Shadowing Practice: How to Start Your Morning Well | Slow and Simple English Podcast | Ep. 01 - Learn English Speaking with YouTube
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Hello, everyone, and welcome back to Slow and Simple English podcast,
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Hello, everyone, and welcome back to Slow and Simple English podcast,
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where every conversation helps you learn.
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I'm Alex.
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Hello, Alex.
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Hello, everyone.
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I'm Lisa.
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How are you today, Alex?
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I am feeling great today, Lisa.
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I had a very smooth morning.
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Smooth?
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What does smooth mean here?
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Smooth means easy.
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No problems.
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Everything went well.
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My morning was smooth.
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No stress.
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No rushing.
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Ah, smooth.
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I like that word.
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My morning was not smooth.
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Oh no, what happened?
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Well, I could not find my keys.
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Then I spilled my coffee.
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Then I was late.
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Lisa, all of that before 9 o'clock?
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All of that before 8.30.
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I'm sorry.
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But actually, this is a perfect introduction to our topic today.
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My disaster morning is the topic.
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Not exactly.
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Our topic today is how to make a simple morning routine.
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A morning routine that is smooth,
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no stress, no lost keys, no spilled coffee.
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I need this.
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I really need this.
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Perfect.
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Let's start.
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But first, before we start,
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we have a small request.
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Yes.
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If you like our podcast,
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please click the like button.
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And please subscribe to Slow and Simple English Podcast and share this episode with your friends and family who are learning English.
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Thank you so much.
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It helps us a lot.
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We love our listeners.
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Okay, let's talk about morning routines.
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So, Lisa, let me ask you something.
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What does your morning look like right now?
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Okay.
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Honestly?
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Honestly.
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I wake up.
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I look at my phone.
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I look at the time.
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I panic.
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I run to the bathroom.
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I look for my clothes.
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I cannot find them.
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I drink coffee standing in the kitchen.
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And then I leave.
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How long does all of this take?
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Maybe 45 minutes.
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But it feels like chaos.
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Chaos means everything is confused and messy, yes?
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Yes, exactly.
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Chaos means everything is messy and out of control.
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And I think many of our listeners feel this way too.
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Really?
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I am not the only one?
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Not at all.
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Morning chaos is very common.
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But the good news is a simple routine can fix this.
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A routine.
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Like a plan for every morning?
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Yes.
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The same steps in the same order every day.
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After a few weeks, you don't think about it.
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You just do it.
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Like automatic.
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Exactly.
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Like automatic.
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Okay.
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I have five tips for you today.
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Five steps to build your morning routine.
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Five tips.
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I am ready.
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My mornings need help.
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Tip 1.
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Decide your wake-up time.
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Just pick a time.
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Yes.
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Pick one time, the same time every day,
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not different every day, not 7 o'clock on Monday,
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8.30 on Tuesday, 9 o'clock on Wednesday.
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That is exactly what I do.
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I know.
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And this is why mornings feel hard.
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When you wake up at a different time every day,
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your body is confused.
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My body is confused?
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Yes.
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Your body has a clock inside.
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A natural clock.
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When you wake up at the same time every day, your body learns.
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It gets ready before the alarm.
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Oh, interesting.
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So my body helps me wake up.
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Exactly.
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Think of it like this.
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Imagine a train.
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A train always leaves at the same time.
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Seven o'clock every morning.
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The passengers know.
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They are ready.
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They arrive on time.
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And if the train leaves at a different time every day?
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Everyone is confused.
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Nobody is ready.
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They miss the train.
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So, I am the passenger,
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and my body is the train.
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Yes.
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If you wake up at the same time, your body is ready.
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If you change the time every day,
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your body misses the train.
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I have been missing my own train every morning.
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But now you know.
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Pick a time.
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Be realistic.
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Do not say 5 o'clock in the morning.
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5 o'clock is not realistic for me at all.
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Pick a time you can keep every day, even on weekends.
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Okay.
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My time is 7 o'clock.
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Every day, 7 o'clock.
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Good.
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That is tip one.
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Decide your wake-up time.
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Same time every day.
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Tip two.
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Don't touch your phone first.
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Oh, this one is hard.
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I know.
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Tell me.
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What is the first thing you do after you wake up?
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I pick up my phone.
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And what do you look at?
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Messages.
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Social media.
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The news.
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Maybe some videos.
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And how do you feel after?
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Um, sometimes stressed.
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Sometimes I see something bad in the news.
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Sometimes I fall back asleep watching videos.
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Yes, this is a very common problem.
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When you look at your phone first,
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your brain immediately gets busy.
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Too much information, too fast.
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And then my morning feels rushed.
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Exactly.
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Rushed means you have no time.
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Everything is fast and stressful.
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So tip two is simple.
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Put your phone in another room at night.
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In the morning, don't touch it for the first 20 minutes.
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20 minutes without my phone.
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That sounds scary.
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It feels scary the first time.
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After that, it feels wonderful.
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You have 20 quiet minutes for yourself.
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But what do I do in those 20 minutes?
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Without my phone, I don't know what to do.
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Good question.
