Shadowing Practice: Neuroscience Confirms - Why Doing Less Helps You Achieve More - Learn English Speaking with YouTube
C1
Shadowing Controls
0% completed (0/152 sentences)
So, there's a thought that I've been toying with lately, and honestly, the more that I think about it, the more that I think most people have this completely backwards.
⏸ Paused
Speed:
Repeat Count:
Wait Mode:
Sub Sync:0ms
All Sentences152 sentences
1
So, there's a thought that I've been toying with lately, and honestly, the more that I think about it, the more that I think most people have this completely backwards.
2
The thought is, when someone feels stuck, and I'm in a very unique position to see this a lot as a physician, when they feel like they're super behind or not making progress,
3
the first thing that people do is add something a new habit a new system something new that they
4
read about some new goals or structure that they saw in a video on youtube more hyper
5
optimization i can't tell you how often i see this and it seems like the best thought i get it that feels
6
like you're doing it the right way, like you're being much more serious about moving forward.
7
But again, here's what I keep seeing.
8
And I see this with patients.
9
I see this with the people that I work with as clients.
10
I have lived this myself.
11
Trust me, I'm not trying to be a hypocrite here.
12
I've been there many times.
13
The people who actually progress and move forward over time, like genuinely succeed year after year, have less going on, not more.
14
they have fewer commitments they have fewer active goals at the same time and we're going to get into that in a minute
15
yet somehow they get significantly more done because I used to be over here in that group that just had
16
the biggest plate of all time and I thought that adding was the only move to be more successful because you see people oh just outwork the others just do this do that I wanted to understand it because it was bothering me that I didn't.
17
And now I'm going to walk you through what I figured out.
18
You are really going to want to stay for this because what I'm about to cover is what's actually happening in your brain when you have way too many things happening at once, why adding more almost always backfires, and then what you can actually do about it.
19
I'm going to move through this efficiently because I respect your time.
20
This doesn't have to be a 30 minute video.
21
I may talk fast at times, but just rewatch it if you need to or slow it down.
22
But stay with me because the practical part at the end is going to be incredibly useful in your life.
23
So let's start simply.
24
Let's start by kind of putting it into more computer terms because that'll make sense for people.
25
Your brain is running background processes constantly.
26
I mean that literally, okay?
27
Every unfinished commitment, every goal you've set that you haven't touched everything on your to-do list that you're going to get to in there those are all just
28
open background apps running and they don't just sit there not taking any cognitive load waiting for you to open
29
them again they're running in the background all the time they're taking up cognitive space burning through your mental energy whether you're aware of that or not
30
and there's good research on this unresolved decisions actually drain more cognitive energy than unfinished tasks meaning that the things you
31
keep pushing off that goal that you haven't really started but that habit you've told yourself you're going to do that is costing you a lot more
32
mental bandwidth than if you just decided to not do it at all the point is if you just decided not to do it at all you would have at least closed that background task does that make sense when you have 15 things that you're technically working on,
33
your brain isn't just carrying 15 things when you sit down to focus and work.
34
It's carrying 15 things all the time.
35
That cognitive tax and load is constant.
36
And what you end up with is a constant low-grade exhaustion.
37
I'm sure that resonated.
38
This is also really hard for people to trace back to the cause.
39
And honestly, this is something that I can kind of feel out in the room with patients sometimes when I'm talking to them.
40
But in a doctor-patient setting, it's oftentimes, I find it difficult at least, to trace that back to the root cause as well.
41
This is really something that I'm making a video about because I think it's something that's best that you work through yourself.
42
But a good way I think to describe this feeling is like you sit down to do one thing, but you already feel worn out before you've even started.
43
Or maybe you get worn out within a few minutes.
44
A lot of people think that this feeling of burnout that they feel is because they're lazy, but oftentimes I don't really think that's the case.
45
you just have way too much going on.
46
You've been running way too many things at the same time for too long and it feels like nothing's moving.
47
So here's the part that really surprised me the more I looked into this.
48
The research on goals is pretty clear that having multiple competing goals, things that require the same limited resources, your time, attention, your mental energy, this actually reduces performance.
49
When people are given quantity goals and quality goals at the same time, more often than not they sacrifice quality for quantity.
50
People gravitate towards whatever feels completable rather than whatever actually matters and I see this a lot.
51
I've made videos on how to set up a to-do list not just putting a million things on there to hit that dopamine hit every time.
52
It's this similar concept.
53
People will hunt for easy wins and the important stuff just gets pushed back and deferred.
54
This is why I say that not everything on your list needs to be a priority.
