Shadowing Practice: i deleted social media to fix my attention span. - Learn English Speaking with Video

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314 sentences

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I kind of hate how much my phone controls me.

The first thing I do when I wake up in the morning is reach for it.

And I recently realized I can't even get through a full movie without checking it.

I decided to just delete social media for a whole week and kind of just see what happens.

The date is February 10th at 2 p .m.

I really don't want to show you guys my screen time.

I feel very vulnerable, so please Don't touch me.

My daily average green time for YouTube is 25 minutes.

Instagram, an hour and 12 minutes.

TikTok, two hours and 36 minutes.

This brings the grand total to four hours and 13 minutes of me wasting my life every day.

I'm gonna delete these immediately.

I deleted the apps 10 minutes ago and I've already Tried chucking them twice.

I didn't even realize I was doing it.

That's the start we're off to.

This is the time I usually go on my phone.

I just realized I can't, like, There's nothing to do.

So I guess I'll just go work.

Here I am caught in 4K.

I think I get like a head of dopamine every time I grab my phone.

Almost like my hand just needs to be holding my phone at all times.

This happened about every five to ten minutes.

I would just grab and reach for my phone without thinking.

Even when I was cooking dinner that night, I felt sort of lost without it.

going on i was just staring at my wall as i

was eating my dinner i decided this would be the perfect

time to watch a crime documentary i love crime documentaries

if you have any recs actually i'm gonna use this time to please

Ask to leave them in the comments because I feel like I've seen every single one that exists Hey guys um

Okay.

Let's see, why did I grab my phone?

I think the biggest thing I realized today is just how much I reach for my phone subconsciously.

You know, it was hard today.

I'm not gonna be dramatic about it, but it's definitely been hard not having that stimulation that I'm used to, especially in like quiet still moments.

having nothing stimulating me feels weird.

I feel like today has just gone by really slow.

The real challenge is gonna be tomorrow.

the first official day i'm gonna go to bed i'm so glad i actually cannot even scroll love you Night.

Recently I've been in the bad habit of waking up and just immediately grabbing my phone,

but now there's nothing there to check besides my two text messages that I got from my friends.

That's about it, so maybe I just get up, I guess.

I thought this would feel more dramatic than it did.

I just enjoyed my cereal for breakfast.

And then I just did my usual routine.

Walked to the coffee shop to get some work done.

this aesthetic montage that I was gonna film.

I'm at my favorite coffee shop right now.

You know, I circulate through nuance pretty often.

I found myself to be a lot less stressed.

Usually I get a little bit overwhelmed sometimes with my to -do list, but I'm finding I have a lot more time.

That's a pro.

Is it hard still?

Yes.

I just got really embarrassed because some guys in business suits came over and were looking at me, so.

We're at a high right now.

Things are going well.

I don't even need Instagram.

on my phone ever again.

and then i went to the gym trying to hit my

10k steps a day walking on an incline just my usual routine this is i think the one time

when having tiktok actually benefits me being able to just go

and distract myself when i'm working out like this i'm definitely missing it Lucky for me,

this was a busy day and I do think this benefited me because I was so distracted from my phone.

I was invited to Fashion Week, which still feels crazy to say out loud.

This was such a beautiful show by Sync Accept

and they even had a choir with all of these kids who were so talented.

I'm busy, New York Fashion Week.

Can't even believe I'm going, like how exciting.

Going to these events kind of gives me social anxiety.

I think especially 'cause I didn't have my phone as like a crutch to lean on.

I felt it.

It's something that I'm trying to like push myself more to do

because I wanna be able to go to more events like this Day two, we made it.

I was fine during the day when I was preoccupied.

I didn't have the time to like think about my phone.

It really hits me when I'm alone and I have nothing to do like right now.

And now it's kind of been leaving me to be alone with my thoughts

and feelings that I feel like I usually distract myself with my phone.

So I've been kind of like thinking of really weird random things in my life

and it's kind of like coming up right now, which makes sense, I guess, because I don't have a phone the apps to distract me.

I also really just like want to watch a funny video on TikTok.

It's all I want to do.

Good night.

See you tomorrow.

I think I've really perfected my smoothie recipe.

