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Hello, our friends.
Welcome to Pod and Chill.
Hi, hi.
I'm Leo, always ready to make you smile.
And I'm Gwen.
I like to share little tips and sometimes keep Leo in check.
Keep me in check?
That's your full-time job, Gwen.
Alright, alright.
But today, we're going to talk about something that touches all of us.
Time.
How we use it, how it passes, and how to feel good while managing it.
Oh, yes.
Sometimes I feel like the day just runs away without me.
And before we dive in, let's take a moment, sit back relax, maybe stretch a little, and let's make this time together calm and comfortable.
We'll play a small game in a minute to make this episode more fun and share ideas that can help you feel more in control of your day.
Hey, that sounds fun.
I love games, especially ones that make you think.
Perfect.
Let's get ready.
Open your hands and join us.
So, here's the game.
Look at your hand.
Each finger has a meaning.
If it feels true for you, put that finger down.
Oh, I like this already.
Let's go.
Okay, put your thumb down, if you often open your phone and scroll without knowing what you are looking for.
Um, my thumb is gone already.
Next, put your index finger down if you start a task but rarely finish it.
Put your middle finger down if you say, I'll do it tomorrow and keep procrastinating.
Ouch, that's me again.
Now put your ring finger down if you spend an hour doing something that should take only 15 minutes.
Don't judge me, Gwen.
My ring finger is down.
Put your pinky finger down if you always feel busy, but at the end of the day you don't really achieve anything important.
Oh wow, all my fingers are down.
If all your fingers are down, maybe you're having problem with time management.
If only a few are down, you can still learn new ways to handle time better.
So basically, we all need this talk.
Exactly.
Stay with us, and we'll explore together.
You know what, Leo?
Those fingers from the game show why we can't control our time well.
Really?
I thought it was just things.
Well, you can see that the thumb is big, easy to see.
It shows our biggest problem, being distracted.
Phones, social media, random thoughts, they take our mind away from what we really need to do.
Oh, I get it.
The first reason is losing focus.
I often check my phone when I'm working.
Yes, exactly.
Just one quick look can waste 20 minutes.
That's why the thumb is the first enemy.
Okay, then the next finger, the index finger.
What does it mean?
The index finger points at many things.
It means multitasking.
Multitasking is when you do many jobs at one time, right?
Yes.
Many people think doing many jobs at the same time saves hours.
But in real life, they stop and start again and again, so everything becomes slower.
Yeah, like cooking while answering emails and also watching TV.
In the end, nothing is done well.
Right.
Multitasking is not power.
It's a trap.
Next is the middle finger.
I feel like this one has a strong meaning.
Yes, it's delaying.
The bad habit of always saying, I'll do it later.
And later never comes.
Until the deadline is tomorrow.
And then you feel very stressed.
Oh yes, I know that feeling.
One small delay grows into a big problem.
Yeah.
The middle finger tells us that procrastination hurts our own future self.
Then we have the ring finger, usually about love or promises.
How is it related to time?
Good point.
The ring finger means jobs without deadlines.
When you don't set a clear finish time, the work keeps going on and on.
Days, weeks, even months.
And then you feel heavy, like carrying unfinished tasks everywhere.
So a deadline is like a wedding ring.
It shows your promise.
I really like that idea.
Yes, deadlines help us stay true to our goals.
And last is the little finger.
It looks small.
Does it mean a small problem?
No, not small at all.
The pinky finger means busy but not productive.
People can spend the whole day doing many small things checking emails, fixing details, saying yes to everything but in the end, no big result comes out.
Oh, like filling a broken bucket.
You work hard, but it never gets full.
Right.
The pinky is small because the result is small, even if you spend so much effort.
So, five fingers, five reasons.
Distraction, multitasking, delaying, no deadlines, and busy without real results.
That's the full hand.
Yes.
And this hand shows why many students, workers, even people at home feel they waste time.
It's not because they are lazy or bad.
It's just because they don't know the right way yet.
That's so true.
People should not blame themselves too much.
The problem is the method, not the person.
Yes, and being aware of the problem is the first step.
When we see the hand of bad time management, we can start to change it.
Okay, now we understand the five fingers of poor time management.
But what should we do next?
Stay with us.
In the next part, we'll share some simple and useful ways to take control of your time.
Oh, and don't forget that at the end of the episode, there will be eight vocabulary words related to this topic, to help you practice English effectively while still keeping it chill.
That's great!
Alright, now let's get to the main point.
When I hear about managing time, I realize it's not just us.
Everyone sometimes falls into those small traps.
I notice something.
Every day I'm super busy, no time to breathe.
