Shadowing Practice: How I Plan My Week Strategically (My Full Planning System) - Learn English Speaking with Video

Today I'll be sharing my full planning system, how I plan my week strategically.

I love habits, I love planning, I love tracking pretty much everything about my life, because I truly believe that what gets measured gets managed.

But underneath all of that, what I actually care about is protecting my energy and my attention,

making sure that both of them go towards the things that are connected to my values, my top priorities.

Not just random little things on my to -do list.

Because the moment I try to do a million things, that is exactly when my attention gets scattered.

My energy gets depleted and I start feeling overwhelmed.

So the way I planned isn't really about being productive for the sake of it.

It's about protecting my energy and actually giving myself room to breathe.

Before we start, I want to remind you guys that I'm currently working on a course, the Dopamine Reset.

So if you want to be the first one to get notified

when it goes live you can join the waitlist by clicking the link in the description

and now let's start with the foundation

that everything else in my system gets built on top of

so when you take a look at my week at my calendar

or the app i use to you know track everything i'm doing track my habits you will notice

that it's all connected to my big yearly goals this is

actually the roots of my system you know where the whole system begins

because if i start randomly creating you know micro goals for myself there's a very high chance

that i'm gonna forget the bigger vision that i thought of

when i was creating my yearly goals

so right now i'm just gonna briefly go through the three tools

that i use every single year to set my resolutions my intentions and my goals.

And the first important tool is the list of my core values.

Usually the website I use is called your core values list by James Clear.

I talked about it in my newsletter a few weeks ago and I highly highly recommend it.

I know right now I'm recording this video and it's like August, September and a lot of you might feel

that you need to wait until January

or maybe December to actually set your goals and think about your values

but i always say you can always set your goals you

don't have to wait for a specific you know month

or day of the week you can do it right now

if you've never tried to identify your core values your top

five values i highly recommend doing it now the way i usually use this website every single year

when i do my yearly reset is i basically go through all of the values and there are a lot.

I write down everything that resonates the most and then from my list I actually choose my five core values.

The second tool I use every single year is the Wheel of Life

and I think this tool is probably the foundation of how I set my quarterly goals

and how I approach my weekly intentions.

The Wheel of Life is the super simple self -assessment tool.

You draw a circle and divide it into slices.

You can obviously, you know, draw it by yourself, but again, I usually use the website.

It's completely free.

Each slice represents a different area of your life.

Things like health, relationships, career, finances, personal growth, fun, family, and your environment.

And then for each slice, you rate how satisfied you are right now from 1 to 10

and how satisfied you would like to be in the future.

And then you connect all the dots across the slices and you see a very visual and a very honest snapshot.

I have this example for you guys right here.

So let's say for this person, you know, they can see by looking at their wheel of life

that they have three areas where they have really big gaps like their physical health, their emotional well -being and their family.

You know the gap is around three

and what this person does next is create goals that are going to help them minimize those gaps.

Like what can I do in my everyday life to make sure that I improve my physical health, my emotional well -being and my connection to my family.

This is how I personally build up my goals every single year and I highly recommend this approach.

And my final tool that I use when I set my yearly goals is my vision board.

I literally have my vision board over here so it's you know where I usually work.

I always see it.

It's literally right in front of me.

And creating a vision board is more like a fun art project for me

because this is where I can visualize all of my goals.

I can go on Pinterest, I can have a little, you know, date with myself, have a little bit of this fun time and actually find the pictures that I like,

put them on the board, and then put this board somewhere where I can see it every single day.

If you guys are interested in creating your Wheel of Life and also your own vision board, I actually have a free Canva template.

So if you're interested, the link is in the description.

The template walks you through the entire process, step by step.

In general, in this video, I'll be mentioning a lot of different tools and resources, so make sure to check the description.

Okay, so now we talked about my yearly goals and how I approach, you know, new year's resolutions and goal setting in general.

Now we can actually zoom in and look at how I plan my week in a strategic way.

And I want to start with my Spanish lessons because it is a true non -negotiable for me.

I don't want language learning to be something that I get to only when I have extra time.

I think having dedicated time every single week to actually speak to a real person has made a huge difference for me.

And italki can help you build that kind of practice into your routine.

If you're interested in language learning, I highly recommend using italki to find your teacher.

And I want to say a huge thank you to them for sponsoring today's video.

If you're not familiar, italki is an online platform that connects you with teachers for personalized one -on -one lessons.

