Shadowing Practice: How I read every day (with a full time job) - Learn English Speaking with Video
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this video I want to talk about how to read more books if you have a full -time job, if you're a student, and if you're very busy in general.
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Because I've been thinking about it for a very long time
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and I've been looking at all the books that I have unread, untouched.
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It really depresses me that I can't read all of them
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and this year I decided that I'm going to read consistently no matter what.
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I'm not going to make excuses.
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I am not going to say that I don't have enough time and I will make the time to read, which apparently is the secret.
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I'm not going to give you generic YouTube advice saying that you should learn how to speed read.
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I personally read for pleasure.
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And the last thing that I want to do is to skim through books
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that I'm reading and trying to optimize my reading experience.
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I want to enjoy my books.
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I don't want to suffer through them and try to finish them as fast as possible.
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This is not my goal.
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This year I'm actually taking the time to read books
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and to enjoy them and to not focus so much on metrics and numbers.
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I have already finished 30 books by now and I'm really happy with my progress.
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Of course by this time my progress could be better
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but I'm actually enjoying what I'm reading and the books that I'm reading are not actually short.
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These are books that are 600 or 500 or 700 pages
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and they take time to finish and I don't want to rush through them simply
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because someone on the internet said that we should finish 100 books a year, which is not realistic for most of us.
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This year I don't really have any goals in terms of numbers.
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My only goal is to read every single day and to be consistent with my reading practice.
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And if I can't do that and only finish 30 to 35 books a year, this is fine for me.
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So I want to talk about things that really help me to read every single day consistently, and it doesn't really feel hard.
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Like I just do it willingly.
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I don't force myself, I don't torture myself.
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It feels like a natural thing to do and I'm very happy that I finally found my perfect formula because, well, it took years to find it.
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At some point I thought
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that I wouldn't be able to read a lot like I used to in the past simply
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because I have a full -time job and now I'm a responsible adult and, you know, there's nothing to be done about it.
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But actually you can still find time for reading
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and in this video I'm going to talk about how I personally do it.
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The first thing that really works for me when it comes to reading is to find the right format.
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In my previous videos, I already talked about how I actually enjoy e -readers much more than I enjoy reading physical books.
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I really enjoy reading on my Kindle, I enjoy reading on my Kobo, and that kind of format makes me want to return to reading.
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It's easier because it's lighter and I can carry it around and I also can read at night.
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So this is just a matter of preference.
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I enjoy my e -readers, somebody else might enjoy their physical copies, and the next person will listen to audiobooks.
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The important thing is that we all read and we all enjoy how we do it.
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For instance, if I was to start forcing myself to read physical books, I would probably read less and I tested it in the past and I know that it's true.
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So there's no point in forcing yourself simply because some people on the internet say that, oh, but physical books smell so nice or like there's this feeling of turning pages.
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Every format of reading has its pros and cons.
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The important part is that there is no resistance
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and every single time you want to return to reading you just do it willingly and you don't force yourself.
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I personally just carry my e -readers everywhere and I feel no resistance when I pick them up and start reading.
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But if I was to start reading physical copies I would be resistant
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because to annotate I have to pick up my pens and my markers.
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So for me that would create a lot of resistance and I would probably read less.
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So as I told you, find the right format.
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Doesn't matter whether it's physical copies, whether it's ebooks, whether you're reading on your phone, and yes some people do that, or whether you're just listening to audiobooks.
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At the end of the day you're reading a book
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and it's a good thing and it doesn't matter how you do it.
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So, so, so, so, so, so.
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The second thing is read what you like.
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This helps me immensely because I stopped forcing myself to read books that I wouldn't potentially like.
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Everybody on the internet judges what you read.
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Some people say that you should only read classics.
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Other people judge those who read romanticy.
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There are people who read in one genre only and they get their fair share of criticism as well.
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People on the internet will judge you no matter what you do, but for me I'm just trying to stay away from
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that internet drama and I just read what I enjoy
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and I don't care if what I read is respected
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or you know it's considered as reading something intellectual like of
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course reading Dostoevsky is much more respected than reading I don't know let's say Stephen King but who cares?
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like it's just reading and you're reading for pleasure
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and it doesn't matter there's just like no reason to moralize it
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and to say that if you're reading a particular book you're intellectually lazy or you know you're not reading real literature.
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there's no point in saying that
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and i think we should all focus on our own reading
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practice instead of judging other people this year i allowed myself to read books
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that i enjoy and i ended up reading the entire Vampire Chronicles series by Anne Rice.
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And to be honest, I enjoyed it immensely.
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And I doubt that I would read as much as I did if I was to read only classic literature,
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or if I was to read something that other people consider as respected and prestigious and intellectual.
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You have to consider your energy levels when it comes to reading.
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If you're tired after work, or if you had a very busy day at university, let's say,
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there's no point in forcing yourself to read something extremely complicated you can't read complex literature every single day
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and that's okay we're all human and we get tired
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and we get overstimulated so what i would say is pick books according to your energy levels
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and if your life is currently very busy then don't force yourself to read complex literature
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because you will inevitably fall short
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and you will feel bad about yourself there's absolutely no reason to feel bad about yourself simply
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because you're currently very tired and you don't want to read complex books.
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Who cares about what you read?
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I'm reading for pleasure.
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I'm reading to expand my horizons.