55
There's also some interesting research across organizations showing that companies with fewer strategic priorities significantly outperform those with a bunch of them.
56
And listen, I know you're not a growing company, but I feel like the same dynamic plays out individually in most people every single day.
57
When you're trying to run 10 things at the same time, you pretty much make process on everything but finish nothing or at least not the things that you should.
58
So I know what you're probably thinking.
59
I've heard the do less advice before particularly from this channel and it always feels like they're telling me to be lazy so
60
let's address that directly because that is not what I'm saying at all I want to make sure I can
61
articulate this correctly but adding things feels like the effort it feels like you're taking
62
the problem seriously subtracting something gives you no feedback there's There is no moment of satisfaction when you remove a goal from your list.
63
And if you spend any time on social media, which ironically is the context, which most people are consuming self-improvement content, including this one, the culture there rewards this very visible effort.
64
The perfect morning routine, reading a book a day or like five.
65
I literally saw a video about someone who's like, I read seven books a day.
66
No, you don't.
67
but it rewards a growing list of things that you're working on.
68
But you have to keep in mind, so many of the people saying that actually have a pretty small to-do list themselves.
69
They are being rewarded for looking good by telling you they're reading seven books a day.
70
That's like their one thing.
71
The problem is doing less doesn't look very ambitious when it's usually the much more ambitious move because it's going to get you a lot further.
72
the people that I have watched execute well over long stretches of time and I mean really freaking
73
execute okay not just talk about it or post about it they protect few things with significant intensity
74
and I've adopted this in my life over the past year and my goodness has my life improved astronomically they're not doing less because they're less serious than others they're doing it because putting a
75
focused effort compounds way more over a longer period of time than this scattered fizzling out effort that's much more performative.
76
One thing done and then the next after the other consistently at a nice depth, I want to add that part, I mean you really do need to commit,
77
this drastically changes things.
78
10 things done at a very surface level that don't move the needle afford indefinitely if you want will
79
just make you feel busy and really not get you where you want to be we have turned ourselves into
80
robots that are just getting through tasks that is not what you were put on this earth to do I don't have the answer to that probably but it's not that I can confidently say that.
81
Invest in things passionately in your life and your enjoyment will go up astronomically.
82
I actually just released a video on this about four things that I think are very important if you do want a goal, a target to aim for.
83
It might be worth watching.
84
I'll make sure it's at the end of this video.
85
You might really, really find a target here based on this conversation.
86
All right, so let's get to the practical piece.
87
And thank you for still being with me here.
88
Your attention span is better than about 99% of the population at this point so drop a comment if you're still here.
89
I'm really curious.
90
Okay so I actually do want you to try this though okay this is going to be a really good exercise.
91
Write down everything that you're currently doing.
92
Every habit, every goal, every system, commitment that you've made to yourself.
93
Don't filter it out just get it out on paper or a notes list or something.
94
Then I want you to ask yourself in the last 30 days Which of these have I done consistently?
95
Circle those or put a star next to them.
96
Then ask, of the things that I have actually done, which ones have produced something real?
97
Better energy, better output, more happiness, better health.
98
Something you can actually point to.
99
Circle those or put a star next to it.
100
what's left after that second filter there, that is probably what you should pay attention to and put some extra focus on.
101
Everything else, you are paying a cognitive tax without any return.
102
I went through a stretch during training in medical school in part of residency where I was trying to optimize everything at once.
103
Look, you were around superhumans when you're in this field, okay?
104
Some of these people are absolutely amazing.
105
They're just leaps and bounds in productivity above what you think a human is even capable of.
106
And you're like, oh my gosh, I've got to match that.
107
But priorities are different for different people, okay?
108
I was sleep tracking, nutrition logging, reading goals out loud.
109
I was doing two workout protocols, meditation,
110
journaling social media and optimizing that to a T so much more and I was doing
111
all of it at maybe at best 40% my schedule was so intense and so loaded I hardly
112
had any social life I acted like I did but the entire time I was with other people I was thinking about the next post I was going to make, how I can optimize this, what I'm doing here, how this is a waste of my time.
113
Horrible way to live.
114
I was taking nuggets that I was reading from books every single day and trying to implement them into my life pretty much every day making the list longer and longer of things to do.
115
This got so bad that I actually passed out in clinic one day from exhaustion quite a wake-up call i'm trying to stop you before
116
you get there and i know many of you watching this video aren't near as extreme but i do still think the principles
117
really resonate once i cut back to two to three things that actually moved the needle for me training consistently protecting my sleep not touching my phone in the morning my output went up drastically
118
because I stopped spending energy managing systems that were way the heck too complex to actually maintain.
