📘 Part 3: Daily routine

This episode's vocabulary

Stability (noun) - a situation in which something is not likely to move or change.

Well-being (noun) - the state of feeling healthy and happy.

Ultimately (adverb) - used to emphasize the most important fact in a situation.

Predictability (noun) - the state of knowing what something is like, when something will happen, etc.

Flexibility (noun) - the ability to change or be changed easily according to the situation.

Spontaneity (noun) - the quality of being natural rather than planned in advance.

To be married to something (idiom) - to be committed to something.

Chore (noun) - a job or piece of work that is often boring or unpleasant but needs to be done regularly.

Consistent (adj.) - always behaving or happening in a similar, especially positive, way.

Time management (noun) - the practice of using the time that you have available in a useful and effective way, especially in your work.

To have a say (in something) (phrase) - to have an active and participatory role in making or influencing a decision about something.

Reflective activities (plural noun) - reflective activities are when you look back on things and think about how to do it better next time.

Sufficiently (adverb) - enough.

Pursuit (noun) - an activity that you spend time doing, usually when you are not working.

To foster (verb) - to encourage the development or growth of ideas or feelings.

To free up something (phrasal verb) - to make something available to be used.

Constraining (adj.) - limiting or controlling someone’s behaviour or actions.

Monotonous (adj.) - not changing and therefore boring.

Regularity (noun) - the fact of something happening or being done often.

Monotony (noun) - a situation in which something stays the same and is therefore boring.

Stifling (adj.) - preventing something from happening.

Routine (adj.) - ordinary and boring.

Questions and Answers

M: How important is it to have a daily routine?

R: I think it's pretty important. Having one could help people stay organized, increase productivity and reduce stress. They should also help create a sense of stability and control in one's life. leading to improved overall well-being.

M: Is having a daily routine boring?

R: I could see how some people might see it like that. But it ultimately depends on your perspective and the type of routine you have. A well-structured routine can provide a sense of comfort and predictability while also allowing for flexibility and spontaneity. For example, I like going to the gym, but I'm not married to it. Sometimes I can go for a walk and it's just as good since I'm getting some exercise regardless.

M: And what daily routines do people usually have at home?

R: Well, that could vary greatly depending on individual lifestyles or responsibilities and local culture. Some things they might have in common could be waking up at a certain time, preparing meals, completing household chores and spending time with family. Oh, or engaging in leisure activities. How and when it gets done, though, is a personal matter since people's homes work in different ways.

M: Should children have learning routines?

R: Well, having a consistent learning routine can help children develop good study habits and increase their focus and attention and, I suppose, ultimately improve academic performance. It could also help them feel more in control of their education and reduce stress.

M: What are the advantages of children having a routine at school?

R: Well, like I said, assuming it's a well-structured routine, it could help children develop a sense of stability and predictability, reduce anxiety and increase their engagement and participation in learning activities. Because they can prepare for what's coming. I suppose it might also help them develop time management and organizational skills that will benefit them throughout their academic and professional lives. If they can see how things are structured and have a say in the structuring so they can practice them.

M: Does having a routine give people more time to think?

R: Well, I think so. They could provide people with more time and mental space to engage in creative and reflective activities. By taking care of necessary tasks and responsibilities sufficiently, individuals can free up mental energy and focus on more meaningful pursuits.

M: Would you agree that people who have fixed routines are not creative?

R: Not necessarily. I mean, while some individuals may feel constrained by routine others may find that it actually helps foster creativity by providing structure and predictability, which takes pressure off, well, your brain to free up the mental energy this time and allow for more creative thinking.

M: Why do people dislike routine?

R: Well, if it's not done right, or it doesn't match up with your personality, you might dislike routine because it's constraining or monotonous. You could also simply prefer a more spontaneous or a flexible lifestyle that isn't easily converted into routine since there's, well, little regularity.

M: And how do people's routines differ on weekdays and weekends?

R: Well, they often have different demands and priorities. Weekdays tend to demand more structured work or school activities, since that's when people traditionally do these things, while weekdays usually allow for more leisure time and social activities.

M: What are the advantages and disadvantages of routine?

R: Well, to start with the advantages that could include increased productivity, reduce stress and a sense of stability and control, all of which lead to improved mental health. However, the disadvantages could include a lack of flexibility or spontaneity, feelings of monotony, and a potential for reduced creativity since everything is overly controlled and stifling.

M: Hey, Rory, thank you for your answers!

R: No worries, hopefully, they weren't too routine.

Discussion

M: So what's with this word, routine? Can we say a routine, routine? So it's countable?

R: Yeah. It can also be an adjective for something to be routine. Like to be normal, or regular.

M: So my life is routine, like routine life?

R: Well, I don't know, is it? You said you didn't have a routine.

M: No, no, I don't, but just for example. Like, okay, in winter, my life is routine.

