
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Why doesn't it count?
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Because I had it before I was fully awake. That's like pre coffee.
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That makes no sense.
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It makes perfect sense. You know when you wake up and you're not really a person yet?
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Oh, I know that feeling. I call it zombie mode.
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Exactly. So, that first coffee is just to turn me into a human.
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Okay, fair enough. But this actually connects to today's topic, right?
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Yeah, it kind of does. Today we're talking about time management in real life.
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Mhm. Not the perfect Instagram version of time management.
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Yeah. Not the wake up at 5:00 a.m., meditate, exercise, drink green juice kind of life.
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Honestly, every time I see those videos, I feel tired just watching them.
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Same. I'm like, you woke up at 5:00 a.m.
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for fun, right? I wake up at 5:00 a.m. only if something is wrong.
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Exactly. So, yeah. Today we want to talk about real time management. Like how normal people deal with time with jobs, stress, distractions, and sometimes just being lazy.
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Hey, don't attack me like that.
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I'm not saying you're lazy.
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You're thinking it, though.
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I mean, sometimes.
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Okay. Wow, great start. But seriously, I think this topic is really important, especially for English learners because managing your time is already hard and then you add studying a language on top of that.
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Yeah, it becomes even harder like where do you even find the time?
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Exactly. So maybe we can start with something simple. Ryan, how would you describe your time management style?
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H chaotic.
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That was very honest. Yeah, I wish I could say I'm super organized, but I'm not. I try, but I'm more of a lastminut person.
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Ah, okay. Last minute is a useful phrase, by the way.
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Yeah, good point. Last minute means you do something very close to the deadline.
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So, like if your assignment is due tomorrow and you start it tonight, that's last minute.
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Or if your train leaves in 5 minutes and you're still at home, that's stressful.
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That's my life sometimes. Wow. Okay. I'm actually the opposite.
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Really? Yeah. I get anxious if I don't plan things ahead.
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Oh, you're one of those people.
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What do you mean one of those people?
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The people with planners, calendars, color codes.
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Hey, don't judge me. My color-coded calendar is beautiful.
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I'm not judging. I'm impressed. I tried using a planner once.
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What happened?
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I forgot to check it.
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That defeats the whole purpose.
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Exactly. A purpose, by the way, is like the reason you do something.
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Good explanation. And yeah, if you don't check your planner, it's useless.
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Yeah, it just became a notebook with random notes.
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Okay, but this is interesting. We have two very different styles. You're more spontaneous.
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That means doing things without planning too much, right? And I'm more structured.
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Structured meaning organized, planned with a system.
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Exactly. So maybe we can talk about what actually works in real life, not just in theory.
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Yeah. Because I think a lot of advice online sounds good, but doesn't work.
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Totally. Like just wake up earlier.
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I hate that advice.
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Same. It sounds simple, but it's not easy.
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Yeah, because if you sleep late, waking up early just makes you tired.
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Exactly. So instead of giving perfect advice, maybe we can share real experiences.
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Okay, I'll start with a story.
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Oh, I'm ready.
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So last week I had a bunch of things to do. Work stuff, emails, recording this podcast.
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Important things.
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Very important. And I told myself, "Okay, I'll start early. I'll be productive." That sounds promising.
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Yeah. So I woke up, checked my phone.
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Uh-oh. Yeah. Big mistake.
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Always. I opened social media just for a minute.
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Famous last words.
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Exactly. Famous last words is a funny expression.
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Yeah. It means something you say before something goes wrong.
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Right. So I said just 1 minute and then suddenly it was 1 hour later.
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That happens to me too. You lose track of time.
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Yeah. Lose track of time means you don't realize how much time has passed. It's like time disappears.
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Exactly. And then I felt guilty.
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Yeah. That feeling is the worst.
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So I tried to work but I was already distracted.
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So your whole plan kind of fell apart.
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Yeah. Fell apart means it stopped working completely.
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And that's very real. I think a lot of people experience that.
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Yeah. So for me the biggest problem is distractions.
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Same. But my problem is different. How so?
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I plan too much.
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Wait, that's a problem?
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Yes, I make these perfect schedules like nine study, 10 work, 11 exercise.
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That sounds amazing.
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It sounds amazing, but real life doesn't follow the schedule.
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Ah, I see.
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Something always changes. Maybe I feel tired or something unexpected happens.
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Unexpected means something you didn't plan, right? And then I feel frustrated because I didn't follow my plan.
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So you're too strict with yourself.
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Exactly. That's the problem.
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Interesting. So we both have problems, just different ones.
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Yeah. You don't plan enough and I plan too much.
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We need to meet in the middle.
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Exactly. That's a great phrase, meet in the middle.
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It means to find a balance, right? Not too extreme on one side. So maybe good time management is not about being perfect, but about being flexible.
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Yes, flexible is a key word.
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Flexible means you can change your plans when needed.
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Yeah, like if something unexpected happens, you don't panic.
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You just adjust.
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Okay, that sounds good in theory, but how do we actually do that?
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H, good question.
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Let's think about it. Maybe we can talk about small habits. Yeah, habits are important.
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A habit is something you do regularly almost automatically like brushing your teeth or checking your phone every 5 minutes.
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That's a bad habit.
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Very bad. And I have that habit.
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Same. I think everyone does.
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So maybe instead of trying to control your whole day, you focus on small habits.
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Yeah. like one habit at a time.
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That makes it less overwhelming.
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Overwhelming means something feels too big or too difficult.
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Like you don't know where to start.
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Exactly. And time management often feels overwhelming because there's so much to do.
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Yeah. And only 24 hours in a day, which is never enough.
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Never. Okay. Let me share something I tried recently.
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Go for it. So instead of planning my whole day, I started planning just three tasks.
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Only three?
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Yes. Just three important things.
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That sounds too easy.
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That's what I thought. But it actually works.
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Why? Because it's realistic. I can actually finish three things.
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Yeah, that makes sense.
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And when I finish them, I feel good.
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That feeling is important.
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Very important. It gives you motivation.
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Motivation means the energy or reason to do something, right? And when you feel motivated, you want to do more.
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So instead of feeling like a failure, you feel successful.
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I like that. Maybe I should try that.
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You should.
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But knowing me, I'll write three tasks then do something else.
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Okay, then you need a different strategy.
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Yeah, probably.
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Maybe something more immediate. What do you mean?
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Like a timer.
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Oh, like the pomodoro technique.
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Yes, exactly.
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That's a big word. Technique.
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Yeah. It just means a method or way of doing something.
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So, the Pomodoro technique is when you work for a short time, usually 25 minutes, and then take a break, like 5 minutes.
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I've tried that before.
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Did it work? Sometimes, but sometimes I ignore the timer.
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Of course you do.
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Hey, I'm being honest.
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I appreciate that.
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But when I actually follow it, it helps me focus.
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Yeah, because it feels short. Like I can do 25 minutes.
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Exactly. It doesn't feel scary.
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That's important. If something feels too big, we avoid it. Avoid means you try not to do something like homework or exercise.
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Hey, sorry. Sorry.
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But yeah, it's true.
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So maybe time management is also about psychology.
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Oh, definitely.
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Understanding how your brain works and not fighting it too much.
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Yeah. Instead of saying I must be perfect, you say what actually works for me.
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That's a really good question. And the answer is different for everyone.
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Exactly. There's no one perfect system, which is kind of good news.
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Yeah. It means you can experiment.
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Experiment means you try different things to see what works.
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Like a scientist.
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Exactly.
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Okay. I like this idea. I'm a time management scientist now.
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That sounds official.
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Very official.
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All right. Before we continue, maybe we can do a quick language highlight.
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Yeah, good idea.
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Okay, so today we already used some useful expressions.
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Let's pick a few.
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Okay, first lose track of time.
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That's when you don't notice how much time has passed.
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Example, I was watching videos and I lost track of time.
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Happens every day.
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Second, last minute.
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Doing something very close to the deadline. like Ryan's lifestyle.
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Hey, sorry.
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It's true though.
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And third, meet in the middle.
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Find a balance between two different ideas, like our time management styles.
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Exactly.
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Okay, that was our mini language moment.
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Very many.
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We'll do more later.
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All right. So, where were we?
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We were talking about experimenting with different methods, right? So, maybe I'll try your three tasks idea.
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And I'll try being less strict with my schedule.
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That's already meeting in the middle.
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Exactly.
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But I have a question.
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Hm. What about days when you just don't feel like doing anything?
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Oh, those days.
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Yeah, I have those a lot.
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Same. And honestly, I think that's normal.
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Really? Yeah. We're not robots.
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That's true.
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Some days you have energy. Some days you don't.
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So what do you do on those days?
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I lower my expectations.
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That sounds like wise.
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It just means I don't expect too much from myself.
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So instead of three tasks, maybe just one.
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That's actually a good idea because doing one thing is better than doing nothing.
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Yeah, that makes sense.
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And it keeps the habit alive. Keep something alive means you continue it, right? You don't stop completely.
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I like that. It feels more realistic.
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Exactly. Real life is not perfect.
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And time management shouldn't be perfect either.
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Yes. Okay. I think that's a good place to pause for now.
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Yeah. In the next part, we can talk about procrastination.
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Oh, no. I know. I know.
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That's my biggest weakness. Perfect.
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Then you'll have a lot to say unfortunately. Yes.
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All right. We'll see you in next podcast.