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You can drink your coffee slowly.
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You can look out the window.
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You can sit quietly.
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Just breathe.
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Just breathe.
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That sounds very simple.
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Simple is the point.
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Your brain wakes up gently.
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Not from noise.
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Not from bad news.
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From quiet.
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Gently.
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I like that word.
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Gently means softly, slowly.
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Exactly right.
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Wake up gently.
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Give your brain a slow start.
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Okay.
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Phone in the other room.
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20 minutes of quiet.
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I will try.
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Tip two.
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Don't touch your phone first.
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Tip three.
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Do the same things in the same order.
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The same order?
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What do you mean?
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I mean, every morning you do the same steps.
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First this, then this, then this.
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Always the same.
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Like a sequence?
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Yes.
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A sequence is a list of steps in order.
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Step one, step two, step three.
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My morning sequence is I wake up,
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I drink water, I wash my face,
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I make tea, I get dressed.
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Every single day.
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The same.
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That is very organized, Alex.
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And do you know what?
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I never forget things.
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I never feel lost.
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Because every step comes automatically.
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Because you always do it the same way.
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Exactly.
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When things are always in the same order,
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your brain doesn't work hard.
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It just follows the steps.
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Like a recipe.
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Step 1, step 2, step 3.
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That is a perfect comparison, Lisa.
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Yes, your morning is a recipe.
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Okay, so I need to write my morning recipe.
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Wake up, wash face, coffee, get dressed.
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Yes, Keep it simple.
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Four or five steps, not 15.
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Four steps?
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I can do four steps.
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Tip three.
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Same things, same order, every day.
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Tip four.
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Prepare the night before.
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Oh, you said this before in another episode.
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Clothes the night before.
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Yes, you remember.
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And it works for mornings too.
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Not just clothes.
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Everything.
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What else can I prepare at night?
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Your clothes.
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Your bag.
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Your keys.
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Your lunch if you bring one.
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Even your breakfast.
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Put everything in one place.
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One place.
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So in the morning, everything is ready.
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Yes.
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You don't search.
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You don't panic.
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Everything is waiting for you.
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This would have helped this morning.
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I spent 10 minutes looking for my keys.
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Where were they?
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In my coat pocket.
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From yesterday.
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Yes, this is exactly why we prepare at night.
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You put your keys in one place every day,
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you're bagged by the door, everything ready.
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A hook.
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I need a hook by my door for my keys.
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That is a very good idea.
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A hook is a small thing on the wall.
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You hang things on it.
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A hook for my keys.
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Problem solved.
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And there is another thing you can prepare at night.
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Your breakfast.
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My breakfast?
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I usually skip breakfast.
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Lisa, breakfast is important.
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I know, I know.
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But I have no time in the morning.
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That is why you prepare it the night before.
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For example, you can make overnight oats.
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You put oats and milk in a jar.
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You leave it in the refrigerator.
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In the morning, it is ready.
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You open the jar.
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You eat.
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Two minutes.
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Overnight oats.
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What are oats?
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Oats are a simple grain, like rice, but different.
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You can eat them cold or hot.
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They are healthy and very easy to prepare.
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So I prepare my breakfast at night and eat it in the morning.
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That is smart.
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Tip four, prepare the night before.
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Keys, clothes, bag, and breakfast.
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All ready.
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And tip five, this is my favorite.
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What is it?
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Add one good thing to your morning.
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One good thing?
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Yes.
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One small thing that you enjoy.
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Something that makes you happy.
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It does not need to be big.
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It can be very small.
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Like what?
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For me, it is five minutes with my tea.
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I sit, I look out the window, I don't do anything.
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Just sit and drink my tea.
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That sounds lovely.
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For someone else, it can be music.
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Put on one song you love,
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or step outside for two minutes,
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fresh air, or write three words in a notebook,
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three things you are happy about today.
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Oh, I like that.
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Three happy things.
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It is called a gratitude practice.
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Gratitude means you feel thankful.
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Thankful for the good things in your life.
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Three things I am grateful for.
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I can do this in the morning with my coffee.
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Perfect.
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That is your good thing.
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Coffee plus three grateful thoughts.
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I love this tip.
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It feels warm.
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It is warm.
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And here is the reason why it works.
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When your morning starts with something good,
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your whole day feels different.
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You feel ready.
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You feel calm, not stressed.
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So the first feeling of the day is important.
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Very important.
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Start good, feel good.
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Start good, feel good.
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I like that.
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Tip 5.
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Add one good thing to your morning.
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You got it.
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Okay, Lisa, before we review,
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let's practice some useful words for talking about routines.
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Yes, vocabulary time.
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Three words.
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Always, never, usually.
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Do you know these?
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Always means every time.
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Never means zero times.
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Good.
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And usually?
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Um, most of the time, but not always.
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Exactly.
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Usually means most of the time.
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Not every day, but often.
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Now let's practice.
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Can you make a sentence with always?
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I always drink coffee in the morning.
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Perfect.
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Now, never.
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I never wake up at 5 o'clock in the morning.
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Very true.
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And usually?
