Shadowing Practice: My Thoughts On Cleaning - Learn English Speaking with YouTube
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The older I get, the more I've realized how much time I have to set aside just to clean.
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The older I get, the more I've realized how much time I have to set aside just to clean.
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I'll ask a friend, what'd you get up to last weekend?
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And they'll think for a bit and then say, I just cleaned.
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Crap, I gotta do that too.
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I've seen people, therapists, and the elderly all talk about how everyone's too gosh darn connected to their cell phones.
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How we don't allow ourselves a single moment to be present or alone with our thoughts.
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But when it comes to cleaning,
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I think you should fill that void up with as much noise as possible.
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Cleaning is such a boring and monotonous task that even people in the 1700s would pass the time by singing to themselves.
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And while these pilgrims didn't have endless podcasts to listen to,
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you have YouTube videos.
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Like this one.
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So I want this video to serve as the noise you listen to while you get up and clean something.
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Hopefully hearing a YouTuber talk about cleaning for the next 10 minutes will motivate you to start chipping away at
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that mess you've been putting off for months.
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I'm not asking you to drop everything and do a 3 hour deep clean of your closet,
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but half-assing something is still better than no-assing something.
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And I think you'd be surprised with how nice you can make a space look in only 10 minutes.
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I want to give the caveat that I'm not a clean freak.
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I've lived in a college dorm with a bunch of other guys,
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my sink is most likely full of dishes as you're watching this,
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and if anyone needs to do a three hour deep clean of their closet, it's me.
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And I also know how hard it can be to look at a room that's in such a bleak
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and disarray state that you get so overwhelmed by the mess that you don't even know where to start cleaning,
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so you never do, which perpetuates this never-ending cycle that makes your entire space and mental health messier.
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Luckily, I have a solution.
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If you don't even know where to begin dealing with the mess,
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the first step to cleaning any room is taking out the trash.
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That's it.
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That's all you have to do.
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All those empty bottles and boxes,
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get them out of there.
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Whenever I clean, I like to play this fun little game that I know you've never played before,
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because it's a game I invented.
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It's called...
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Is that where that goes?
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To play this game, all you have to do is point at an object and go...
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Is that where that goes?
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And if that object is where it goes, then you're good.
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You don't have to do anything.
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But if that object isn't where it goes,
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then you put it where it goes.
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And you beat the game once everything that's going to or needed to go,
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goes where it goes.
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So while you're grabbing trash bags and flattening out boxes,
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let me explain why I found cleaning to be so important in my adult life.
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I really have to thank my parents for distilling...
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I wouldn't call it a love for cleaning,
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but rather a tolerance for it.
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Growing up, my parents would print out physical job charts for the week,
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and every day us kids did all of our chores,
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we would earn one dollar.
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However, any single chore we didn't do,
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we would lose one dollar.
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Meaning, it was possible for us to come out of a week of doing chores in the red.
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My parents were earning money and teaching us about capitalism because my bed wasn't made.
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Still owe them 35 bucks.
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We were able to earn some money back doing Saturday chores.
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This is when we did a deeper clean like vacuuming or mopping.
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But Saturday chores didn't even hold a candle to the absolute worst chores we had to do,
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which were the dreaded...
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Company is coming over chores.
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For some reason, whenever company was on their merry way,
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it was vital that rooms said company would never even enter in the first place were spotless.
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This one time, I think my mom was hosting like book club or something,
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I finished mopping my bathroom,
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which was not a bathroom that anyone in book club would be using, by the way.
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And my mom did her usual room cleanliness inspection and said,
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I think you should wipe that bucket down too.
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She was making us clean.
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The cleaning instruments.
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Do you want me to vacuum the vacuum next?
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However, if it wasn't for all those chores my parents forced me to do,
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I feel like cleaning would have become something I dreaded doing,
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instead of something I can actually wind down the day with.
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I look forward to folding laundry and putting something on the TV
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because I feel like I did something productive while watching cartoons.
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And since I don't live with mom anymore,
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I don't have to clean my bucket.
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Which now doubles as a toilet.
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Cleaning has become such an integral part of my life that cleaning other people's spaces.. is how I show my affection.
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I'm about to put one of my best friends on complete blast here,
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but I think he'll be okay with it because he constantly asks me to put him in videos.
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I'm doing a video that's a puppet show with two bricks!
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Can I have one of the bricks?
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Okay.
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BEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE I recently visited one of my close friends,
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infamous swoosh, at his place in upstate New York.
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He's 24, living on his own for the first time with three other dudes,
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and the second I stepped into his house, I went, OOOOOOOOH.
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This is a guy's house.
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I don't think a woman's been in here in like.. ever.
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What really sealed it for me was the bathroom not having a trash can,
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but rather a loose trash bag leaning up against a wall.
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And it was full.