119
The goal isn't to build the most impressive looking routine unless you're a social media influencer but the goal is to find the few things that genuinely move your life forward
120
and protect those at all cost.
121
That is what it actually looks like from the outside when someone is doing well.
122
It might be boring, but it's simple and it works.
123
So before you look for something else to add, and I know the temptation, believe me, I do, ask what you can remove first.
124
What's on your plate right now that isn't producing anything meaningful?
125
What are you holding on to out of guilt rather than because it's working for you?
126
What would actually happen if you just stopped?
127
Those questions alone can make more of a difference in your life than almost anything else.
128
Now I did mention a lot of research here and as always when I mention research like this I will post the link to the articles in the description.
129
Check them out if you want.
130
And if you want to go much further and deeper than this video because I can only post so much information in a YouTube video at this point.
131
If you want the full blueprint,
132
the step-by-step version of how i stripped things back and rebuilt from the ground up that is in my book it
133
took me three years to get this to you i worked tirelessly on it it is fully comprehensive across all aspects of your
134
life it is called from dull to doctor how i rewired my brain and body for success and how you can too this is everything that i wish i had when i was struggling in the thick of it
135
it going from tutoring seven days a week to try to get through school and being behind so many of my
136
peers to a medical doctor with multiple master's degrees which one of which I got simultaneously while I
137
was in medical school thriving social media career relationships and a beautiful life I say that because I deeply wish I had this guide and that is why I wrote it for you I will link to the top of the description.
138
I truly hope it helps.
139
And I want to meet people with where they're at.
140
That's why I offer things like this.
141
I do have a free 30 day blueprint that I'll also link in the description.
142
Truly, I'm trying to make health accessible.
143
It's why I do what I do.
144
And I love what I do.
145
Okay, thank you for watching.
146
If you enjoyed this, subscribe, drop a like, comment, all the things.
147
I really want to know your thoughts.
148
Okay, the feedback helps me tremendously.
149
If this video helped you, if it resonated, share this with a loved one or someone that you care about.
150
It's completely free in the least that you can do to help them.
151
And as always, I'm Dr. Matt Jones.
152
Thanks for watching, and I'll see you in the next one.
4.9/5 on App Store & Google Play
Shadowing English
On Mobile
Learn English anytime, anywhere with the Shadowing English app. Improve your communication skills today!
Track your learning progress
AI grading and error correction
Rich video library
Why practice speaking with this video?
This video titled "Neuroscience Confirms - Why Doing Less Helps You Achieve More" presents an engaging perspective on productivity and mental efficiency. By practicing English speaking through this content, learners can enhance their fluency while gaining insights into effective habits. Understanding the speaker’s thoughts on managing commitments not only provides a rich vocabulary context but also introduces crucial concepts related to mental clarity and productivity. By shadowing the speaker, you will improve your pronunciation and intonation, thereby enhancing your overall English speaking practice.
Grammar & Expressions in Context
Several key grammatical structures and expressions used in the video are valuable for learners. Here are three notable examples:
- Present Continuous Tense: The speaker frequently uses the present continuous to describe ongoing processes, as in “your brain is running background processes constantly.” This tense emphasizes actions that are currently happening and can help learners articulate their thoughts in a more dynamic manner.
- Comparative Forms: Phrases like “people who actually progress... have less going on” highlight the use of comparative forms. This can help learners express comparisons in their speech, a crucial skill for the IELTS speaking practice section.
- Subject-Verb Agreement: The speaker states, “the things you keep pushing off... are costing you." This example illustrates how subject-verb agreement functions in various contexts, aiding learners in constructing grammatically correct sentences.
Common Pronunciation Traps
While shadowing this video, English learners may encounter some pronunciation challenges. Here are a few words and phrases that could be tricky:
- Cognitive: This word may be pronounced incorrectly due to its length and syllable structure. Focus on breaking it down: cog-ni-tive.
- Productivity: Be cautious about the stress on the third syllable: pro-duc-TIV-i-ty.
- Burnout: This is a compound word that some learners find difficult to pronounce fluidly. Practicing it in the context of sentences can aid in mastering its pronunciation.
Engaging with this video through shadowing techniques will not only bolster your vocabulary but will also equip you with essential skills to articulate your thoughts more clearly in English. Aim for clarity and practice consistently to see significant improvements in your speaking ability.
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.
☕ Buy us a coffee
ShadowingEnglish remains 100% free thanks to your support. Server and AI costs are high — your coffee keeps us going! 🙏