But when the day is over and I lie down, I just feel empty.
Yeah, that feeling of battery empty, but you don't even know what you used the battery for.
Have you ever had one of those mornings when you wake up late, then rush out worrying about everything at the same time?
Oh man, all the time.
Once I woke up just 15 minutes late and it was like a domino effect.
No time for breakfast, just ran straight to the bus stop.
Running, sweating, breathing hard and when I got there, I was dizzy already.
And the whole day after that feels like you started on the wrong step, right?
Your body's tired, your mind's stressed, and work just keeps coming.
Exactly.
By afternoon, I just want the day to end.
But when I get home at night, there's this silence.
I lie down, look at the ceiling, and ask myself, wait, what did I actually do today?
That's the painful part, the busy but not productive thing.
Busy, but with no real results.
It's not the same as being lazy because we're not sitting still.
We did use our time, but we let time control us instead of us controlling it.
That's hard to hear, but it's true.
Like we lived the whole day, but we didn't really live in the day.
And this cycle makes people lose energy.
Every morning in a rush, the day flies by and the night feels empty.
Repeat it again and again, and it becomes a habit.
A habit that's not healthy at all.
You know Gwen, when we were talking about running all day and ending up empty at night, I realized something.
Maybe it's not only about hours.
What do you mean?
Well, think about it.
Two people can both have 24 hours, but they don't live the day the same way.
Sometimes one hour feels heavy, but other times it feels easy and full of ideas.
Exactly.
Time is not just hours on the clock.
Time is energy.
Right.
For example, when I wake up and check my email right away, I see problems waiting for me.
Even before I brush my teeth, I'm already stressed.
Same here.
If I start my day with social media, scrolling for 30 minutes, I don't only lose half an hour.
I lose energy.
My mind feels slower.
And I carry that mood into the day.
That's so true.
Where your energy goes, your time follows.
Yes.
That's why it's not enough to manage time.
We also need to manage energy.
When we spend all our energy on unimportant things such as scrolling or worrying the real important things learning, creating and health we have almost no energy left.
So maybe the real secret is simple.
Put your fresh energy where it matters most.
Correct.
Protect the morning or whenever your mind is most alive.
That's the gift we can give ourselves.
And talking about gifts, Gwen, I think there's another one, something that also protects our time.
What's that?
Learning how to say no.
Oh, yes, that's so true.
I used to agree to help every co-worker.
At first it felt kind, but then my work kept adding up.
I got tired and fell behind.
I've been there too.
With friends, I say, yes, almost every time they ask me out.
Later, I sit with my unfinished work and feel so guilty.
And students know this feeling too.
Imagine a classmate says, come on, just one more episode of this show tonight.
It sounds fun, but that yes can steal hours of sleep and the next morning's energy.
Exactly.
Each time we say yes to something small, we may be saying no to something bigger that truly matters.
And saying no doesn't mean being rude.
It means being smart, keeping balance, and protecting our time and energy.
The first time I said no, I was so nervous.
But after that, I felt better, like I was in control again.
Same here.
It's like opening a window and letting fresh air in.
Suddenly, there's space to focus on the important things.
True.
And when we protect our time, the next question is, what do we actually do with it?
Right.
Because free time without direction can disappear fast.
Like opening TikTok just for five minutes and suddenly it's 2 a.m.
Oh yes, I know that trap too well.
That's where routine comes in.
Some people think routine is boring, same actions, same order, every day.
But the truth is, routine actually creates freedom.
Because the important things are already taken care of.
Oh, can you share more about that?
Of course.
For me, a small morning routine changed everything.
Drink a glass of water, stretch for five minutes, then study English for just 15 minutes.
It doesn't sound big, but it affects my whole day.
I feel the same.
My habit is simple.
Read 10 pages of a book before checking my phone.
Just that one choice makes me feel in control, not controlled by notifications.
Without consistent routine, the day controls you.
With routine, you control the day.
And honestly, it feels less like a prison, more like a secret map.
You know the path, so you're free to enjoy the journey.
Nicely said.
And for students, think about exam season.
Having a fixed study block each morning means the rest of the day is lighter.
You're not chasing panic at midnight.
That's great advice teacher teacher careful, I might start giving you homework, as long as it's not three hours of math.
I'm fine funny.
You said that because that's exactly the problem.
People plan huge blocks like study three hours or do five things in one day.
Yeah, I used to make plans that looked perfect but were impossible to do in real life.
I did too.
Once I filled a whole page in my journal.
Guess how many I actually finished?
One.
Maybe two.
Same story.
That's when I tried the Pomodoro method.
