TRANSCRIPT
# Introduction to
the Episode
Host (Alex):
Hello, everyone! Welcome back to English on the Go, where you can learn
English anytime, anywhere. Today’s episode is about a topic that many of us
struggle with: How to find work-life balance. Whether you’re working too
many hours or feeling overwhelmed, it can be hard to balance your professional
and personal life. Let’s dive into the discussion today and learn how to make
this balance work. But before we get started, take a moment to think about how
your work and personal life affect each other.
# Introduction to
the Topic
Host (Alex):
In today’s conversation, we’ll meet two friends, Emma and Jake, who talk about
the challenges they face when trying to manage their work and personal lives.
Emma works long hours and finds it difficult to unwind, while Jake is trying to
make more time for his hobbies without falling behind at work. Let's listen and
see how they approach finding a better balance.
# Pre-listening
Questions
Host (Alex):
Before we listen to the conversation, think about these questions:
- How do you manage your time between work and relaxation?
- Have you ever felt stressed about not having enough free
time?
# Conversation
Emma: Jake, I’m feeling
so burned out lately. I can’t seem to find time for myself anymore. It’s like
I’m working all the time.
Jake: I get it. I used
to feel the same way. I was always working late, and when I wasn’t working, I
was thinking about work. It’s exhausting.
Emma: Exactly! But how
do you manage it now? I don’t even know where to start.
Jake: Well, I realized
that I needed to set some boundaries. I used to check my emails during dinner
or stay late at the office, but now I set strict work hours. Once I’m done for
the day, I try to switch off completely.
Emma: That sounds nice,
but it’s hard for me. My job requires me to be available almost all the time.
What do you do if something urgent comes up?
Jake: If it’s really
urgent, I’ll handle it. But I’ve learned that not everything is as urgent as it
seems. I also try to make time for things I enjoy—like going for a run or
spending time with friends. It helps me recharge.
Emma: I wish I had time
for those things. I feel like my personal life is always on the back burner
because of work.
Jake: You have to
prioritize it. I used to think that more hours at work meant I’d get more done,
but that wasn’t true. I actually work better when I’m rested and have time for
myself.
Emma: That’s a good
point. Maybe I need to be more disciplined about my schedule and make time for
myself, too. How do you make sure you’re not falling behind at work, though?
Jake: I focus on what’s
most important during the day and try not to get distracted by small tasks. I
also make a list of what I need to do each morning, so I don’t waste time.
Emma: That sounds like a
smart approach. I’m definitely going to try setting boundaries and sticking to
a schedule.
Jake: It takes practice,
but it’s worth it. Balancing work and life isn’t always easy, but it’s
possible.
# Vocabulary
Analysis
Host (Alex):
Now let’s take a look at some of the vocabulary from the conversation.
- Burned out – This means feeling exhausted and stressed
from working too much.
Example: After working long hours for weeks, Emma felt burned out. - Boundaries – These are limits you set to protect your
time and energy.
Example: Jake sets boundaries by not checking his work email during dinner. - Recharge – This means to regain energy or rest.
Example: Spending time with friends helps Jake recharge after a long day. - Back burner – If something is on the "back
burner," it means it’s less of a priority.
Example: Emma feels like her personal life is always on the back burner. - Prioritize – This means to give something more
importance than other tasks.
Example: Jake prioritizes his personal life by making time for things he enjoys.
Listen to the
conversation again and try to spot these words!
# Comprehension
Questions
Host (Alex):
Let’s take a moment to think about what you’ve heard. Here are some questions
to help you reflect on the conversation:
- Why does Emma feel burned out?
- What changes did Jake make to improve his work-life balance?
- How does Jake handle urgent work tasks that come up during
his personal time?
- What advice does Jake give Emma about prioritizing her
personal life?
# Subscribe
Call-to-Action
Host (Alex):
If you’re enjoying English on the Go, make sure to subscribe to our
YouTube channel for more episodes like this! Don’t miss out on our tips and
conversations to help improve your English skills.
# Post-listening
Questions
Host (Alex):
Now, let’s think about how this conversation applies to your life:
- Do you ever feel like work takes over your personal time? How
do you handle it?
- What can you do to set better boundaries between your work
and personal life?
# Conclusion
Host (Alex):
That’s it for today’s episode! I hope you’ve learned something useful about
finding a better balance between work and life. Don’t forget, we’ve prepared a
special free PDF for this episode, full of useful tips and vocabulary to help
you learn more. Make sure to check it out! Thanks for joining me, and see you
next time on English on the Go!
EXERCISE 01: Fill in the Blanks
Instructions: Listen to the conversation and fill in the blanks.
Emma: Jake, I’m feeling so burned out lately. I can’t seem
to find time for myself anymore. It’s like I’m working all the time.
Jake: I get it. I used to feel the same way. I was always working late,
and when I wasn’t working, I was thinking about work. It’s _______ (1).