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I'm reading to experience things that I will never experience in my life.
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So why would I judge myself because I'm not reading classic literature every day?
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Speaking about energy levels, I of course want to talk about a rule
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that really helps me and it's reading multiple books at once.
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I personally really enjoy reading more than one book because
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when i read only one i get really bored i'm not sure
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if some people get overwhelmed by reading more than one book
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but to me reading more than one book actually makes my reading experience much better because
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when i don't want to read my first book i can
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switch to the second book i also like to pick books
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that are very different in terms of complexity for instance one book is for reading
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when i am high energy when i want to read something complex when i'm actually willing to think.
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And the second book might be something simple, something where the language is simple,
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a book that doesn't require a lot of mental effort and I can just read it when I am tired after work.
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Having that freedom to choose between multiple books can make your reading experience much more interesting.
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Like most things in life, there will never be a perfect moment to sit down and read your book.
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You will always have a lot of things on your to -do list, you will always have responsibilities, you will always have people who expect you to do something,
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so there's no reason to expect that you will suddenly have time to read books.
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You have to make time yourself.
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You have to prioritize reading to the point where it's not just a hobby, it's not just something that you want to do, it's not just a goal, but it's actually your lifestyle.
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You know, it's like James Clear in his book Atomic Habits, where he talks about changing identities.
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You should see yourself as a reader instead of somebody who reads occasionally.
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And when I say that you shouldn't wait for the perfect moment, read when you have time.
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It's okay to just read two pages or three pages.
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It's okay to read during your lunch breaks or when you're waiting for an appointment or when you're commuting somewhere.
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Reading shouldn't be a ritual.
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It should be something that you just do when you have the time, when you have the opportunity.
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Imagine if you waited for the perfect moment to scroll on your phone, then you would never scroll because the perfect moment would never come.
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Same thing applies to reading.
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Just read when you can and don't say I just have 10 minutes
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and 10 minutes is not that much so I shouldn't read at all.
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If you have 10 minutes, you can finish a couple of pages, which is great.
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And over time, you will notice how those small pockets of time will accumulate
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and you will finish more books than you expect.
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And my last point
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that saves me a ton of time is about ditching books people on the internet call it dnfing a book
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and in my opinion ditching a book
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and not finishing it is okay okay you don't have to
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finish a book life is too short to read bad books
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and life is too short to suffer through books simply
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because you started them i ditched a lot of books this year
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and it's okay i don't feel guilty about it i don't feel like a bad person simply
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because i didn't finish it sometimes i dnf a book
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and i read it a couple of years later and I love it.
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In some cases it's not even about the book, it's not even about the author, it's not even about the craft, it's just about the fact that the timing is wrong
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and perhaps if you return to it a couple of years later you will actually love it
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and it happened to me multiple times.
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Don't think about it too much, don't feel bad about it, just DNF the book and move on.
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Read something that you enjoy.
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I mean if you're reading for pleasure why would you torture yourself like this? So yeah.
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Those are the rules that really help me reading consistently.
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I'm really curious to know what you're doing to read consistently.
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I personally feel very glad that I picked up reading again and that I am actually consistent with this habit.
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And I feel like reading is a life -changing habit.
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So if you want to pick it up again like me, you can start now and you don't have to overthink it.
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And if you try advice that I talked about in this video, and if you find it helpful, Don't forget to like and subscribe.
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Thank you for watching and I will see you in the next one.
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Who Can Benefit from This Video?
This video is perfect for busy English learners—whether you’re juggling a full-time job, studies, or daily responsibilities—who want to improve English pronunciation and build consistent speaking habits. It’s ideal for intermediate learners aiming to sound more natural in IELTS speaking practice or casual conversations, as the speaker uses relatable, everyday language. If you struggle to find time for english speaking practice, the tips here will help you integrate learning into your routine seamlessly.
Words & Idioms Worth Stealing
- Depresses me: Makes me feel sad. Example: “Seeing unread books depresses me, so I make time to read.”
- Generic advice: Common, unoriginal tips. Example: “Skip generic advice about speed reading—focus on enjoyment.”
- Resistance: A feeling of not wanting to do something. Example: “E-readers reduce resistance, so I read more.”
- Perfect formula: A reliable method. Example: “After years, I found my perfect formula for daily reading.”
How to Get the Accent Right
The speaker’s tone is conversational, with natural pauses and stress on key words (e.g., “consistent,” “enjoy”). To mimic this, try the shadowing technique: play a short clip, pause, and repeat it immediately, matching the rhythm and intonation. Focus on reducing “ums” and “ahs” to sound more fluent—great for IELTS speaking practice. For extra practice, use a shadowing site to record yourself and compare it to the speaker. Pay attention to how she emphasizes “willingly” and “naturally”—these subtle stresses make speech sound authentic. Practice daily, even for 5 minutes, and you’ll notice your pronunciation and confidence improve in no time.
Grammar in this video
The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:
| Structure | In the video |
|---|---|
| Present perfect continuous have/has been + -ing — an action that started earlier and is still going on | I've been thinking · I've been looking |
| Conditional sentences if + clause, will/would + verb — a condition and its result | if you're reading for pleasure why would you |
| Relative clauses who / which + clause — extra information about a person or thing | year, which is · those who read · people who read |
| Passive voice be + past participle — the focus is on what happens, not who does it | be done · is read · is respected |
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.