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I usually check my phone first thing,
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but I will try to stop.
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Good.
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Now, everyone, your turn.
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Think about your morning.
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Make three sentences.
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One with always.
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One with never.
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One with usually.
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For example, I always brush my teeth.
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I never skip breakfast.
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I usually listen to music on the bus.
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Oh, I can try more.
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I always feel tired in the morning.
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I never prepare my bag the night before.
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But now I will.
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Very good, Lisa.
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And notice something you said, but now I will.
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That is beautiful.
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You are changing your habit.
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Yes.
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My new routine starts tomorrow.
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Today, Lisa.
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It starts today.
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Okay.
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Today.
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My new routine starts today.
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These three words, always, never,
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usually, are very useful for talking about your habits and your routine.
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Use them in your comments today, everyone.
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Okay, let's review what we talked about today.
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Yes, review time.
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I love review time.
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Today we talked about how to make a simple morning routine.
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Lisa, tip one.
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Tip 1.
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Decide your wake-up time.
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Same time every day, even on weekends.
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Good.
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Tip 2?
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Tip 2.
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Don't touch your phone first.
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Wait 20 minutes.
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Give yourself quiet time.
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Excellent.
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Tip 3?
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Tip three.
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Do the same things in the same order.
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A morning recipe.
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Simple steps.
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Always the same.
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Tip four.
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Tip four.
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Prepare the night before.
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Keys, clothes, bag, everything ready.
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No searching, no panic.
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And tip five.
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Tip 5.
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Add one good thing.
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Something small that makes you happy.
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Coffee and three grateful thoughts for me.
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You remembered everything.
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The tips are simple, and I really need them.
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And remember, everyone, a morning routine does not need to be perfect.
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It just needs to be yours.
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Small and simple.
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That is enough.
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Small and simple.
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That is the whole idea.
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Well, that's all the time we have for today.
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Thank you so much for listening to Slow and Simple English Podcast.
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Yes, thank you everyone.
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It was a great conversation today.
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Please subscribe to Slow and Simple English Podcast.
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And give this episode a like.
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It really helps us.
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And share it with a friend who is learning English,
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or a friend who has chaotic mornings.
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Yes, share it with them.
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They need it.
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And we have a question for you today.
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Yes.
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Please leave a comment below.
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Tell us about your morning.
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Use this sentence starter.
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In the morning, I always...
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We would love to read your sentences.
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Write in English.
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We will read them.
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See you next time.
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Bye, everyone.
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Keep practicing your English.
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Context & Background
In the first episode of the "Slow and Simple English Podcast," hosts Alex and Lisa engage in a light-hearted conversation about their morning routines. While Alex shares how smoothly his day began, Lisa recounts a series of mishaps that led to a chaotic morning. This contrast sets the stage for a deeper discussion on the importance of having a simple and effective morning routine that begins the day on a positive note. Many English learners can relate to such scenarios, making this podcast episode an excellent resource for enhancing both language skills and daily habits.
Top 5 Phrases for Daily Communication
- Smooth morning: A term used to describe a day that starts without difficulties or issues.
- No stress: A phrase indicating a calm and manageable situation.
- I need this: A relatable expression to convey a desire for improvement or change.
- Spilled my coffee: A common phrase that denotes an everyday accident, often used to express frustration.
- Before 9 o'clock: A time reference that can help learners practice discussing their schedules and routines.
Step-by-step Shadowing Guide
To improve your English pronunciation and speaking skills, the shadowing technique is an effective method. Here’s how to apply it while practicing with this podcast episode:
- Listen carefully: Start by listening to the episode fully. Focus on how Alex and Lisa express their thoughts, paying attention to their intonation and rhythm.
- Choose segments: Identify short segments that are less than a minute long. This makes it easier to practice without feeling overwhelmed.
- Repeat after them: Replay each segment and try to mimic their speech as closely as possible. This is where using a shadowing app can be beneficial, allowing you to slow down or loop specific parts for better clarity.
- Focus on pronunciation: Pay special attention to difficult words and phrases, such as "smooth" or "stress." Practicing these repeatedly will help you improve your English pronunciation.
- Record yourself: After several attempts, record your own voice as you mimic the speakers. Listening to your recordings against the original helps highlight areas for improvement.
Incorporating the shadow technique into your routine, especially using resources like shadowspeaks, can significantly enhance your fluency and confidence in daily communication. So, whether you’re diving into morning routines or any other topic, remember that improving your English is an exciting journey filled with opportunities to learn.
What is the Shadowing Technique?
Shadowing is a science-backed language learning technique originally developed for professional interpreter training and popularized by polyglot Dr. Alexander Arguelles. The method is simple but powerful: you listen to native English audio and immediately repeat it out loud — like a shadow following the speaker with just a 1–2 second delay. Unlike passive listening or grammar drills, shadowing forces your brain and mouth muscles to simultaneously process and reproduce real speech patterns. Research shows it significantly improves pronunciation accuracy, intonation, rhythm, connected speech, listening comprehension, and speaking fluency — making it one of the most effective methods for IELTS Speaking preparation and real-world English communication.
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