Shadowing Practice: How to Get Your Focus Back (Trust me, You’re Not Cooked). - Learn English Speaking with Video
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You are not cooked.
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You're just overwhelmed and nobody has taught you how to get your focus back in today's society.
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So today, that's what I'm going to be doing.
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People act like if you can't focus, it's like a personality flaw or something.
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Yet they don't understand you're not choosing to be unfocused.
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It's because your brain is trying to focus on everything all at once.
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Just think about it.
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In your day -to -day life, you're having to process more information in one day than our grandparents did in an entire month.
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But you know what the best part is?
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Do you know what the best part is?
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actually fix it and today I'm going to be giving you the outline to how to fix your broken brain.
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Now before we really get into why you can't focus, I need you to actually focus on this video.
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So let's make a deal.
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If you make it to the end of this video and you like the video, please be sure to like and subscribe.
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If you're new here, this is where I share ways I'm getting my shit together
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so that you can get your shit together.
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My entire life I've had trouble focusing.
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I was sent outside the classroom because I was talking too much.
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I was always in my own little world.
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I literally had
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when the teacher called on me what the hell he was
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talking about i know how it can feel like we're cooked in this society
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that we're in
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but trust me we're not it goes down to three main
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reasons why you can't focus number one is dopamine overload this is the one everyone talks about
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when they're like oh we live in a dopamine society
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or whatever like attention economy i don't know all of those buzzwords
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that are online on social media right now you know what
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i'm talking about we all know we're addicted to instant gratification nowadays it's no surprise
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but a lot of people will say well detox.
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Oh my bad, let me fall off the face of the earth real quick because I need to do my homework.
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It's not realistic.
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A lot of us are so glued to our phones that we physically cannot detach whether we make money from our phones,
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whether our job requires us to post for their social medias, whether we want an actual social life, who knows.
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But the key is to regulate our dopamine and have systems
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that allow us to not overload our brain with dopamine to the point where we don't actually
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Now you wanna know the one thing that saved me?
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Like an actual tool that can help you in your day -to -day life manage the task
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that you need to get done?
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Cognify, the sponsor of today's video.
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It's basically an AI -powered learning and productivity platform that gives you what feels like an unfair advantage, not by doing the work for you,
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but by helping you learn and retain information way deeper than you do on your own.
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I've been using it specifically for my marketing classes in college
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and for managing multiple projects where I have to conduct research on real brands.
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faster and way more organized because I can do hours of research in minutes.
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While doing market research for brands, Cognify helps me define customer portfolios, track key analytics, and conduct full SWOT analyses in seconds,
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all inside one workspace.
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But the part I love is that it doesn't just give me information, it actually reinforces the learning.
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It breaks topics down into clean notes, builds assessments so I retain it four to seven times better,
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and even reminds me a research assistant, and a productivity coach all in one place.
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Everyone gets one month free of Cognify Pro, but if you use my promo code CognifyNatalie when you sign up, you get an extra month free.
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Once you join, you get your own unique promo code also, and if 10 friends sign up using your code, you get a shot at $1 ,000.
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This is an amazing tool for productivity, so be sure to go check it out.
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Let's get back to the video.
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Next, you multitask too much.
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Every single time you are you know what, let me do this thing at the same exact time so I can save time.
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But what you don't realize is that every single time you switch tasks, your productivity drops 40 % because your brain is having to reload context.
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You forget what actually needs to be done and you hyper focus on things that actually don't matter.
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This is a map of your focus.
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If you want to genuinely reach a flow state, this is how you do it.
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Stage one, understand orientation.
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This is when your brain is scanning the world around you important or what it can just trash.
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If you're wanting to focus on something, you need to make it something that's important to you, even if you have to trick your mind into doing it.
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Next, you engage with the task.
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This is when you're actually trying to start and this is where people encounter a lot of blocks.
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Why do people encounter blocks during engagement?
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Well, I want you to think of it like an algorithm.
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You don't like every single post that you come in contact with, meaning you don't engage with every single thing that's on your feed.