I'll show you soon.

You know, I've been my cooking journey, so I've been finding myself sort of cutting corners.

It's not like cheating.

I promise I have not downloaded a social media app, but I find because I'm not having that simulation, I'm like craving something.

So I'll either put on a podcast or music, which is technically fine, but I feel like a part of this whole experiment

or whatever I'm what is is this an experiment a big part of this for me was cutting out

that stimulation and if I'm just getting

that stimulation in other ways it's kind of counterproductive and I think I'm gonna try to really lessen my podcast music today.

No background noise, just be more present.

I'm taking this time to journal a little bit and also writing out my daily to -do list.

Surprise!

I'm back at my same coffee shop.

I had to edit a different video and I was trying to get ahead.

I also hit a little bump in the road.

100

When a brand invites me to something like an event or a show, I usually want to post for them as like kind of a thank you.

101

And I realized I couldn't do that myself.

102

Keyword myself.

103

So this is me texting my manager, asking her to post these for me.

104

I sent her my password.

105

She ended up doing this one other time during the week that I was off social media, which I thought was helpful.

106

And you know what?

107

First world problems.

108

I'm really trying to not sound too dramatic here, but guys, I'm like, I really just wanna go on TikTok.

109

I feel like the withdrawals are coming in now.

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Withdrawal.

111

That's a strong word, but it just feels like it's been so long since I've been on, and I don't know why.

112

I just, I'm kind of going crazy.

113

I'm going to be making my mood board, finally.

114

I made one of these last year, and I want to make this mood board specific to my jewelry brand.

115

We're doing a whole shoot for our next campaign.

116

And I figured, what better time than now, because I have nothing but time.

117

Okay guys, it's coming along.

118

I did have to lose an earring, as you can tell for the greater good of the mood

119

board i'm really happy with it it's not done yet

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and i think there's some changes i need to make

121

so i may like replace the prints that i did

122

and like get them printed on nicer paper i also clearly need to get more

123

but this is what it looks like so far i think it looks

124

so cool and chic this is going to be our core basics collection

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so i wanted it to just feel like every day pieces

126

that you just gravitate towards every single morning i'm definitely very satisfied i'm proud It was productive and fun, honestly.

127

That was like so much fun.

128

I also didn't listen to music because you guys know I was trying to do that today.

129

Today was just tough in general.

130

I'm hoping tomorrow's easier because I just, I feel like every hour I kept thinking of Instagram and TikTok and how I, it's like a weird withdrawal that I'm having.

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I hope this doesn't make me like seem insane that I'm saying this to you guys.

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I'm gonna go to bed.

133

Love you.

134

See you tomorrow.

135

Just kidding, I'm back.

136

I just wanted to document right now that I am about to go to bed.

137

And I went on my phone, went to click TikTok, and it's, Obviously not there.

138

I just like wanna scroll guys.

139

Like I want to scroll.

140

but all right, crash out over.

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Crash out is over now, that's my update.

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- Yeah.

143

Good night.

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That crash out lasted for two days.

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This next day was also

146

when i was in the trenches i was so in the trenches

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that i barely vlogged so i'm sorry i just had a normal day

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but i did get to go to dinner with my friends i was very irritable not having my social media

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but time goes on let's catch up to the following day

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good morning i'm gonna be a lot better today about filming please forgive me i don't want to

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that I can't get out of bed.

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I feel like this is the first morning where I've woken up

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and I really don't have a desire to go on my phone.

154

The habitual part has ended for sure because I know I don't have the apps anymore.

155

I'm not like mindlessly going to them.

156

But I also, yeah, I guess I don't really have a strong desire to go on them right now at least.

157

So that's good for me.

158

Maybe we're starting to approach the uphill now.

159

Maybe things are going to get easier.

160

a couple of the girls that I was with that I don't have Instagram because I'm doing a social media cleanse.

161

And one of the girls was like, how are you doing that?

162

Like, isn't social media your job?

163

You can't really like just delete social media like that.

164

And it really got me thinking like how it really doesn't matter.

165

Like no one's going to miss me for a week.

166

You know, we all think it's like so important for us to be on our phones all the time.