As a language learner myself, I can tell you guys that practicing real conversation with a native speaker can help you improve your listening and speaking skills.

There are over 30 ,000 teachers on italki and you can learn over 150 languages.

You can use the filters and search by what you want to work on, your schedule, even your budget.

And if you're just starting out, you can find a teacher who also speaks your native language and can create a safe space for you to speak,

so you're never totally lost in a lesson.

And because it's one -on -one, your teacher can give you real -time feedback, correcting your pronunciation or grammar right as you're speaking.

It's also a really simple way to feel immersed in the language and culture without having to live overseas.

And I really appreciate that italki is pay per lesson, it's not a subscription.

This way you can book around your schedule, sometimes it's in the morning, sometimes it's squeezed in before dinner and you can do it from anywhere.

Which matters to me because I work a lot and my schedule isn't always predictable.

If you've been wanting to learn a foreign language, italki is offering my viewers a discount.

Click the link in the description and use my code Mark for your first lesson.

And you will get $5 off of your first $10 purchase.

This offer is only available for the first 50 people

so don't miss it also italki is running their 2026 language challenge right now where you can stay consistent

and make real progress in just 45 days

and unlock some exciting rewards along the way i'll drop everything you need to know in the description

all right so now let's move on

and talk about my weekly non -negotiables everything

that i do every single week because it's connected to my long -term yearly goals.

Again, everything I have in my weekly planning system is because of the three tools that I mentioned before.

The three tools that I use every single year to do my yearly reset with.

I don't just add random little to -dos to feel productive.

100

I know exactly why something is in my schedule and what it is protecting.

101

I think in general when we approach productivity we might think

102

that it's only about your input you know your work how productive you are

103

when it comes to producing something when it comes to your work

104

but at the end of the day there are

105

so many different values that i want to protect in my everyday life

106

and the things that i do on a weekly basis are not just connected to my work Of course,

107

I have certain goals and priorities that are related to that part of my life, but it's not the only thing that I'm trying to protect every single week.

108

And also, I'm a human being too, and of course, I get sidetracked sometimes.

109

But because I try to notice when this happens

110

and analyze it by being kind towards myself without spiraling into shame and guilt, it helps me...

111

come back to my priorities and to my routine way faster.

112

And that is such an important mindset shift that I have learned recently.

113

When it comes to productivity and like creating habits in your life, you don't have to be perfect.

114

You don't have to have,

115

you know, perfect discipline and willpower and always follow your routine no matter what.

116

Because it's just not how we work.

117

That is not human nature.

118

It's completely okay that we get sidetracked.

119

It's just the thing is when this happens, what are you telling yourself?

120

And also when this happens, how fast can you come back to your priorities, your values, and your goals?

121

What helps me a lot is realizing that productivity isn't about always being perfect.

122

It's about knowing how to come back to my non -negotiables and that is it.

123

Oftentimes with my non -negotiables what really helps me is time blocking those things into my calendar

124

and actually creating a routine that is the same every single week because research says that people who decide exactly when,

125

where, and how they will do something are way more likely to actually follow through than people who just say,

126

I wanna exercise more.

127

Like, what does it actually mean?

128

To be completely honest with you guys, if I tell myself that I wanna exercise more, nothing will change.

129

The only thing that works for me is actually time blocking those moments into my calendar.

130

And that is it.

131

If I wanna tell myself that I wanna record more, I do the same thing.

132

I actually have to time block those moments into my calendar.

133

Otherwise, what does it actually mean?

134

I want to record more of what, when, and how.

135

And to stay consistent, what I do is I create a routine that is fun and easy for me to follow.

136

I don't say that, okay, I never exercised in my life before and now I go from zero to exercising every single day.

137

I know that that is not realistic.

138

What I'm probably going to do is maybe set a goal of like exercising once a week

139

and then twice a week and then three times a week gradually

140

and making sure that I'm actually having fun along the way.

141

I really want you to understand

142

that I'm only able to stay consistent with my non -negotiables because I do them in a fun and easy enough way.

143

When I say easy, I mean I try to reduce the friction.

144

And that is how I stay consistent.

145

So now I want to walk you guys through my Google Calendar because that is where I usually have my non -negotiables.