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I hadn't planned for this to be on the itinerary of my New York trip,
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but after seeing how dire Swoosh's living conditions were,
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I decided to take him to his local Target to get him some necessary supplies.
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I originally set out to get him three things.
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A trash can, trash bags, and a handheld vacuum.
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But as we were walking through Target,
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we passed the broom aisle,
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and I asked, You have a broom, right?
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And his shoulders started to slowly rise into a shrug,
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and I went, Dude!
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Then we passed the Brita filter aisle,
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and I said, You have one of these, right?
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You haven't just been drinking tap water this whole time, right?
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I mean, the sink's right there.
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You know, Swoosh, normally when people move into a new place,
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they do a big target run to get all the necessary cleaning supplies for their house.
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What do you mean?
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I did do a target run.
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Didn't you see that buffalo pinning in my office?
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Up until this point, Swoosh had been drying all of his dishes with paper towels,
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which I guess is good because I just assumed he was eating everything in his bare hands like a Neanderthal.
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So I think I'm saving him money in the long run.
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I'm really about to show my age here,
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but since I'm doing a whole video about cleaning,
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I just need to gush real quick about my favorite piece of cleaning equipment.
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This was one of the original three items I set out to get Swoosh before I knew how dire his situation was.
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This is completely unsponsored by the way,
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but the Bissell Pet Hair Eraser Hand Vacuum has divided my life into two moments.
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The time spent before I had this vacuum,
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and the time spent after.
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I love this vacuum so much that I've gifted it to friends on three separate occasions.
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Now, this next piece of advice I used to roll my eyes at,
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but after I started doing it,
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I've really been enjoying it.
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And that is to make your bed first thing in the morning.
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I used to think, why do I need to make my bed?
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I'm just going to get it messy again.
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But making your bed is having the first thing you do in the morning be something that benefits your future self.
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It helps set the tone for the day.
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And if you are able to complete that small task,
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then you're probably more likely to complete other more important tasks.
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No, making my bed didn't magically fix all my problems,
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but no matter what kind of day I was having,
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it was always nice ending it in a clean bed.
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Obviously, there's more to life than cleaning.
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I would know.
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I own all the Warrior Cat books.
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But I think everyone should enjoy the space they live in.
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I feel like a lot of us fall into a bad
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habit of dreading to do a task longer than it would take for us to just do said task.
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I definitely can be like that sometimes,
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but if you've been following along and been cleaning while this video played in the background,
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while your room might not be completely spotless,
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I hope you can see how much of a difference you made in only 10 minutes.
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Now imagine how much you can do in 20 minutes!
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Isn't cleaning while watching YouTube videos so fun?
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doing tasks so...accomplishing?
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So if you need to clean, go clean!
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Go clean your bedroom!
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Go clean your kitchen!
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Unclog that toilet!
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The world is your oyster!
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Get out there and CLEAN!
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Context & Background
The video titled "My Thoughts On Cleaning" features an engaging discussion about the importance of cleaning in daily life. The speaker shares personal reflections on how cleaning can often feel like a monotonous task, yet he emphasizes its necessity, especially as one matures. He humorously portrays cleaning as a daunting chore that many people tend to procrastinate, citing his own experiences in a college dorm setting. Moreover, he offers practical advice on starting the cleaning process, making it accessible to anyone feeling overwhelmed by their surroundings.
Top 5 Phrases for Daily Communication
- “Crap, I gotta do that too.” - This expression conveys a common sentiment of realizing one’s own responsibilities.
- “Is that where that goes?” - A playful way to assess if an item is in its proper place, great for casual conversation.
- “Half-assing something is still better than no-assing something.” - A humorous take on the importance of making an effort, which can spark lively discussions.
- “Taking out the trash.” - A straightforward task that serves as a metaphor for clearing away mental clutter.
- “I’ve lived in a college dorm.” - An anecdote that many can relate to, making it a good icebreaker in conversation.
Step-by-step Shadowing Guide
To enhance your English speaking skills using this video, consider following this simple shadowing guide. Shadow speech techniques can help you noticeably improve your fluency and articulation:
- Watch and Listen: First, watch the video without any distractions. Focus on the speaker’s tone and pacing, noting how he expresses his thoughts on cleaning.
- Repeat: Play the video again and use a shadowing app or site to repeat what the speaker says. Aim to mimic not just the words but also the intonation and rhythm.
- Break It Down: Take short segments of 1-2 sentences and practice shadowing them. This approach will prevent you from feeling overwhelmed and allow for focused practice.
- Record Yourself: After practicing, record your attempts and listen back. This will help you identify areas for improvement and track your progress over time.
- Engage with the Content: After shadowing, try to use some of the phrases you've learned in your daily conversations. Whether discussing cleaning or any other topic, incorporating these expressions can elevate your IELTS speaking practice.
Through these steps, you not only enhance your language skills but also gain insights into everyday topics, enhancing both your vocabulary and confidence in speaking English.
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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