This episode’s vocabulary
Checklist
noun — a list of items to be checked or completed. → I use a checklist to make sure I don't forget anything while shopping.
Fixed
adj — not changing; stable or consistent. → I have a pretty fixed shopping list that I use every week.
Free hand
noun phrase — a hand that is not holding or carrying anything. → I use my phone for shopping lists so I can have a free hand.
Carry around
phrasal verb — to take something with you wherever you go. → I carry my phone around when I shop.
Written out
phrasal verb — expressed in writing rather than typed or spoken. → I prefer to have my travel list written out in my diary.
Refer to
phrasal verb — to look at something for information. → I refer to my list while I'm packing for a trip.
Lesson plan
noun — a detailed outline of what a teacher will teach in a class. → I write a lesson plan for every class I teach.
Accountability
noun — the state of being responsible for something. → Some people dislike lists because they don't want the accountability.
Mental heavy lifting
idiom — mentally demanding or difficult tasks. → Making a list involves mental heavy lifting some people want to avoid.
Effectively
adverb — in a way that produces the desired result. → I use a checklist to work more effectively with my students.
To-do list
noun — a list of tasks or activities to be completed. → I start each morning by writing a to-do list.
Organised
adj — able to plan things carefully and keep things in order. → Making lists helps me stay organised.
Forgetful
adj — often unable to remember things. → I’m quite forgetful, so I always write things down.
Reminder
noun — something that helps you remember something else. → I set reminders on my phone for important tasks.
Habit
noun — a regular practice or routine. → Making shopping lists has become a habit for me.
Questions and answers
Do you make a list when you shop?
Oh, I make them for everything, so I don't forget. And it's no different when I go shopping. I have a pretty fixed one, since I tend to buy the same things every week. You'd think that would make it easier to remember, but I always have it on hand, just in case.
Do you prefer to make a list on paper or on your phone?
It depends on what it's for. If it's shopping, then my phone is fine, since I have to carry that around with me and have a free hand for picking up what I'm shopping for. But for things like travel, I prefer to have it written out by hand in my diary so I can refer to it as I go. I think that also makes it easier to remember.
Do you make a list for your work?
Yeah, I mean, I write lesson plans, which are essentially checklists of things I need to remember when I'm working with students. They're pretty basic, but it helps me keep track of everything to make sure we can work together effectively.
Why don't some people like making lists?
Well, you'd have to ask them. But if I were to speculate, I suppose they might not like the accountability or the mental heavy lifting that comes with doing something they're not used to. No one likes difficult things, do they?
Discussion
So, dear listener, we make lists. A list is a short piece of information. It's not a piece of paper. No. It's kind of a list of different things. A shopping list, for example. And the preposition is ON. Something is on the list. Is my name on the list? Oh, you are on the list, not in the list. What other verbs do we use? Make lists, write up lists?
Put a list together?
Put a list together, yeah. You can have a fixed list. I have a fixed shopping list, and I tend to buy the same things every week. And I have a fixed shopping list on hand. So I have it handy, I have it close, I always have it with me. We can make a list on paper, or I can make a list on my phone. Or I have a digital list, for example.
I used to write down lists on the back of my hand so I wouldn't forget things.
You can also say this. I used to write lists on the back of my hand. Yeah, so if I go shopping, I have a shopping list on my phone. On my phone. Or sometimes I prefer it written out. So I prefer to write down things, I prefer to write them in my diary, or in my daily planner. I prefer to write it down. I prefer to have it written out for me. I usually make a list for work, or I have different lists for my work. And I usually write up checklists of things I need to remember. So I usually have a checklist for different things, or a list for each day of the week, for example. A list for my life. And they help me keep track of everything that I should do. So keep track of things. So these lists help me to keep track of my work.
And if you keep track of things, you understand where they are and what's happening with them.
Some people dislike making lists. And also, dear listener, you can say that I dislike making lists, or I never make any lists. But the topic here is about making lists, so you'd better like it. Or you lie, dear listener. You say like, yeah, I usually make lists for everything. People could think that making lists is mental heavy lifting. Rory, what do you mean by mental heavy lifting?
