This is the Business English Podcast, Episode 453.
Keep your eye on the English prize. Welcome to the Business English podcast from All Ears English.
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Hey, Michelle, how's everything going with you this week?
Everything's good. Lindsay, how are you?
Good. Fantastic. What are we talking about on business English today?
Yeah, well, Lindsay, how do you keep your eye on the prize when it comes to work?
It's a great question. I was asking myself that this week because Some days, Michelle, I sit down to work and I cannot believe how much there is to do.
It's like madness. Really, really overwhelming.
And it's not just little tasks. It's like huge projects.
And I'll spend three hours and I'll barely make a dent.
And so what I've been trying to do is adjust the way I think about that.
Keep my eye on the prize by just saying, okay, What would make this day successful at the end of the day if I moved that thing forward?
What are those things that have to move forward today?
And I could take the littlest move to move that thing forward and then move on to the next thing that has to move forward.
These are all the prizes, right? And then the less prized things can wait until they're scheduled or they're less urgent.
Yeah. Yeah, it's interesting with productivity because there are many different schools of thoughts schools of thought regarding it, you know, and one way it's good to get the things you don't want to do out of the way or that are harder for you to do and what And sometimes people find motivation by doing the easier things just to get momentum.
So it's very interesting. Everybody's different, I think.
Yeah, and that's what I used to do. I used to go with that method of get the easy things out of the way so you clear your plate for the hard things.
But that strategy is failing for me now because there are too many easy things to do.
So now I have to go straight for the prizes that really move things forward and the easy things have to just get done scrambling at the end of the week or something.
Yeah. Yeah, it just doesn't work because I would spend the whole day doing the easy things.
You know what I mean? Right, right. Now that is interesting.
Yeah, it's a good thing to kind of reevaluate how you. are productive at work and what strategies you can use so anyway guys we want to remind you wherever you're listening to the business english podcast please hit that follow button Make it easy on yourself.
Let us come to you. You're never gonna miss anything that way.
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So Michelle, let's get into this expression, keep your eye on the prize.
Is it eyes or eye on the prize? Or is it either?
Okay, keep your eye. I think, and now you're making me second guess myself, but I always heard eye on the prize.
Yeah, I think you could get away with saying both.
I might say eyes on the prize. It makes sense.
Both make total sense. You know, but what does it mean, Michelle?
That's the important thing. Yeah, it means to stay focused on your goals, even when things are a little bit tough. tough, right?
Maybe, yeah, maybe you're just kind of slogging through the day.
Uh, you're getting a little bit of, bit of a block, you're tired, or maybe there are bigger challenges.
Keep your eye on the prize. It's basically stay focused, right?
Stay focused and, and, Stay focused on the fact that there will be a reward at the end of the day or the end of the week or the end of the project.
And you're right, Michelle, I asked Chad GPT real quick.
It is I on the prize. I've been saying it wrong it looks like.
Oh that's okay. That's alright. Yeah, so the full expression is to keep your eye on the prize.
Keep one's eye on the prize. Or sometimes you might just hear somebody say like, I am the prize.
But sometimes we use it to encourage someone else to keep going.
So like, I know this is hard, but keep your eye on the prize.
You're almost there. Or you could say, come on, eye on the prize.
This job would be perfect for you. Michelle, do you find yourself saying this like to your kids or to your husband when you're just trying to get your kids out the door, do the basic things and it's getting kind of a facetious, fun way? way uh it i should i i definitely could see myself saying that um yeah that's That sounds exactly like something I would say to them to get them out the door.
So I need to start doing that. And that's interesting, right?
Because that's using that in a bit of a sarcastic way because getting out the door It's not really a prize, but in your world, it is.
In my life, it is. It's definitely a prize and a surprise.
I think so many of our listeners that have kids are going to resonate with that.
So you can take this phrase and make it your own, which is what I love about it.
You could take it into one of those scenarios and you're kind of laughing at the fact that this is not easy to get my kids out the door.
