How To Manage Your Time | Easy English podcast | B1-B2 Listening practice – Transcript

00:00Hey, hey, hey, English learners. Welcome back to the Daily English Podcast. This is the place where you can learn real English, everyday English, and the kind of English you can actually use in real life.

00:13>> Yes, welcome back, everyone. We're really happy you're here with us today. This is where we have natural conversations, share real stories, and help you feel more comfortable speaking English. I'm Tom.

00:27>> And I'm Emma. Together, we're your two English friends. Don't worry, we're not sitting here with a big red pen waiting to correct every little mistake. >> Absolutely not. No red pen today.

00:41>> Just real conversations, useful English, and a few stories along the way. >> And today, we're talking about something we all have, but somehow we keep losing. >> Time.

00:53>> Exactly. Today's topic is stop losing time. >> And Tom, I have to admit something. >> Oh, no. >> I lost almost 2 hours >> Yes.

01:09>> What happened? >> I sat down to check one message. >> One message? >> Just one. >> And let me guess, it wasn't one message. >> No. >> >> It became another message, then I opened a video, then another video, then I saw a recipe I wanted to try.

01:31>> Did you make the recipe? >> No. >> Of course not. >> I watched someone else make it. >> >> That's actually very efficient. >> Right? I didn't cook anything, but I became an expert at watching other people cook.

01:46>> That's a valuable skill. >> Apparently. >> But I completely understand. We all do this sometimes. We say, "I'll just check my phone for 5 minutes. >> And suddenly >> 45 minutes have disappeared.

02:02>> And you're watching a video about something you didn't even care about 5 minutes ago. >> Exactly. >> You start with a message from your friend and somehow you end up watching a man repair a washing machine in another country.

02:17>> Why does that happen? >> I have no idea. >> The internet is dangerous. >> Very dangerous. >> But that's exactly why we chose this topic today. >> We're not going to talk about time like two serious professors standing in front of a whiteboard.

02:35>> Thank goodness. >> We're going to talk about normal life. >> Work. >> Studying. >> Phones. >> Social media. >> Sleep. >> Procrastination. >> And that magical sentence >> Which one?

02:49>> I'll do it later. >> Oh, yes. >> The most popular sentence in the world. >> Maybe. >> We say, "I'll clean my room later." >> "I'll study later."

03:02>> "I'll answer that email later." >> "I'll start exercising tomorrow." >> And sometimes tomorrow becomes next week. >> And next week becomes next month. >> And suddenly it's December.

03:16>> And you're saying, "Wow, this year went so fast." >> Yes. >> But sometimes the year didn't actually go fast. >> We just spent a lot of it without paying attention. >> Exactly.

03:30>> Before we get into today's conversation, if you enjoy learning English with natural conversations like this, take a second to like this episode and subscribe to Daily English Podcast. >> And tell us in the comments what usually wastes your time.

03:46>> Your phone? >> Social media? >> Sleeping? >> Or maybe >> talking to Tom? >> Hey. >> >> I'm joking. >> I was about to say, that's actually a good answer.

04:00>> Very supportive, Emma. >> Always. >> Emma, let me ask you something. >> Sure. >> When people say, I don't have enough time, do you think they really don't have enough time? >> Sometimes, yes. >> Of course.

04:14>> Life can be busy. People have jobs, families, school, responsibilities, appointments, and many other things. >> Absolutely. >> But sometimes, we actually have enough time. >> We just don't use it well. >> Exactly.

04:29>> And I think the problem is that wasting time doesn't always feel like wasting time. >> That's very true. >> For example, watching one short video doesn't feel like a big deal. >> No. >> Watching one message doesn't feel like a big deal.

04:44>> Right. >> Sitting on the sofa for 10 minutes doesn't feel like a big deal. >> But when you add all those little moments together, >> you can lose an hour without even noticing. >> Or two. >> Or five. >> Five hours?

04:59>> I'm just saying. >> Tom, what are you doing with your life? >> Apparently, watching videos. >> >> But I had a funny experience yesterday. >> What happened? >> I opened my phone to check the weather. >> Okay.

05:13>> I checked the weather. >> Good start. >> Then, I checked the news. >> Okay. >> Then, my messages. >> Hmm. >> Then, social media. >> There it is. >> Then, I watched a basketball video. >> And what happened to the weather?

05:28>> I forgot why I opened the phone. >> Classic. >> 20 minutes later, I still didn't know if it was going to rain. >> >> But I learned five things about basketball. >> So, successful. >> Depends on the goal.

05:42>> Exactly. >> And that's one of the biggest lessons here. >> If you don't decide how you want to spend your time, something else will decide for you. >> That's actually a powerful idea. >> It is. >> So, what should we do?

05:56>> First, notice where your time goes. >> Not change everything immediately? >> No. >> Just notice. >> Exactly. >> Like keeping a time diary? >> Yes. For one day, pay attention to what you actually do.

06:12>> So, for example, 8:00 to 8:30, breakfast. >> Exactly. >> 8:30 to 9:00, checking messages. >> Right. >> 9:00 to 9:40, watching videos. >> And then ask yourself, "Wait a minute.

06:26Why did I do that?" >> Exactly. [snorts] That could be painful. >> Maybe. >> But useful. >> Very useful. Here's a question I really like. >> What is it? >> Is it something I chose, or did I just fall into it?

06:42>> Wow. >> Think about it. >> You pick up your phone because you're bored. >> You open an app. >> You see something interesting. >> You click it. >> Then another thing. >> Then another. >> And suddenly 30 minutes are gone. >> Did you choose to spend 30 minutes there?

06:58>> Not really. >> You just fell into it. >> That happens to me all the time. >> Me, too. >> And sometimes it happens when I'm tired. >> That's important. >> When we're tired, we usually don't want to do difficult things.

07:12>> Exactly. >> So, instead of studying, we watch something. >> Instead of working, we check messages. >> Instead of cleaning, we suddenly become very interested in our refrigerator. >> >> Maybe there's something interesting in here.