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It's the same exact thing with your your brain has categorized your task as something that's not important,
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your brain's algorithm is literally going to deprioritize that task despite the fact that you really need to do it.
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This is why you have to engage with creators that you actually find meaningful and are actually providing you value.
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Once you've engaged with the task and you have actually limited your distractions, you have genuinely entered that flow state.
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And how do we do that?
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Well, there's a six -step process that I want you to follow and how you can remember it is literally by focus.
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with an E at the end.
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First things first, you need to filter your distractions.
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And I know you can barely see the little thing on the screen, but I'll have pop -ups for the rest of it.
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Filter your distractions, you guys.
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Sometimes it really is that damn phone and you need to put it down, put it in a separate room, especially if you're needing to lock in to study for a test.
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O is for optimize your space.
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If you are literally surrounded by clutter, do you really think that your brain isn't going to feel cluttered?
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That's not how it works.
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Sometimes you have to go to a more quiet in order to get work done.
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A hack that I use is I actually spray the same exact perfume every single time I study
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because it'll actually help your senses recognize that you are trying to get into focus.
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This is a reality hack that genuinely works
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because you can get into a flow state faster when your brain associates patterns with what you're doing.
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You're not going to engage with something that's boring and you're not going to engage with something that's stressful.
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When your brain is so stressed out it'll shut down
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but hacking your senses actually works whether it's chewing a piece of gum, drinking the same exact drink, or spraying a certain perfume when you are trying to get into focus,
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it trains your brain to recognize that pattern.
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C is for clock your time, okay?
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Did you know that your brain loses focus automatically after 90 minutes?
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Yeah, after 90 minutes, naturally your brain starts to lose focus and that's why you need a break.
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That's why things like the Pomodoro Method work so well.
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It's because a lot of people know about their circadian rhythm, but not a lot of people know about the ultradian rhythm.
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Your brain has
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focus cycle when your brain is actually emitting a certain frequency that allows you to get into a deep state of focus.
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You can actually look this up.
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Productivity drops right around 90 minutes, and that's because our brain gets exhausted.
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Colleges and schools literally know this.
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This is why they will schedule their classes around 90 minutes, or they will schedule a break every 90 minutes or so for the students.
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If you've been looking for study methods, the Pomodoro method honestly works so well because it works perfectly with your brain's ultradian rhythm.
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Next is to understand your priorities.
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This is extremely important.
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As I was talking about earlier, you can be in deep focus, but you're not focusing on the right things.
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If you don't outline your priorities, your brain will outline your priorities for you without your consent.
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This is why you multitask and then actually end up being less efficient because you didn't give your brain permission to multitask, but you also didn't give it constraints either.
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And if you don't know which thing to prioritize first, just ask, what is the most pressing?
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What do I need to get done?
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right now.
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S is for simplify concepts.
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When you get obsessed with the tiny little details, you don't understand how all the concepts that you're trying to study for interrelates.
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And when you get stuck in the details, your perfectionism takes over and suddenly you're not on track.
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Here's a hack if you're trying to cram for a test.
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Instead of trying to memorize the exact definitions of every single word,
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write down the key points of every single slide you come the language used for the definition.
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I'm just going to use this example because a lot of us know it.
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The mitochondria is the powerhouse of the cell.
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The actual textbook definition of mitochondria is going to be on the screen right now.
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But do you think I'm going to remember that?
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If I'm asked on a biology test, what part of the cell is responsible for energy?
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I'm going to immediately think, oh my God, it's the powerhouse because you know, it's a powerhouse and it creates energy.
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Even if I didn't know what the mitochondria was, I now remember what the mitochondria was because I use language
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that allows me to relate it to the question you can
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use process of elimination on multiple choice questions in order to get the answer that's right even
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if you didn't really know the definition
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and finally establish patterns you need to be consistent in getting in focus
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if you are able to establish a study pattern in your life
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or a focus pattern in your life over time it will get easier
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because your brain actually stores long -term memories through repetition so a habit actually tends
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term routine just by you repeating it over and over and over again.
