节目资讯
刊物:空中英语教室
日期:2013-09-16
难易度:Medium
关键字:psychology, tendency, concentrate, limitation, overwhelming
Hello, and welcome to Studio Classroom.
My name is Gabe.
And my name is Carolyn.
And your English will improve today.
Our lesson is called The Psychology of To-Do Lists.
Well, I wonder if you do to-do lists or if you make to-do lists.
A lot of people like to write out to-do lists.
That's a list of what you need to do on a certain day or maybe in a certain
week, or it's just what you need to do in your life.
So we're going to be talking about how to-do lists can help or maybe how they're
not so helpful.
Well, what about you?
Do you use to-do lists?
Carolyn, do you ever make to-do lists?
I actually make to-do lists fairly often.
I find them to be very helpful, so.
This article is pretty interesting because I do a lot of things that they talk
about and I really like to write to-do lists.
It helps me to stay organized and to remember everything that I need to do.
Well, I think they can be helpful.
I also write to-do lists sometimes.
I don't write them all the time.
But I did learn something interesting from today's lesson... or from these two
days' lessons.
And I think that you will, too.
So let's get started with The Psychology of To-Do Lists.
(Music).
The Psychology of To-Do Lists.
Here's why to-do lists work... or don't work.
As I write this, a long list of tasks sits on the desk beside me, reminding me
what to work on.
Many people like me use to-do lists to organize work and manage time.
So what makes this method effective?
Psychologists have observed that people usually focus on tasks that aren't
finished.
This tendency may sound helpful - but it isn't always.
In one study, people who didn't finish a warm-up activity struggled with later
tasks.
Their minds were still occupied with the warm-up.
Planning how to finish the warm-up removed this distraction even if they
couldn't complete the task.
Well, it sounds like to-do lists were pretty helpful in that study.
But before we get too far into our article, we should look at the title: The
Psychology of To-Do Lists.
And we have a word right there that we want to talk about, the word
"psychology." Now what is psychology, Gabe?
Well, it's a good question.
That's the study of our mental processes or behaviors.
So of course many people are studying how humans behave, why they behave a
certain way and maybe in our relationships to other people how we behave.
So that is psychology.
And if you study this at a university or somewhere, maybe you want to go on to
become a psychologist.
C... oh, P-S-Y-C-H-O-L-O-G-I-S-T, a psychologist.
Yes. It's a very interesting word.
The P is silent.
You don't make a "p-" sound at the beginning of this word, just psychologist.
Now there's also just the whole phrase in our title here - the psychology of
something.
Now if it's the psychology of something, then it's trying to look at how that
thing works, to really understand it.
And this is actually a kind of common phrase.
You see it on a lot of book titles.
That's right, the psychology of, maybe, books.
Why do people read books?
How do books affect us?
That's the psychology of books.
What about a certain book, like uh, Harry Potter?
It's a very popular book... very popular series.
The psychology of Harry Potter.
Why do people read Harry Potter as much as they do?
Why is it so popular?
So you can talk about the psychology of lots of different kinds of things.
You might also have a book on the psychology of raising children or the
psychology of how you can do something better.
Well, our author writes: Here's why to-do lists work... or don't work.
So sometimes to-do lists can be helpful, and other times they really don't do
any good.
That's right.
Well, let's look at our first sentence here.
Our author says:
As I write this, a long list of tasks sits on the desk beside me, reminding me
what to work on.
OK. So even as she is writing this, she's thinking about her to-do list.
Yes. So her mind is not completely focused on writing the article.
She's also thinking about this list of other things she's supposed to do
sometime maybe today or this week, sometime in the future.
But she needs to get those things done.
And she continues.
Many people like me use to-do lists to organize work and manage time.
Well, I think that's one of the main reasons why we use to-do lists.
Now I'm not a very organized person.
I don't have great time management.
And so sometimes to-do lists do help me to do these things.
I really like to-do lists.
I find them to be very useful.
And she asks a question:
So what makes this method effective?
Why are to-do lists helpful?
What makes them effective?
And psychologists have observed that people usually focused on tasks that aren't
finished.
And well, that's usually what I write on my to-do list.
I don't write down things I've already done.
No. That's right.
But of course, when you're writing a to-do list, you want to be able to check
off what you've already done from the to-do list.
Well, she continues.
This tendency may sound helpful - but it isn't always.
So the tendency to focus on what you haven't done yet.
Let's look at that word from our Word Bank: tendency.
Carolyn, what is someone's tendency?
Well, it is what you want to do or what you will probably do, something that you
tend to do or do often.
So you might have the tendency of being on time.
That means that you are usually on time.
It's a habit that you have.
OK. Or you could use it in other ways.
I love to play the drums.
And it's true - a lot of drummers have the tendency to speed up while we're
playing.
If you're a drummer, you probably know what I'm talking about.
Of course you shouldn't speed up, you should stay the same speed in a song.
But how else could I use this word?
Well, I have a tendency here at Studio Classroom to talk a lot.
I just keep talking and talking and talking...
Yes, Gabe, you do have that tendency.
Oh, right. Yeah... I do.
Your turn, Carolyn.
You can talk.
Yes. Well, I... I appreciate that. Thank you.
Well, let's continue in our article talking about why it isn't always helpful.
In one study, people who didn't finish a warm-up activity struggled with later
tasks.
Their minds were still occupied with the warm-up.
So they had trouble moving on because they hadn't finished what they started
earlier.
That's right.
So in this study, these people were given a warm-up activity.
And maybe it wasn't long enough.
But they had to do something else, right?
Well, they kept thinking about this warm-up activity they didn't finish.
They were occupied with this.
Let's... let's look at those... that word "occupied" with Steve and Ken in the
Information Cloud.
A person can be either occupied or preoccupied.
Now Ken, what's the difference?
Well, occupied means filled up or in use.
If a seat is occupied, someone is sitting there.
If a person is occupied, he or she is involved in some kind of activity or work.
You can keep yourself occupied by working on a project.
So if somebody is occupied, he's busy.
Preoccupied, on the other hand, describes a mental condition.
If a person is preoccupied, he or she is engrossed or absorbed in thought.
If you're planning a wedding, you may get preoccupied with all the details.
And those details occupy your mind.
That's right.
So there is some overlap between the two words, especially if you talk about
one's mind being occupied.
But generally speaking, occupied is concerned about the physical; preoccupied is
concerned about the mental.
(Chinese).
Thanks, guys.
We will try not to be too preoccupied during our lesson.
So let's continue reading the next sentence.
Planning how to finish the warm-up removed this distraction even if they
couldn't complete the task.
So they had this warm-up activity that they needed to do.
And they didn't get to finish it.
But if they could plan how they would finish it, then they could move on and not
be distracted.
And that is how to-do lists can help us.
But right now it's time for us to continue learning with Michelle in the
Language Lab.
She is also very helpful.