Right. Right. Right. So in general, you might think of what are some other prizes?
Yeah. Yeah. So going for the or traditional use, right?
A promotion, finishing a project, winning an account, passing an exam, maybe the IELTS exam.
So many life milestones and wins that we can have, right?
Right. So I know we've been working on this for hours, but eye on the prize.
We really are going to impress the judges.
Mm hmm. Nice. Yeah. I mean, and it is really good to tell your teammates this because we can get bogged down with lots of details or.
Sometimes you might be partnered with someone who's really on a project, who's really obsessed with fonts and colors.
But you don't have time for that maybe, right?
Yes, it's like focus, focus on what's important, right?
Yes, yes, exactly, exactly. Yeah. Where do we take it from here?
Oh, we're gonna take a quick break, Michelle, and then we'll be right back.
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Terms and conditions apply. Okay, we're to Michelle now.
Okay, so yeah, I mean, I think this is really good for connection.
I think it encourages others or even yourself It's motivating.
It could be humorous if you say it in a certain way.
Right, Lindsay? What else do you think? I mean, is this a good connection phrase?
I really do. And I think it helps you focus.
Like I said, if you're paired with someone and the person is obsessing in PowerPoint over The borders on this one slide, they match that color.
Well, sometimes you have time for that, but sometimes you don't. you have a 24 hour deadline.
And then this is where we have to immediately refocus our attention on what matters to get this thing done.
Right. Yeah. definitely yeah so are there other things that we can say that are kind of similar Yeah, I think there's this is a unique phrase.
I'm not sure if it has an exact uh you know same meaning phrase but there are some others that are in the same ballpark right michelle like stay the course what does that mean right It's like stay focused, go on track, right?
If we stay the course, I know we can impress everyone.
Yes. Stay the course. Yeah, yeah. And when I hear this, unfortunately, the only thing I think about is politics.
Yeah, I know. I think of that too. What was it?
I think it was the Iraq war that he was saying.
It was something in the 2000s, in the early aughts around 9-11.
Do you know the SNL president sketches that well?
I'm sure that that phrase is in there for George Bush.
It is. It is. It is. Yeah, yeah. Like, stay the course.
This is why this is important for our listeners to know this.
This is not irrelevant for our listeners here, right?
So Paula, we've done episodes and we should do another one, Michelle.
Yeah, we have. Catchphrases or phrases politicians become known for.
And usually they're ridiculous. Uh, and this is one of the ones that George Bush was known for.
Uh, Stay the course. So you got to look that up, guys.
Check that out. But we'll move on to today's topic.
Right. But but that is a really important thing to know culturally and politically.
Okay, absolutely. And then another basic one, which we've been kind of throwing out there already is stay focused, right?
Again, it doesn't really focus on that eye on the prize, right?
There's no prize in this expression. But it's still, you know, still a useful one.
So but you could say something like we got to stay focused.
Our bonuses are on the line. Right. You're saying eye on the prize is a little more of a sexy phrase, exciting phrase, right?
It's kind of showing you something different.
There's something shiny and glittery that's coming to you.
We love shiny objects nowadays. Yeah, no, true.
So stay focused is just more basic and just the building blocks of language here.
Here's another one. Don't lose sight of your goals.
Now, I guess this one would be a little weird for me to say to my PowerPoint obsessed students. colleague, right?
Because it seems a little weird. No, this one is bigger, more formal.
Yeah, exactly. So maybe you're being mentored.
Buy someone and you're having coffee with them and they say this to you.
Oh, you're starting five new businesses, but I thought you wanted this other thing.
Don't lose focus. Don't lose sight of your goals.
Right. Don't get distracted. Yeah. Right.
Right. Right. Exactly. So these are just really good in general.
They can be used more, you know, in more actual situations at work where you actually have a prize, you actually have a goal.
Yeah, it can be used also in a more humorous way.
