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
Today we're beginning to talk about The Psychology of To-Do Lists, how they work
and why they work,
and how sometimes they might not be as helpful as we think they are.
Of course we learned about the tendency for a lot of people to focus on the
things they have not yet finished.
But is this always helpful?
Well, it's... it's not always a helpful thing.
But a very interesting study was done to show that people who planned something
were able to concentrate and get things done in a better way.
OK. And to-do lists can help you plan your days.
Well, it's time for us to continue learning more about The Psychology of To-Do
Lists.
(Music).
The Psychology of To-Do Lists.
Similarly, to-do lists let people plan when to complete tasks not yet finished.
That frees their minds to concentrate on the task at hand.
But writing a to-do list doesn't guarantee success.
This technique has several limitations.
Problem: A long list of tasks that need to be done can be overwhelming.
When faced with too many choices, people may find it difficult to do anything.
Solution: Prioritize the items on the list, and start with the most important
tasks.
Before we get into some of the problems and solutions on to-do lists, let's go
back to the beginning of this section.
Talking about this study, this is related to it.
Similarly, to-do lists let people plan when to complete tasks not yet finished.
So the study showed that when people were able to plan out how they would finish
something even if they didn't get to, they were able to move on to another task
and focus.
And so to-do lists can help you do that as well.
That's right.
We continue here - because that frees their minds to concentrate on the task at
hand.
All right.
So when you write out what you need to do, you can kind of forget about it for a
little while and then concentrate on what you need to do right now.
Let's look at our word from the Word Bank: to concentrate on something.
For me, this basically means to focus on something.
How could you use that word?
Well, maybe you're really busy or there are lots of things going on around you.
Maybe someone is playing very loud music or having a loud conversation, but you
need to concentrate.
You're trying to do your homework.
You want them to be quiet so you can concentrate on what you need to do.
And I think what you could say in that situation is:
I'm sorry. I can't concentrate with all of that noise.
Can you please turn it down or... or go somewhere else?
You could say: I can't concentrate right now.
All right. So here we're talking about concentrating on the task at hand.
And what does that mean, Carolyn?
Well, that is a great phrase: the task at hand.
And that's the thing that you need to do right now.
That's where you should be focusing or concentrating your energy, what you need
to be doing.
That's right.
So that is the task at hand, what you need to do.
You could also say: I'm... I'm trying to work on the job at hand.
But other things can be at hand as well.
They're immediate.
They are something you will do right now.
Everyone is excited about the wedding at hand.
We're all going to a wedding.
It's starting pretty soon.
We're excited about the wedding at hand.
Ah. That is another great way to use that phrase - something at hand.
And there is another phrase here in this sentence that Liz would like to tell us
about in the Grammar Gym.
Hi there, friends.
Welcome to the Grammar Gym.
My name is Liz.
In our article today, we see this sentence:
That frees their minds to concentrate on the task at hand.
That's our Grammar Tip sentence.
And notice the word "frees." When "free" is used as a verb, we normally think of
letting go, like:
After the war, the prisoners were freed from prison.
But in today's sentence, "free" means to make something available for another
purpose.
And in today's sentence, their minds can then concentrate on the task at hand.
Let's look at some example sentences.
Jan decided to quit her second job; this frees her time to be with her kids
more.
Or: Benjamin needs to free his schedule before he can say yes to any new
commitments.
So give this word a try.
Think of something that is now available for other purposes and practice using
this word "free." And if you'd like to see some more example sentences,
then check out today's Grammar Tip section for more examples.
This is Liz from the Grammar Gym.
See you next time.
Bye.
Thank you, Liz.
Well, we're continuing to learn here about to-do lists.
We see a "but" here.
It says: But writing a to-do list doesn't guarantee success.
So of course to-do lists can be helpful, but they won't guarantee a success.
Maybe you won't necessarily be successful.
That's right.
And we read that this technique has several limitations.
And let's look at that word from the Word Bank: limitation.
That means that it has some limits to it.
It cannot... uh... it has some weak points that make it less effective.
So it has a limitation.
That's right.
What are other things in life that have limitations?
Well, you're learning a new language, right?
You're learning English.
Of course if you just stick to reading books, that will help you improve, but
that has its limitations.
You also need to get out and practice speaking your English.
So different things can have limitations.
That's right.
And we find our first limitation right here. It says:
Problem: A long list of tasks that need to be done can be overwhelming.
And I think that's very true.
It can be "overwhelming" - another word from the Word Bank.
What is it if something is overwhelming, Gabe?
Well, if you feel overwhelmed, if something is overwhelming, that means it is
deeply affecting your emotions.
Maybe it's too much to handle, so it's overwhelming.
And I just used an adjective, overwhelmed, O-V-E-R-W-H-E-L-M-E-D.
People often say "I'm so overwhelmed right now," or "I feel overwhelmed" because
things are so overwhelming.
That's right.
So maybe you have so much work to do.
You have projects and homework and all of these things; it can be very
overwhelming.
And a to-do list with many tasks on it could also be overwhelming.
When faced with too many choices, people may find it difficult to do anything.
Well, I agree with that, Carolyn.
When I walk into a restaurant and the menu has so many things on it, I just want
to go to a different restaurant where the menu is simpler.
Well, that could be one thing.
But this is a to-do list.
And there is a solution for this problem.
Prioritize the items on the list, and start with the most important tasks.
All right.
Well, we have a very important task that we need to do right now.
And that is... ah, yes, let me check my to-do list... good!
We're going to visit Michelle in the Language Lab.
OK.
(Chinese).
And now let's get ready to learn more from our teachers.
Today we've been talking a little bit about to-do lists and how you might feel
overwhelmed or having a long to-do list can be overwhelming.
Gabe, do you ever feel this way?
I feel overwhelmed sometimes.
But it's usually because I'm thinking about all the things I need to do in my
life at one time.
I feel less overwhelmed when I'm just focusing on one task at a time.
Ah, so you need to prioritize your tasks.
Well, I hope that you prioritize your tasks as well.
And join us again tomorrow right here on Studio Classroom.
We'll see you then.