167

At least for me, I feel like I have to see everything.

168

I have to consume everything.

169

But like, I guarantee like no one has missed me being actually endearing.

170

Thank you.

171

It's not the end of the world.

172

Like we can miss a week and the world goes on, you know?

173

It's a Saturday morning, but I do have quite a bit of work to do.

174

I think I'm going to meet up with my boyfriend later because it's Valentine's Day.

175

I'm getting ready to go do some work per usual at the coffee shop.

176

Time to get some work done.

177

Guys, I had one glass of wine last night at dinner and I woke up feeling not good.

178

One glass of wine.

179

Like I don't understand

180

my mom just texted me saying

181

that there's a valentine's day delivery at my door that's

182

so nice my mom usually gets me something for valentine's day because she's so far away so thoughtful flowers Oh my gosh.

183

oops look how beautiful they are i i'm like gonna actually cry thank you mom

184

and dad happy valentine's day i love you dream saturday morning

185

in my life get a bagel from black seed bagels i love their sesame seed bagel.

186

I'm waiting.

187

This is a process.

188

And then we have another stop to take.

189

Here we are back again.

190

You guys saw it.

191

You saw the last of this place.

192

You did not.

193

I find it very comforting in here and there's really no reason for that.

194

Maybe it's like the architecture.

195

Maybe it's the employees.

196

They're really nice.

197

I got my bagel from Bagel Seed Co.

198

Oh, they did get my order wrong.

199

I ordered a sesame seed bagel, but it's fine.

200

I'd give it like an 8 .2.

201

It would have been better.

202

with sesame seed bagel.

203

Of course, I got my latte.

204

- Thank you.

205

ASMR.

206

Anyways, yeah, I'm just here to knock out some work in the beginning of the day.

207

I have to edit a vlog and I also have to do something for my accountant.

208

So I thought I would just try to get this out of the way before Valentine's Day festivities begin.

209

Oh my gosh, coffee has never tasted this good.

210

Hey guys!

211

I'm feeling a lot better.

212

I feel like I have life revived into me after that caffeine.

213

I am getting ready because it's Valentine's Day, like you guys know.

214

My boyfriend's coming over and I actually don't know what we're gonna do.

215

Surprise!

216

I wanted to do like a little bit of a deep clean and now that I have time for that, I might as well.

217

I need to like dust and stuff.

218

I've actually been doing really well today though, guys.

219

I have been good about not wanting to be on my phone.

220

And I definitely think that being with him is gonna make me really just forget about it.

221

Because whenever I'm with him in general, I'm not thinking about going on my phone as much.

222

I am actually feeling hopeful about this.

223

I kind of felt like the first few days were a huge hump for me

224

and it was like way harder than I thought.

225

So now that I'm not struggling as much, I'm actually, I kind of find it peaceful to not have it.

226

I don't know, I feel like less anxious, honestly.

227

We ended up going ice skating in Central Park.

228

I didn't even notice not having social media this day because I was so happy and in the moment, which I think is the goal and purpose of this whole thing.

229

you Good morning, guys.

230

I had the best Valentine's Day ever yesterday.

231

I cannot believe we're on what? day six now.

232

I feel like I'm really turning the corner.

233

I feel like so much less stressed without it.

234

I'll give you guys more of an update later, but I just like, I don't even have the urge to go on it now.

235

So that's good for me.

236

I thought this was going to get harder as it went on,

237

but by like my to -do list every day.

238

I felt like I had so much on my plate that I couldn't handle.

239

And now I just feel so much less stressed every day.

240

I think because I like have so much more time and I kind of feel like my nervous system is regulating itself.

241

It's also so nice that I'm not going around thinking, okay, like what am I gonna take a picture of?

242

Being in that like content mode all the time just like makes me live so much less in the present moment.

243

So it's so dreary outside today.

244

I don't know if you guys can see.

245

And I really wanna read a book because this is the time that I have to do that.

246

I have like so much more time now and I wanna be able to like get through something like that, like a good hour of just straight reading without distractions.

247

So I think I'm gonna go to like a little coffee shop and read a book that I'm wanting to start.

248

And then we'll see what happens after that.

249

- Yeah.