Why practice speaking with this video?

Practicing speaking through the context of real-life situations, like time management, offers a valuable opportunity for English learners to enhance their conversational skills. In this podcast episode, the hosts Ryan and Emma dive into their personal experiences, detailing how they manage their time amidst the distractions of everyday life. By listening to authentic dialogues and engaging with relatable content, you not only improve your listening skills but also gain insight into how to express your thoughts in English. This is particularly helpful for those preparing for the IELTS speaking practice or anyone wanting to boost their confidence in daily conversations. By mirroring their conversation using the shadow speech technique, learners can internalize new vocabulary and speaking patterns while adopting a more natural fluency.

Grammar & Expressions in Context

  • “That makes no sense.” – A common expression used to communicate confusion or disagreement. This structure is useful for expressing your opinion in discussions.
  • “I wake up at 5:00 a.m. only if something is wrong.” – This statement uses conditional forms to convey a specific situation. Learning how to construct conditional phrases enhances the way you express exceptions in conversation.
  • “I try, but I’m more of a last minute person.” – This phrase introduces the concept of personal traits. Describing yourself with such expressions can enrich your English descriptions, especially during speaking tests.

Common Pronunciation Traps

As you practice with the podcast, pay special attention to words that may pose a challenge in pronunciation. For example, "anxious" and "purpose" may be difficult depending on your native language, as they contain vowel sounds that might not exist in other languages. Additionally, the phrase “last minute” could be a common pronunciation trap due to its quick tempo in natural speech. By utilizing shadowspeak techniques, learners can practice mimicking these phrases, helping them perfect not just the flow but also the subtle nuances of intonation. Remember, consistency is key; regular shadow speech practice will significantly boost your listening comprehension and speaking skills.

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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