Emma: Exactly! But how do you manage it now? I don’t even know where to
_______ (2).
Jake: Well, I realized that I needed to set some _______ (3). I used to
check my emails during dinner or stay late at the office, but now I set strict
work hours. Once I’m done for the day, I try to switch _______ (4) completely.
Emma: That sounds nice, but it’s hard for me. My job requires me to be
_______ (5) almost all the time. What do you do if something urgent comes up?
Jake: If it’s really urgent, I’ll handle it. But I’ve learned that not
everything is as _______ (6) as it seems. I also try to make time for things I
enjoy—like going for a _______ (7) or spending time with friends. It helps me
recharge.
Emma: I wish I had time for those things. I feel like my _______ (8)
life is always on the back burner because of work.
Jake: You have to _______ (9) it. I used to think that more hours at
work meant I’d get more done, but that wasn’t true. I actually work better when
I’m _______ (10) and have time for myself.
Emma: That’s a good point. Maybe I need to be more _______ (11) about my
schedule and make time for myself, too. How do you make sure you’re not falling
behind at work, though?
Jake: I focus on what’s most important during the day and try not to get
_______ (12) by small tasks. I also make a list of what I need to do each
morning, so I don’t waste _______ (13).
Emma: That sounds like a smart approach. I’m definitely going to try
setting _______ (14) and sticking to a schedule.
Jake: It takes _______ (15), but it’s worth it. Balancing work and life
isn’t always easy, but it’s possible.
Answer Key
1. exhausting
2. start
3. boundaries
4. off
5. available
6. urgent
7. run
8. personal
9. prioritize
10. rested
11. disciplined
12. distracted
13. time
14. boundaries
15. practice
EXERCISE 02: Multiple Choice
Instructions: Choose the correct answer for each
question.
- How does Emma feel at the start of the conversation?
- a) Happy
- b) Burned out
- c) Relaxed
- What advice does Jake give Emma about work?
- a) Work longer hours
- b) Set boundaries and make time for herself
- c) Ignore urgent work issues
- What does Jake do to help himself recharge?
- a) He watches TV
- b) He goes for a run or spends time with friends
- c) He sleeps more
Answer Key
1. b) Burned out
2. b) Set boundaries and make time for herself
3. b) He goes for a run or spends time with friends
EXERCISE 03: True or False
Instructions: Read the statements and mark them as
True or False.
- Jake used to think that more hours at work meant getting more
done. (True/False)
- Emma feels like she has plenty of time for herself.
(True/False)
- Jake believes that everything at work is urgent. (True/False)
- Emma is willing to try setting boundaries and sticking to a
schedule. (True/False)
Answer Key
1. True
2. False
3. False
4. True
EXERCISE 04: Matching
Instructions: Match the phrases to the correct
endings.
|
Phrases |
Endings |
|
1. Emma feels like her personal life is |
a. working late and thinking about work. |
|
2. Jake used to be exhausted from |
b. urgent things during her day. |
|
3. Emma wants to focus on |
c. always on the back burner. |
|
4. Jake now sets |
d. strict work hours. |
Answer Key
1. c) always on the back burner.
2. a) working late and thinking about work.
3. b) urgent things during her day.
4. d) strict work hours.
EXERCISE 05: Sentence Rearrangement
Instructions: Rearrange the words to form correct
sentences based on the conversation.
- you / to / be / need / disciplined / more / about / schedule
/ your.
- boundaries / setting / try / going / and / to / schedule /
sticking / a / to.
- personal / is / burner / life / the / on / always / back.
- not / everything / urgent / is / as / seems / it / as.
Answer Key
1. You need to be more disciplined about your schedule.
2. Try setting boundaries and sticking to a schedule.
3. My personal life is always on the back burner.
4. Not everything is as urgent as it seems.
EXERCISE 06: Gap Fill with Word Bank
Instructions: Fill in the gaps with the correct
words from the word bank.
Word Bank: (urgent, boundaries, distracted,
schedule, burner, recharge)
- Emma feels like her personal life is always on the back
__________.
- Jake sets __________ work hours to avoid overworking.
- If something is really __________, Jake will handle it.
- Emma is going to try sticking to a __________ to find time
for herself.
- Jake believes it’s important to __________ by doing things he
enjoys.
Answer Key
1. burner
2. strict
3. urgent
4. schedule
5. recharge
EXERCISE 07: Sentence Reordering
Instructions: Rearrange the following sentences to
form a coherent dialogue based on the conversation.
- Jake: I focus on what’s most important during the day.
- Emma: I don’t even know where to start with balancing
my life and work.
- Jake: Setting boundaries helped me a lot.
- Emma: I’m definitely going to try setting boundaries
and sticking to a schedule.
- Jake: It’s not easy, but it’s worth it in the long
run.
Answer Key
1. 2. Emma: I don’t even know where to start with balancing my life and work.
2. 3. Jake: Setting boundaries helped me a lot.
3. 1. Jake: I focus on what’s most important during the day.
4. 4. Emma: I’m definitely going to try setting boundaries and sticking to a schedule.
5. 5. Jake: It’s not easy, but it’s worth it in the long run.