So in a kind of a sarcastic, funny way, the prize something as silly as getting out of the house in the morning exactly and that's a lot you can do yeah that's kind of a fun way to do it right you kind of build a rapport with whoever's around in that scenario.
I guess as long as you're not like making fun of the person that you're saying it to, right?
That would be- Right, yes. Because maybe if you're assisting someone who is having a hard time moving, I'm thinking physically moving, right?
If you say it directly to them, It could you just yeah, just touch and go.
Just be careful there a little bit. Right.
Yeah. Good. A very good point, Lindsay. Should we do a role play?
Let's do it, Michelle. So here you want to win an advertising account.
Nice. All right, here we go. Wow, this looks great.
Ah, thanks, but I'm exhausted. I need to do more tweaks.
A few, but I am the prize. You can do it.
Yeah, I just need to stay focused. Exactly.
Don't lose sight of your goals. You got this.
Okay, I'll stay the course. Thank you. Nice.
Did I mention the new show I've been watching?
It's not new. This is what I do with all shows, Michelle, is I find them 10 years later.
Did I mention this last time we recorded?
I don't think so. I'm watching the show called Younger.
It's really, have you heard of it? Younger?
No. Well, it's through MTV, but it's on Netflix.
So it's a really interesting premise. This 40-year-old woman has an education in publishing.
She tried to get a job in publishing at 40, couldn't get a job.
So she lies about her age, says she's 25 or 26, gets the job.
And then builds this whole world living in Brooklyn where she's actually a mom with a kid in college, but they all think she's 26. okay that sounds fun it's interesting it's really fun it's light it's easy entertainment it's good good looking people whatever it's an easy easy watching show And the whole thing is building this world where people think.
So it's generations. It's a study in generational differences between genetics and millennials.
It's really, really interesting. I recommend it.
Yeah, that sounds very interesting. That sounds something like what I would like.
Yeah. Remind me of this because they work in publishing.
There's a lot of marketing and I could see them saying this to each other right there.
Yeah. Supporting each other in the publishing house.
Yeah, yeah, exactly. Okay, well, I'll have to check it out.
So let's see. So you said, but I am the prize.
You can do it. Yes. I am the prize. And then you said, yeah, I just need to stay focused.
Yes. Yep. And then you said, don't lose sight of your goals.
You got this. Yes. And then you said... Okay, I'll stay the course.
Thank you. Yeah. And I think because George Bush kind of owned that phrase, I'm not sure if people even Yeah, I know.
I was just going to mention that that might be one of the less common ones.
It's good to know. Good to know. probably steer towards the other ones a little bit more.
The other ones might bring people's minds to other things, but it's still okay.
Exactly. I mean, just be aware if you do use it, you might be teased by someone of Gen X.
But that's not your fault. It's just that he took that phrase.
And, you know, so anyways. All right. What is another episode our listeners could find now?
All right, guys, check out episode 449 of the Business English podcast.
This was three tips for schmoozing at work.
Yeah, where do we wanna leave our listeners today?
This has been a good episode. Well, this is, these are all very useful, like this whole eye on the prize thing.
It can be used to motivate people like we said.
It can be used to kind of tease or have fun and talk about motivating yourself.
So I think that they're just all very common and it's all very universal feelings.
Everybody can understand that feeling of maybe like, slogging through something and then but you have to stay motivated and this also goes back to what we were talking about about productivity styles and how they can change over time and So something interesting to kind of self-evaluate, I think.
Totally. As we get into the higher levels of our professions, a lot of our listeners are global professionals moving up the ladder.
We have to focus on the most important deliverables.
What moves our company forward? What moves our career forward?
We can't get lost in the minutiae. Right.
Dangerous to get pulled down into the details when that's not where we should be living.
Right. So really interesting stuff. Great episode today, Michelle.
Thanks for hanging out with me. Thank you.
All right, guys. Thanks so much. See you later.
Bye. Talk soon. Bye. Thank you for listening to Business English, a podcast just for you, the high achieving global professional.
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