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Now as a college student, I want to leave you guys off with some habits that have genuinely helped me in my life.
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First one being grouping similar tasks together.
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On my editing days, I'm focusing on editing.
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On my recording days, I'm focusing on recording.
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As someone who gets easily distracted, I also end up forgetting things a lot of the time.
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So to prevent this, I actually ended up creating a system in my life that helps me not cold start my day.
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And here's what I mean.
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If I'm working on a project, the night before and I didn't let myself know where I stopped.
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I'm going to open up the project the next day and feel like, wait, what was I doing again?
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Writing a small note of where I was right before I stopped the task helps me so much.
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Habit number three, five minute resets.
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Setting a timer for five minutes and going, I'm going to declutter this space has given me so much mental peace because I know it doesn't have to be perfect.
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I just have to clean off the area.
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Habit number four
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physical barriers like locking your phone in a drawer which can help
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but it could also be turning your phone on grayscale your brain loves colors take away
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that color and your phone doesn't really seem
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that cool anymore in my opinion you don't have to dopamine detox
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and fall off the face of the planet you just need to learn to not doom scroll with
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that being said you guys I love you guys so much
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and I'm so grateful you made it to the end of this video
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and hey we made a deal okay like this video subscribe
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and let me know what helped you specifically in this video and be check out Cognify.
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Again, my viewers specifically get one extra month of Cognify Pro on top of the other month
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that you guys get and a chance at winning $1 ,000 if you guys refer 10 friends.
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So go ahead and check out Cognify.
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Use code CognifyNatalie.
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Thank you Cognify for sponsoring this video and I'll see you guys next week.
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Feeling Overwhelmed? You’re Not Alone—Here’s How to Reclaim Focus
We’ve all been there: staring at a to-do list, mind racing, phone pinging, and wondering why focusing feels impossible. The video gets it—this isn’t a “personality flaw.” It’s our brains drowning in information, overloaded by dopamine from endless notifications, and no one taught us how to hit pause. Whether you’re a student juggling classes, a professional managing projects, or someone just trying to get “your shit together,” the struggle is real. But here’s the good news: you can fix it. Let’s break down practical steps and language gems to help you thrive.
Useful Chunks & Collocations to Level Up Your English
- “Get your shit together”: A casual, relatable phrase meaning to organize your life or tasks. Example: “I need to get my shit together before the deadline.”
- “Dopamine overload”: A modern term describing too much of the “pleasure chemical,” making it hard to focus. Example: “Scrolling social media causes dopamine overload, making deep work tough.”
- “Physically cannot detach”: To be unable to separate from something, often technology. Example: “I physically cannot detach from my phone—my job requires it.”
- “Unfair advantage”: A tool or strategy that makes tasks easier. Example: “Using Cognify gives me an unfair advantage in research.”
- “Retain information”: To remember what you learn. Example: “Shadowing technique helps me retain information better than just reading.”
Your Shadowing Challenge: Practice Focus & Pronunciation
Ready to try the shadowing technique—a proven way to improve English pronunciation, fluency, and focus? Here’s your task: Pick a 30-second clip from the video (try the part where the speaker talks about Cognify). Play it once, then shadow speak—repeat it immediately, mimicking the tone, speed, and pauses. Do this 3 times. Notice how the speaker stresses words like “regulate” and “systems.” This not only trains your brain to focus but also helps you sound more natural. Pro tip: Record yourself and compare—you’ll be amazed at how quickly you improve!
Remember, focus isn’t about perfection. It’s about small, consistent steps. Use these language chunks in your daily conversations, try the shadowing challenge, and soon, you’ll be managing tasks (and English!) with more confidence. You’ve got this—you’re not cooked, just ready to grow.
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 using · you've been looking |
| Present perfect have/has + past participle — a past action that still matters now | has taught · I've had · has categorized |
| Passive voice be + past participle — the focus is on what happens, not who does it | are not cooked · be unfocused · was sent |
| Relative clauses who / which + clause — extra information about a person or thing | someone who gets · drawer which can |
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.