146

So the first thing that we can look at is my recording days, right? you can see monday wednesday

147

and friday i usually time block those days meaning i protect the mornings

148

because by trial and error i learned

149

that i like to record in the morning

150

when it's like the first thing

151

that i need to get done of course i don't always

152

record three times a week you know it depends on my projects

153

and my priorities but i never have like calls or maybe appointments that I schedule for Monday,

154

Wednesday, and Friday mornings.

155

The second thing you can notice is I actually time block

156

when I do my Spanish homework

157

because I have my Spanish classes with my teacher twice a week on Tuesday and on Thursday.

158

And so I know that I like to do my homework, like I like to get ready for my class and so

159

that is why on Mondays and Wednesdays I do my Spanish homework.

160

Again, those things are time blocked as well because I really want to protect that time.

161

That time is for me.

162

I love learning Spanish.

163

It is connected to a very deep value I have.

164

And so putting everything into my calendar just helps me so much.

165

And see, like doing Spanish, I can do my Spanish homework.

166

Obviously, you know, do all the exercises that my teacher told me to do

167

but at the same time I can maybe like watch a found YouTube video or a series in Spanish.

168

Right now I'm watching The Mexican Office and I really really like it.

169

And the final thing that you can see in my calendar is everything connected to movement and working out.

170

Like my non -negotiable when it comes to working out is working out three times a week.

171

On Thursdays it depends.

172

Sometimes I do running sometimes i do my ashtanga practice but on saturdays i always do my ashtanga yoga practice

173

To be completely honest, I really like working out on Saturdays and Sundays because on those days, I like to spend my time doing something outside.

174

And so if I start my day by, you know, booking a class at a studio, that already means that I have to, you know, go there in the morning.

175

And then usually after my class, I go have breakfast.

176

So to be honest, I also usually exercise every single Sunday, but this day is way more flexible.

177

Alright, so we talked about how I like to use my Google Calendar

178

and how I like to time block my non -negotiables.

179

To be clear, I don't time block absolutely everything that I do every single day

180

because I like to have some room and some space to breathe.

181

I only time block the things that I want to see visually.

182

Sometimes it's hard for me to make myself do certain things

183

and if i rely on my discipline or willpower

184

and i don't see those things time blocked you know scheduled in my calendar there is a very high chance

185

that i'm not gonna want to do it

186

so to protect my consistency i need to see everything you

187

know visually there in my google calendar the second tool

188

that i use every single week is my app wiko it's not live yet

189

but if you want to join the waitlist to get notified

190

when it's public then you can use the link in the description as well.

191

Weco really protects me from over engineering my own planning

192

because a lot of the weekly planning tools that I used in the past are just way too complicated.

193

That's the first thing and the second thing I personally don't like streaks because when it comes to consistency, I always like to zoom out.

194

And I always say that it is absolutely okay if you miss a day or two, because the most important thing is that you came back.

195

But unfortunately, a lot of the apps that rely on streaks, they reward you for being perfect, you know, for having a perfect streak.

196

And when something happened, and now you don't have your perfect streak, when you come back like the app doesn't really tell you

197

anything right the app just tells you okay your streak now is one day yoohoo

198

so that doesn't make me feel good and that is why

199

when it comes to wiko i don't have any streaks

200

when it comes to my habit tracker it is very very simple

201

i track three habits usually reading exercise and spanish

202

so i just tap like this and And we can track what I do every single day.

203

I also have a brain dump area because this part of my planner is really, really important for me.

204

I often get super random ideas, you know, in the middle of doing something important.

205

Like, oh, I actually want to clean my shoes. Or, I don't know, I need to go and buy something

206

and instead of doing it in the moment like

207

while I'm doing a very important thing I just open my brain dump

208

and I write it down and

209

that is it I can breathe out I have these two

210

areas where I can write down my top priorities for the week my three priorities this is something

211

that I deeply love because it helps me stay focused you know

212

and make sure that my attention is on the things

213

that actually matter because I open Weco every single day and

214

if I realize that it's already Thursday and I haven't done anything to get closer to my top priorities,

215

I really need to, you know, reconsider my schedule and what I'm giving my attention to.

216

And I also really like this area, your last week's wins.

217

That's actually something that I start my planning with, you know, every single Monday in the morning,

218

first I write down my last week's wins and that just makes me feel so proud of myself.

219

Like I recently finished reading the book Tiny Habits by BJ Fogg

220

and there he talks about this feeling of shine that we experience.

221

That's his word, shine.

222

That warm and proud feeling after accomplishing something and this something can be extremely small.

223

And so writing down my last week's wins really helps me experience this warm and proud feeling, this feeling of shine.

