Shadowing Practice: HOW TO MAKE TIME FOR EVERYTHING (seriously): anti-procrastination routine, time management - Learn English Speaking with Video
Creating lesson...
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there are not many feelings worse than sitting knowing you have a to -do list as long as your arm
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but still against all your better judgment continuing to doom scroll i tried every single tip
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and trick to beat procrastination every single overpriced planner
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that would then collect dust on my bookshelf for several months
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after setting a time limit on the apps on my phone or locking my phone in another room.
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Nothing worked because I wasn't getting to the root cause until I found this.
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In this video I'm going to give you a system
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that actually works for you and not against you when it comes to beating procrastination.
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If you're new here then hello my name is Faye
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and I'm a doctor working in London but
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when I was 16 I vividly remember sitting on my kitchen
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floor scrolling on vine i think at the time for eight
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hours the day before my gcse exams i was the queen of procrastination
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and without the strategies i'm going to tell you there is
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no way i would have been able to graduate medical school work as a doctor all alongside running a business so
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if all of this sounds right up your street then make
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sure to hit the subscribe button just down there section one the laziness lie
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when my procrastination gets to its worst my initial reaction is oh my gosh faye you are
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so lazy and then that leads to guilt
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which leads to feelings of self -hatred
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which leads to me feeling as though i don't even deserve the goals
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that i'm working towards and the vicious cycle continues the only thing
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that enabled me to break that cycle was understanding that procrastination does not stem from laziness, it stems from fear and overwhelm.
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Now your brain might be overwhelmed with the sheer volume of tasks
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or the task at hand might be something that is challenging and your brain is afraid of failing.
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Thus it chooses comfort, you sit, you scroll, you avoid and these are the three steps to get out of
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that habit number one you need to name it literally say
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out loud i feel guilty i feel overwhelmed i feel scared
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that if i start writing this essay
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and it's crap i am going to feel crap about myself
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naming the emotion is the first step in taking its power away step number two you create a
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if then plan for example when i finally sit down
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and reply to all the emails
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that i have been procrastinating then I can treat myself to
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that lovely little dessert that I know is sitting somewhere in the fridge.
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Your brain craves rewards
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and whilst the task of answering emails is not really rewarding
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in itself we can create our own rewards to incentivize our brain.
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Step number three the most important of them all start embarrassingly small.
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I'm talking write the first sentence on an essay open your emails put your trainers on
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if you're procrastinating going for a run when you start
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so small it is silly you are reducing your brain's overwhelm making it easier
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and more appealing for it to take that first step
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that sets in motion a chain reaction
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that keeps going until two hours later you have been the most productive queen
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and completed tasks you did not even know you are capable of.
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This doesn't just sound simple, it is simple but do not be mistaken, simple does not necessarily mean easy.
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It means starting before you're ready even if it's messy and once you've said goodbye to the guilt procrastination spiral for good,
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the next step is making sure that you're not falling into the trap of fake productivity.
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You know when you have so much to do
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and then you do everything except the one thing
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that actually matters like cleaning out your room even though you've got a deadline the next day.
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There was a time when I genuinely thought that doing my laundry
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reorganizing my sock drawer and color coding all my unread emails were all essential prep
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that had to be done before I could get going on my actual priorities.
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Spoiler alert it was not
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but it turns out this wasn't a discipline issue it was
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a dopamine issue see our brain loves ticking boxes quick wins
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that feeling of an achievement even if it's opening an email inbox
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or changing a light bulb it's instant gratification disguised as productivity aka productive procrastination
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and it's only mildly better than doom scrolling on your phone
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so while i felt extremely busy and tired
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and exhausted I wasn't actually progressing any closer to my most important goals
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and the constant cycle of doing but not progressing is not only exhausting but also discouraging.
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To fix this once and for all I began asking myself two questions
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when it came to everything on my to -do list.
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Is it urgent and is it important?
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Urgent tasks need to be done within the next few days.
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important tasks are most closely related to your most important goals.
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I then put them in an Eisenhower matrix
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that I will put on screen now which splits up the tasks and prevents me falling into the trap of productive procrastination.
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But what if the task isn't just hard and overwhelming but it's also completely unrewarding?
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This brings me to the next trap I fell into
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and how I hacked my brain out of it for good and it starts with a quick story.
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So for months I kept meaning to book a dentist checkup.
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It was on my mind constantly.
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The mental tab that never shut.