It just means that it's difficult to… Or something that's difficult to do with your brain. So if it's a challenge for you to organise your thoughts and ideas, you might consider that mental heavy lifting, because it's hard for you.
So in the gym, you do weight lifting. You go to the gym and you lift the weights. And here, Rory talks about mental heavy lifting. But do you mean that writing lists is mental heavy lifting? Is it mentally difficult?
Yeah, well, the idea of organising what you need to do in your head might be difficult. Some people really struggle with this. I don't. Well, I don't know. I think I did when I was younger, because I didn't really understand what to do. And some people never get past that experience of finding it difficult to organise things. So they just don't. That doesn't make them bad people. It just means they're a bit disorganised.
You can also say that some people find it tedious, like boring. They don't like to be restricted. Because when you write up a list, you kind of restrict yourself. But they want to be free, do what I want to do. So they want to be spontaneous. There you go. And if you make a list of things, you kind of have to do it. And you can also say that people dislike to-do lists. So a shopping list, a to-do list. So, a list of things to do, which is a reminder for you to do something. And also, we have the phrase a bucket list. Or is it the bucket list?
Individual bucket lists would be a bucket list. But if you talk about a specific one, then it will be the.
So my bucket list, a list of things that I would like to do before I die. Yeah, Rory, do you have a bucket list?
No, because I've done everything that I wanted to do. I have one last thing to do. And that's it, really.
What is it?
I want to go to Slovenia to visit Piran. And that's all.
Oh, yeah. Nice.
If you're from Slovenia and you would like to invite me to come and stay in Piran, I'd be very happy to do that. Because every year for the last, what, six years, I think I've had the money and promised myself that I would go there. But it never happened. So I would love to go.
Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Yes, Slovenian people, if you are in Slovenia, write to Rory. He has to go to Slovenia already because I've been listening to Slovenia for five years. And he never went, this Rory guy.
I know…
So Slovenian people, Slovenian people, if you're from Piran, or if you want to go to Slovenia with Rory, go together. Your task, dear listener, would be, well, to find a person in Slovenia so Rory can go with them. And the second task is to watch the Bucket List. 2007. It's a comedy. Brilliant. A brilliant film. The Bucket List. Yeah, with what's his face? Morgan Freeman and Jack Nicholson. Amazing people. Right, Rory, you've done everything on your Bucket List, but now you need to choose.
Now I need to add more things to it.
Yes, you need to choose two options for your Bucket List. Dear listener, also listen to my ideas and choose one or two activities that you would like to add to your Bucket List. Rory, are you ready?
Okay, go.
Eat shark in Iceland. Go camping in the desert. Sleep at an ice hotel. So you go and you stay at an ice hotel. Hotel made of ice. Take a cruise. Like a cruise on this nice ship, which is like a six-star hotel. Start woodworking. Wood, like, to make something from wood, swim with dolphins, or start an annual community cleanup event in your local park. Rory, what would you choose?
Hmm…
So start a cleanup community. So like, Rory is the head of this community, and they go and clean parks. Swim with dolphins. Start woodworking. So make something out of wood. Take a cruise. Sleep in an ice hotel. Go camping in the desert. Eat shark in Iceland.
Probably the shark eating because it's the most novel one and it's probably the easiest to do. The other things just require too much work, and I'm tired.
Right. So Rory chooses eating a shark. Shark soup. In Iceland. Rory has swum with sharks. Rory, where was it? In Ghana?
No, Fiji.
Oh, Fiji. Yes. So, you know, like sharks were swimming and Rory was swimming there with them.
We're talking about this as if it's remotely dangerous. For context, these are blacktip reef sharks, which are not a threat to human beings. They're more of a danger to the other fish on the reef than they are to the people there.
They just bite off your leg and that's all. They're not dangerous, these sharks.
No, they can't. They're too small.
What have you chosen, dear listener? Maybe sleeping in an ice hotel, no? Swimming with dolphins could be quite nice. Yeah, and if you want to create your own bucket list, you can include travel destinations, career goals, and foods you want to try. You can have your bucket list with food you want to try in the world. Skills or hobbies, life goals or fears to overcome, actually. We can create a bucket list with fears. Thank you very much for listening. We'll get back to you in our next episode. Bye.
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