250

ASMR.

251

I'm so surprised how much I'm liking this now.

252

I sort of like don't even want to get social media back.

253

I tend to get very distracted when I'm working or like trying to get something done.

254

I'll be doing emails and then somehow end up on Instagram and waste a good half hour.

255

And then that stresses me out because I just wasted my time

256

and then I have more stuff to do and I just feel like I can't focus as well.

257

Like I can't concentrate fully and

258

when I've had my social media gone I feel like I can like be so present and just focused.

259

on what I'm doing, which I think has been the biggest contributor to me feeling so much less stressed.

260

And I'm just so happy.

261

I actually feel so good and healthy.

262

I think that's like the best way I can say it.

263

My book is My Year of Rest and relaxation which is so fitting.

264

I also got a little salad which I started to eat.

265

Okay that doesn't even look good anymore.

266

I'm gonna read and try to just like stay focused and see how long I can read for without like getting distracted.

267

Usually it's a little tough for me.

268

you So I'm proud of myself.

269

My roommate Olivia and I are leaving to go see the new movie, Wuthering Heights.

270

Wait, I keep saying it wrong, Wuthering.

271

- Wuthering, Wuthering.

272

It's the new one with Margot Robbie and Jacob Lorkey.

273

We're gonna go see that movie.

274

We ordered popcorn.

275

Now that I have no social media, movies are my new entertainment.

276

This is the only way to go. That was so sad.

277

So that movie made me cry.

278

I was able to sit through the whole movie without needing to go on my phone, of the week that was a red flag that I noticed within myself.

279

I couldn't sit through a whole movie.

280

And I recently realized I can't even get through a full movie without checking it.

281

So the fact that I could and I didn't go on my phone once, I took that as a win.

282

It was really nice to spend a girls night with my friend.

283

And now my stomach hurts from all that food though.

284

But I'm really happy that tomorrow guys, tomorrow's the day I get my social media back.

285

It feels like it's been so I don't even feel like I'm getting it back tomorrow.

286

Love you guys.

287

Thanks for sticking with me on this journey.

288

I'm gonna get emotional right now because I'm just emotional from that movie, but I really do love you guys so much.

289

night!

290

Guys, We made it.

291

It's Tuesday, February 17th, which means my week of no social media is officially over.

292

This felt like both the longest and shortest week of my life.

293

I was actually just reflecting this morning on some of the things that I learned this week.

294

And I thought I'd share some of them with you guys

295

because what's the point of doing this without just like reflecting on all the things that I feel like I've learned.

296

First off, I just wanna say, if you're thinking about doing this, "Please take this as your sign." We don't even realize how addicted we really are to our phones.

297

I think one of the biggest reasons I was holding back from doing this is

298

because I felt like I was gonna miss something.

299

And I realized I was not missing out on anything.

300

Life goes on, you know?

301

And I don't think I have really as much FOMO as I thought that I would because I didn't see it.

302

Life feels better for me when I'm focused on my own versus everyone else.

303

And I'm not gonna take this cold turkey and never go on social media again.

304

I don't think that's even necessary but it really just taught me about balance.

305

And I think that that's what I need and that I can control myself and that my phone doesn't control me.

306

I think I'm just gonna try to take more days off

307

and like take days where I delete social media every once in a while.

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I think it's so empowering to know that you aren't controlled by your phone.

309

And if I can do it, trust me, you can do it.

310

But thanks for hanging out with me.

311

You guys made it so much more fun to do this instead of doing it completely by myself.

312

And if you do this, let me know how it goes for you.

313

Love you and I'll see you in my next video.

314

Bye!