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Every morning I promised to get it done that day and every evening I'd tell myself I'll do it tomorrow.
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Over and over again.
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Again I started to wonder whether I was lazy
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but the truth is it wasn't about the effort it was about the meaning.
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I had absolutely zero emotional connection to booking this dentist appointment.
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No sense of urgency and no why that felt real to me in that moment.
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And that's when it clicked.
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I wasn't procrastinating it because I was bad at being an adult.
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I was procrastinating because the task did not feel like it mattered right now.
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When there's no emotional charge behind a task.
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Your brain just hits snooze.
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It's conserving energy.
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Your brain is waiting to do something that feels worth doing.
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So here's how I finally break free of that cycle.
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First, I paused and I asked myself, is this actually important to me right now?
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And what happens if I keep putting it off?
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And this is why a task as mundane as going to the dentist now has deeper meaning, because I do not want my teeth to rot and fall out
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but for a task like say a project that you've undertaken in work
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that you're not that passionate about
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and thus you are procrastinating it allows you to reflect
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and actually think about whether you still want to continue on
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that project in the first place if it is not aligned or
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if it might be more appropriate to shift the focus of
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the project to something you're actually excited about thus reducing the
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burden of your procrastination just by doing something you actually want to do.
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I know it's easy to forget when you're an adult, you have a big girl job and it feels like so much of your choice has been taken away from you,
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but you do have choice.
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No one is forcing you to do anything.
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And if you are procrastinating a task because you're dreading it, remembering that you have free will can be the ultimate cure.
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If you're enjoying this video
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and want to see more of the behind the scenes of how I apply all this in real life, then my Instagram is at drfaybate.
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I'll pop it on screen now.
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If you give me a follow make sure to message me
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and let me know you came from this video and don't forget to subscribe here too.
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Next we need to talk about something that affects every single one of us
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and yet so few of us try to actively manage our environment because sometimes the problem is not in your head, it's around you.
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Let me paint the picture.
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You sit down to focus, you open your laptop, within 10 minutes you've heard a siren outside,
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your phone buzzes, your flatmate is watching Netflix at full blast and your brain's already halfway through planning dinner.
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Sound familiar?
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Our brains weren't built for this much stimulation.
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Every notification or flicker or movement is interpreted as a possible threat or opportunity.
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No wonder you can't concentrate in chaotic and noisy environments.
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You're constantly being yanked into reactive mode.
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What helped me most when creating a focus friendly environment was my loop earplugs.
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Loop earplugs work by filtering out background noises like traffic, chatty housemates or a coffee shop buzz without making you feel cut off from the rest of the world.
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I have a rather extensive collection of loop earplugs.
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My favourites by far are the Loop Switch 2 in gold
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because they are the most versatile with three different noise reducing settings
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so they're perfect for sleep travels or my daily commute and
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because they're gold they're my perfect everyday loop earplug
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that matches all my jewelry for studying
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and deep focus i also love my loop quiets the loop dream earplugs are the best for sleeping by far
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because they're the most comfortable
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but before i got the loop dreams i slept in my loop quiet
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and they were also very comfortable if you're after earplugs that are a little bit more versatile.
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Loop earplugs come in a huge variety of colours
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so they are often my favourite accessory if I'm wearing them to a festival.
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They are my most essential part of my anti -procrastination toolkit
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because I know as soon as I have my loop earplugs on the world is blocked out
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and it is time for me to get to work.
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If you want to see exactly what I mean then you can get 15 % off.
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By using the code I will put on screen now or clicking the link in my description box.
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Once I stopped fighting my environment and started changing it, getting into a flow state became so much easier.
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But there's one final piece to all of this that way too many people ignore.
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Building trust with yourself again.
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This is a realisation that hit me really hard.
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I had this internal monologue of I just couldn't stay consistent, I just couldn't follow through on my goals.
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Because I used to set goals, I'd get excited make plans
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and then slowly watch them fade into the background again and again and again.
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It wasn't that I didn't want to change, it was just that I was relying on future me to do all the work.
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But future me procrastinated a lot.
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You expect yourself to be motivated later, to push through later, to remember later.
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But that's too much pressure to put on a version of you that is likely going to be even more tired, overwhelmed, and distracted.
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I got so fed up of setting future me up for failure, thus losing trust in myself and my ability to see things through, that I knew I had to change.
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I started calendar blocking, which is literally writing down the priorities for my schedule.