224

And finally, as you guys can see, when it comes to my daily plans, what I basically do is I have certain things on repeat, you know, like do my Spanish homework,

225

it's here as well, because I do it every single Monday, and on Tuesday we have my workout,

226

my Spanish class, and stuff like that and just depends on a day i add

227

add and i add something like record a new youtube video

228

and when it's done i just tap on it

229

and it's done also another little feature that i really like is

230

that wiko builds an automatic weekly and monthly reflection for me

231

so i tap here and then let's say we can look at my week and see what happened.

232

I can tap through all these slides and see what happened.

233

And I really like this because I can look back

234

and notice if something needs to be changed instead of just running the same week on autopilot forever.

235

All right guys, so I think it's going to be it for today's video.

236

These are all the tools that I use every single week.

237

As you can see, it's nothing too crazy.

238

It's nothing too complicated.

239

This system helps me protect my attention, my focus, and my energy.

240

Of course, I'm a human being too, and I get overwhelmed just like every single person does.

241

But I've noticed that when I see my top priorities, front and center, and they don't have to be connected to productivity,

242

my top priority can be getting a massage.

243

This is, for example, my top priority for this week and today is Friday and I'm going to get my massage.

244

When I move slowly and consistently towards my priorities, that is when I feel genuinely calmer,

245

like more grounded and more confident that I can achieve the goals that I set for myself.

246

More aligned and feeling like I'm moving in the right direction that makes me feel deeply satisfied.

247

Just a reminder guys, if you want to check out italki you can use the link in the description.

248

They have an amazing offer right now for my audience so don't miss it.

249

If you're thinking about what to watch next I highly recommend

250

this video right here otherwise I'll see you in my next video.

251

Ciao!

📺 Same Channel

✨ Recommend Video

291 sentences

How to Organize your LIFE with Google Calendar! 🖥️🤍✔️ + Plan with Me! pinterest aesthetic Tutorial

Daily ConversationWorking Adults

16 sentences

Plan Your Day- Jack Canfield Motivation [1 Minute Motivation]

Daily ConversationWorking Adults

217 sentences

I’ve Been Tracking My Habits Wrong (what I’m changing in 2026)

Daily ConversationWorking Adults

301 sentences

How to Get Organized and Stop Starting Over Every Week

Daily ConversationWorking Adults

352 sentences

I Read 107 Productivity Books. Here's What Actually Works.

Daily ConversationWorking Adults

301 sentences

a realistic no scroll sunday reset | soft discipline, organising my room & self care ♡

Daily ConversationWorking Adults

212 sentences

Success Is Hard Until You Build Systems Like This

Daily ConversationWorking Adults

318 sentences

TOP 1% WOMAN ROUTINE: how to stay productive, healthy + disciplined

Daily ConversationWorking Adults

171 sentences

How I Wake Up at 4:30 AM Every Day for 4 Years (My Miracle Morning Journey)

Daily ConversationWorking Adults

208 sentences

This Forces You To Speak Coherently On YouTube

Daily ConversationWorking Adults

378 sentences

How I Manage My Time - The Trident Calendar System

Daily ConversationWorking Adults

Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson

This B2 speaking lesson is built on the video “How I Plan My Week Strategically”. This video has 251 sentences and 3546 words to shadow. The speech runs for 21:58. The speaker talks at a natural 161 words per minute, close to everyday conversation. 85% 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

The 15 most advanced words in the video, with pronunciation and meaning:

Word	Pronunciation	Meaning
negotiable adjective	/nɪˈɡoʊʃəbəl/	Able to be traversed; navigable.
yearly adjective	/ˈjɪɹli/	Happening once every year.
streak noun	/stɹiːk/	An irregular line, as is left from smearing or motion.
homework noun	/ˈhoʊmˌwɝk/	Exercises assigned by a teacher to a student which review concepts studied in class.
slice noun	/slaɪs/	That which is thin and broad.
productivity noun	/ˌpɹɒdʌkˈtɪvəti/	The state of being productive, fertile, or efficient.
reset verb	/ɹiːˈsɛt/	To set back to the initial state.
satisfy verb	/ˈsætɪsfaɪ/	To be enough (for)
shine verb	/ʃaɪn/	To emit or reflect light so as to glow.
depend verb	/dɪˈpɛnd/	To be contingent or conditioned; to have something as a necessary condition
ashtanga noun		The classical system of yoga described in the Yoga Sutras by Patanjali.
overwhelm verb	/ˌoʊ.vɚˈwɛlm/	To engulf, surge over and submerge.
sidetrack verb	/ˈsaɪdˌtɹæk/	To divert (a locomotive or train) on to a lesser used track in order to allow other trains to pass.
waitlist verb	/ˈweɪtˌlɪst/	To place on a waiting list.
willpower noun	/ˈwɪlˌpaʊɚ/	The unwavering strength of will to carry out one's wishes.