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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson

This video has 314 sentences and 3493 words to shadow. The speech runs for 21:39. The speaker talks at a natural 161 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
distract verb	/dɪˈstɹækt/	To divert the attention of.
delete verb	/dɪˈliːt/	To remove, get rid of or erase, especially written or printed material, or data on a computer or other device.
mood noun	/muːd/	A mental or emotional state, composure.
dramatic adjective	/dɹəˈmætɪk/	Of or relating to the drama.
withdrawal noun	/wɪðˈdɹɔ(ə)l/	Receiving from someone's care what one has earlier entrusted to them. Usually refers to money.
scroll noun	/skɹoʊl/	A roll of paper or parchment; a writing formed into a roll.
stimulation noun	/stɪm.jʊˈleɪ.ʃən/	A pushing or goading toward action.
reflect verb	/ɹɪˈflɛkt/	To bend back (light, etc.) from a surface.
experiment noun	/ɪkˈspɛɹ.ə.mənt/	A test under controlled conditions made to either demonstrate a known truth, examine the validity of a hypothesis, or determine the efficacy or likelihood of…
routine noun	/ɹuˈtin/	A course of action to be followed regularly; a standard procedure.
documentary noun	/ˌdɒk.jʊˈmɛn.tɹi/	A film, TV program, publication etc. which presents a social, political, scientific or historical subject in a factual or informative manner.
edit verb	/ˈɛdɪt/	To change a text, or a document.
invite verb	/ɪnˈvaɪt/	To ask for the presence or participation of someone or something.
podcast noun	/ˈpɑdˌkæst/	A program, especially an audio program, produced on a regular basis, delivered over the Internet in a compressed digital format and designed for playback on…
gosh	/ɡɑːʃ/	A mild expression of surprise or enthusiasm.

Phrasal verbs you will hear

Word	Pronunciation	Meaning
get through verb	/ɡɛt ˈθɹu/	To overcome; to endure.
wake up verb	/ˌweɪk ˈʌp/	To stop sleeping; to awake.
come over verb		To affect in a sudden, unprecedented or surprising manner; to overwhelm a person's ordinarily contrary impulse.
end up verb		To bring to a conclusion.
sit through verb		To unwillingly stay seated until the end of an event.
come along verb		To accompany.
come up verb		To emerge or become known, especially unexpectedly.
cut out verb		To refrain from (doing something, using something etc.), to stop or cease (doing something).

Pronunciation to watch

The speaker uses 165 contractions and reduced forms, such as I'm, don't, gonna. Say them the short way, as you hear them.

The “th” sounds: withdrawal /wɪðˈdɹɔ(ə)l/, aesthetic /ɛsˈθɛ.tɪk/, thoughtful /ˈθɔːtfəl/, smoothie /ˈsmuːði/
The “sh” and “zh” sounds: stimulation /stɪm.jʊˈleɪ.ʃən/, gosh /ɡɑːʃ/, anxious /ˈæŋkʃəs/, simulation /ˌsɪm.jəˈleɪ.ʃn̩/, distraction /dɪsˈtɹæk.ʃən/
Long words — get the stress right: stimulation /stɪm.jʊˈleɪ.ʃən/, experiment /ɪkˈspɛɹ.ə.mənt/, documentary /ˌdɒk.jʊˈmɛn.tɹi/, anxiety /æŋˈzaɪ.əti/, architecture /ˈɑː.kɪˌtɛk.t͡ʃə/

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 distract, delete, mood.

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 finding · I've actually been doing
Present perfect have/has + past participle — a past action that still matters now	I've already Tried · I've seen · it's definitely been
Relative clauses who / which + clause — extra information about a person or thing	kids who were · now, which makes · music, which is
Passive voice be + past participle — the focus is on what happens, not who does it	was invited · was preoccupied · aren't controlled

What is the Shadowing Technique?

Shadowing is a science-backed language learning technique originally developed for professional interpreter training and popularized by polyglot Dr. Alexander Arguelles. The method is simple but powerful: you listen to native English audio and immediately repeat it out loud — like a shadow following the speaker with just a 1–2 second delay. Unlike passive listening or grammar drills, shadowing forces your brain and mouth muscles to simultaneously process and reproduce real speech patterns. Research shows it significantly improves pronunciation accuracy, intonation, rhythm, connected speech, listening comprehension, and speaking fluency — making it one of the most effective methods for IELTS Speaking preparation and real-world English communication.

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

Shadowing Practice: i deleted social media to fix my attention span. - Learn English Speaking with Video

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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson

Key vocabulary in this video

Phrasal verbs you will hear

Pronunciation to watch

How to practise with this video

Grammar in this video

What is the Shadowing Technique?