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This is not a to -do list that I can procrastinate, it is a time commitment.
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I use a done, stuck tracker after every session.
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All this is, is writing down whether I got it done or I didn't.
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No judgment, no shame, just data that can help me move forward.
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Studies show that just by tracking your behaviour, even with a tick or an emoji, can significantly increase follow -through.
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And slowly the voice in your head that used to say, you never finish anything, is starting to whisper, look,
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you can do hard things the more you track effort the more visible your progress becomes
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and when progress is visible motivation isn't something
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that you just wait for it's something you're actively building
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but maybe you want to learn how to build discipline by watching this video here
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or maybe you want to watch this video
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that has been specifically recommended for you based on what you're
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interested in please let me know in the comments section what your favorite anti -procrastination tip is
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and if you did enjoy the video then please don't forget to like
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and subscribe thank you so so so much for watching i hope you have a wonderful wonderful wonderful week
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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This video has 168 sentences and 2143 words to shadow. The speech runs for 12:14. The speaker talks at a natural 175 words per minute, close to everyday conversation. 82% 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
15 words from the video worth learning, with pronunciation and meaning:
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| loop noun | /luːp/ | A length of thread, line or rope that is doubled over to make an opening. |
| scroll noun | /skɹoʊl/ | A roll of paper or parchment; a writing formed into a roll. |
| reward noun | /ɹɪˈwɔɹd/ | Something of value given in return for an act. |
| trap noun | /tɹæp/ | A machine or other device designed to catch (and sometimes kill) animals, either by holding them in a container, or by catching hold of part of the body. |
| productive adjective | /pɹəˈdʌk.tɪv/ | Capable of producing something, especially in abundance; fertile. |
| subscribe verb | /səbˈskɹaɪb/ | To write (one’s name) at the bottom of a document; to sign (one's name). |
| dentist noun | /ˈdɛntɪst/ | A medical doctor who specializes in teeth. |
| priority noun | /pɹaɪˈɒɹɪti/ | An item's relative importance. |
| visible adjective | /ˈvɪzɪb(ə)l/ | Able to be seen. |
| stem noun | /stɛm/ | The stock of a family; a race or generation of progenitors. |
| judgment noun | /ˈd͡ʒʌd͡ʒ.mənt/ | The act of judging. |
| lazy adjective | /ˈleɪ̯zi(ː)/ | Unwilling to do work or make an effort; disinclined to exertion. |
| actively adverb | /ˈæktɪvli/ | In an active manner. |
| discipline noun | /ˈdɪsəplɪn/ | A controlled behaviour; self-control. |
| essay noun | /ˈɛs.eɪ/ | A written composition of moderate length, exploring a particular issue or subject. |
Phrasal verbs you will hear
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| write down verb | To produce or set (something) down in writing; to record something. |
| clean out verb | To clean, especially to tidy by removing the contents. |
| fall out verb | To come out of something by falling. |
| follow through verb | To execute or complete a commitment. |
| get off verb | To move from being on top of (something) to not being on top of it. |
| get out of verb | To leave, exit or escape from; to become free of. |
| move forward verb | To cause to make progress. |
| push through verb | To force (legislation or a plan) to be passed or agreed to or a decision to be reached. |
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 49 contractions and reduced forms, such as you're, I'm, wasn't. Say them the short way, as you hear them.
- The “sh” and “zh” sounds: motivation /ˈmoʊ.tə.veɪ.ʃən/, emotion /ɪˈməʊ.ʃən/, passionate /ˈpæʃənɪt/, sheer /ʃɪɚ/, notification /ˌnoʊtɪfɪˈkeɪʃn̩/
- Long words — get the stress right: priority /pɹaɪˈɒɹɪti/, productivity /ˌpɹɒdʌkˈtɪvəti/, necessarily /ˌnɛs.əˈsɛɹ.ə.li/, motivation /ˈmoʊ.tə.veɪ.ʃən/, genuinely /ˈd͡ʒɛn.ju.ɪn.li/
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 loop, scroll, reward.
Grammar in this video
The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:
| Structure | In the video |
|---|---|
| “Used to” used to + verb — a past habit or state that is no longer true | used to set · used to say |
| Passive voice be + past participle — the focus is on what happens, not who does it | might be overwhelmed · be mistaken · be done |
| Present perfect have/has + past participle — a past action that still matters now | have been · you've said · has been taken |
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.