Phrasal verbs you will hear

Word	Pronunciation	Meaning
write down verb		To produce or set (something) down in writing; to record something.
work out verb	/ˌwɝk ˈaʊt/	To calculate.
come back verb		To return to a place.
go through verb		To travel from one end of something to the other.
build up verb		To erect; to construct.
check out verb		To record the departure or withdrawal of someone or something (such as guests, employees, books, etc.).
follow through verb		To execute or complete a commitment.
look back verb		To think of (past events) in retrospect (in hindsight).

Sentences worth repeating

Short, complete lines from the video that you can reuse in everyday conversation:

It's literally right in front of me.
Because it's just not how we work.
It's completely okay that we get sidetracked.
As you can see, it's nothing too crazy.

Grammar in this video

The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:

Structure	In the video
Passive voice be + past participle — the focus is on what happens, not who does it	are connected · is called · are not just connected
Present perfect have/has + past participle — a past action that still matters now	you've never tried · has made · have learned
Relative clauses who / which + clause — extra information about a person or thing	teacher who also · people who decide · people who just

Pronunciation to watch

The speaker uses 60 contractions and reduced forms, such as I'm, don't, you're. Say them the short way, as you hear them.

The “sh” and “zh” sounds: negotiable /nɪˈɡoʊʃəbəl/, shine /ʃaɪn/, massage /məˈsɑ(d)ʒ/, intentions /ɪnˈtɛnʃənz/, snapshot /ˈsnæpʃɒt/
Long words — get the stress right: negotiable /nɪˈɡoʊʃəbəl/, productivity /ˌpɹɒdʌkˈtɪvəti/, visually /ˈvɪzju.əli/, consistency /kənˈsɪs.tən.si/, autopilot /ˈɔtoʊˌpaɪlət/

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 negotiable, yearly, streak.

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.

Shadowing technique: read the full step-by-step guide →

Shadowing Practice: How I Plan My Week Strategically (My Full Planning System) - Learn English Speaking with Video

5 Non-Negotiable Systems That Protect My Energy From Chaos

5 Unfair Advantages You Can Build This Year

15 Slow Dopamine Habits That Lowered My Baseline Stimulation

How to Create a Life You Love (one week at a time)

One Journaling Method to Replace Doomscrolling

Things I Quit in My 20s to Heal My Overstimulated Brain

How to Become Addicted to Being OFF Your Phone

Why You Dream Big but Never Start (and how to fix that)

7 Dopamine Habits That Saved Me From Brain Rot

Scrolling Is Ruining Your Ability to Think (here’s what I do instead)

4 Principles to Upgrade Your Life With Neuroplasticity

My Top 7 Healthy Habits I Started and Quit in 2026

How to Get Smarter in One Summer (a step-by-step guide)

How to Organize your LIFE with Google Calendar! 🖥️🤍✔️ + Plan with Me! *pinterest aesthetic* Tutorial

Plan Your Day- Jack Canfield Motivation [1 Minute Motivation]

I’ve Been Tracking My Habits Wrong (what I’m changing in 2026)

How to Get Organized and Stop Starting Over Every Week

I Read 107 Productivity Books. Here's What Actually Works.

a realistic no scroll sunday reset | soft discipline, organising my room & self care ♡

Success Is Hard Until You Build Systems Like This

TOP 1% WOMAN ROUTINE: how to stay productive, healthy + disciplined

How I Wake Up at 4:30 AM Every Day for 4 Years (My Miracle Morning Journey)

This Forces You To Speak Coherently On YouTube

How I Manage My Time - The Trident Calendar System

Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson

Key vocabulary in this video

Phrasal verbs you will hear

Sentences worth repeating

Grammar in this video

Pronunciation to watch

How to practise with this video

What is the Shadowing Technique?

How to Organize your LIFE with Google Calendar! 🖥️🤍✔️ + Plan with Me! pinterest aesthetic Tutorial