Working for 25 or 30 minutes, then taking a short break.
It feels small, but it works.
Oh yes, that's the key.
Little blocks keep you moving instead of burning out.
Right.
30 minutes of focus can change your whole day.
And day by day, it changes your life.
Exactly.
And here's something to think about.
How we spend our time shows what really matters to us.
What do you mean?
Well, people often say English is important, but then they watch two hours of TV, scroll one hour on social media and only study English for 10 minutes.
That shows the truth.
Right.
Same with health.
Someone might say it's their priority, but if they sit all day eat fast food and never move their body, then their time is telling a different story.
Yes.
Time is like a mirror.
If we want to know our real priorities, just look at where our time goes.
That is hard because it means where our time goes, our life goes.
And that's why time isn't only the numbers you see on a clock.
It's also your feelings inside.
Emotions?
You mean like feeling good or bad depending on how we spend it?
Yes.
Let's try this together.
Hey, close your eyes if you want, my buddies.
Think like this.
You wake up, take your phone, and soon many hours are gone.
At the end of the day, what do you have?
Hmm, I think there's nothing much.
A heavy heart, right?
Maybe guilt, maybe regret.
Yup, it feels empty.
Yeah, I've been there, whole day gone, nothing done.
Now, let's change the picture.
Tomorrow, give only one hour to something good.
Study, make something, or move your body.
Just one hour, that sounds easy.
Easy, but powerful.
True.
How does that feel?
A bit lighter?
A bit happier?
That's the point.
So, here is our challenge.
Tomorrow, keep one hour safe.
Only one.
Make it yours.
Okay, challenge accepted.
And at night, think back.
Compare the wasted day with the good one.
Then you will see.
Time is not only about a perfect plan.
It's about building a balanced and confident life.
Yup.
It is also about how you feel inside.
And that feeling, well, that's the real measure of life.
Now, friends, let's move on to some vocabulary from today's episode.
Yes, 10 useful words for your daily life.
Let's go step by step.
Remember to write it down in your notes or find a way that works best for you to learn new words.
That's also a way to follow today's manage your time spirit.
First word, productive.
It means getting good results from your time and effort.
Example, I feel productive when I finish my work early.
Repeat after me productive, one more time.
Productive, your turn, friends.
Next word distracted.
It means not paying full attention.
Example she was distracted by her phone during class.
Say it with us, distracted.
Let's say it again, distracted.
Yes, louder this time.
Now, priorities.
It means the most important things you choose first.
Example, my health and family are my top priorities.
Repeat, priorities.
Again, friends, priorities, great job.
Now we have energy.
It means strength to do things.
Example, I need more energy in the morning.
Don't forget that energy is very important in managing your time, my friends.
Now say it with me, energy.
Let's move on.
Routine.
It means your usual way of doing things.
Example.
My morning routine includes coffee and exercise.
Repeat after me.
Routine.
Next word.
Focus.
It means to give full attention to one thing.
Example.
Please focus on the task.
Say it with us.
Focus.
One more time.
Focus.
Yes.
Clear and strong.
Let's move on to consistent.
It means doing something regularly without stopping.
Example.
She is consistent with her daily exercise.
Repeat after me.
Consistent.
The last word is balance.
It means keeping things equal and healthy.
Example work-life balance is important.
Say it with me balance once more, balance.
Very good, leo.
When i talk about time, i feel it's the most valuable gift we have true, and the best part is we get to choose how to use it wisely or wastefully.
Dear my friends, we hope today's talk reminds you that time is special.
Focus on it.
Make it yours.
And don't worry, you're never alone in this.
Together, through this podcast, we're learning and growing together.
Oh, and remember, we made a little PDF practice for you.
Check the description.
It's waiting for you there.
All right, that's it for today.
Take care of your minutes and they'll take care of your life.
I'm Leo.
And I'm Gwen.
See you in the next episode.
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Here's a show that we recommend.
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Host of Totally Booked with Zibi.
Formerly Moms Don't Have Time to Read Books.
In my daily show, I interview today's latest bestselling, buzziest or underrated authors and story creators whose work I think is worth your time.
As a bookstore owner publisher, author and obviously podcaster, I get a comprehensive look at everything that's coming out and spend my time curating the best books, so you don't have to.
Stay in the know, get insider insights and connect with guests like Grammy Award-winning singer Alicia Keys, critically acclaimed author Judy Blume and Academy Award-winning screenwriter John Irving, every single day.
With Totally Booked, you aren't just listening, you're part of the story.
So don't miss out.
Follow Totally Booked with Sibby on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you're listening now.
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