R: It's pretty routine. Yeah.

M: Oh, it's pretty routine. Okay. Yeah, so could be countable or uncountable. And where do I use a routine? With an article.

R: Well, to describe one routine of many. For example, you can have a routine in the morning, a workout routine, a bedtime routine.

M: A daily routine. Something you do every day.

R: It's like a program or a process. Same for regime, you have your beauty regime.

M: When the examiner asks you how important, you say, well, it's pretty important, or crucial. It's the most important thing in life. And you told us that having a daily routine helps people to stay organized.

R: Or could help.

M: Could help. Yeah.

R: I used lots of modal verbs, didn't I? It could help. It should also help create a sense of stability.

M: Yeah, and Rory doesn't say like, it helps, it does. Like kind of like maybe, you know, it could help it should help. But you know, like a careful politician.

R: Compare Maria and I. I have a routine and it works for me. Maria does not know what a routine is and it works for her.

M: Sometimes it doesn't. Because my life is a mess.

R: So sometimes having a routine doesn't work for me either, because I'm late for things because I needed to get through everything.

M: Oh, I see. Oh, alright. So you can't just cancel it, right?

R: Well, I'd feel like I hadn't done anything. Sometimes I like cut my workout routine short. But then I think, God, I'm so lazy.

M: Right, so people stay organized. It increases productivity, reduces stress, and creates a sense of stability.

R: It could.

M: Well, could, yeah. It creates a sense of stability. So stability and control, dear listener, alright? And also, it could lead to our improved well-being. Rory, can I arrive at well-being?

R: Well, some people think you can. But generally, well-being is like an ongoing process of staying well. Did you need more?

M: So is it okay to say like, okay, I need to make some effort to arrive at well-being in my life?

R: Well, no, you can't say that. But like, think about it, you don't just have well-being and then everything after that is fine. It's sort of something you have to constantly work at. So like I'm always trying to improve or maintain my well-being.

M: Having a daily routine could be dull and boring, dear listener.

R: Is that why you don't have one?

M: I don't know why. It just... I just can't do it. I tried, I just... No.

R: But you seem very chill with it. So it's okay.

M: But it ultimately depends on your perspective. So on how you look at life. And also depends on the type of routine you have. A well-structured routine could provide a sense of comfort and predictability. So predictability, you know what's coming, everything is predictable. You can predict things, you can know what will happen next. But some routine could allow for flexibility and spontaneity. Flexibility, when you're flexible. And, Rory, what's spontaneity?

R: When you make things happen without planning.

M: Rory said that he's not married to the gym.

R: That means I don't need to do it all the time. Like it's not a... You know, it's such a constant feature of my life that I have to constantly take it into consideration, even though I do.

M: Rory gives an example about himself for some reason.

R: What do you mean? Why is it not better? Why is it not better?

M: Because speaking part one is about you, speaking part two is about you. Part three is about other things. About other people, most people.

R: Yes, but you can use an example to illustrate your point, surely.

M: Dear listener, better not about yourself. Okay?

R: Fine, fine. We'll, we'll change the example. Some people like going to the gym, but they're not married to it and sometimes they can go for a walk and it's just as good because they're still getting some exercise. Are you happy now?

M: Super, yeah. Oh, yeah, over the moon, on cloud nine. Daily routines could vary greatly, depending on individual lifestyle. So vary, they could be different. But the usual routines are waking up at a certain time. It's not getting up, it's waking up, when you open your eyes. So you wake up, preparing meals, completing household chores. Household chores? Work you do around the house, like washing the dishes, making your bed, cleaning. All these horrible things. Household chores. And what verb can we use with household chores? Like, complete household chores. What else?

R: Do.

M: Do household chores. Yeah.

R: Undertake.

M: Ooh... A bit more formal. We can also engage in leisure activities. This could be our routine. Also going to the gym could be a chore, a routine. And then Rory gives us a very beautiful sentence, which we can use about any topic. How and when it gets done is a personal matter. So it depends on people, it depends on their individual lifestyles, beautiful.

R: I need to use that more often.

M: Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah. For example, Rory, I can ask you about... What? Like technology. Oh, like what kinds of technology do people usually use?

R: Oh, I think people use their phones on a regular basis. Although, how and when they use it is a matter of personal choice since people's lives are different.

M: Yeah. But don't get overexcited and use it in every answer. Okay? We can have our learning routines. Having a consistent learning routine can help children develop good study habits. So study habits, or shopping habits or cooking habits, study habits. Consistent learning routine, like routine you do all the time, every day or every week, consistently. Feel more in control of something. So people can feel more in control of their education, of their life. And routine helps us to be more in control of our life and it reduces stress, dear listener. So these are the key reasons for having a routine, okay? Children do have learning routine at school, right? And it's usually a well-structured routine. And again, Rory tells us about, it develops a sense of stability and predictability, yeah? Reduces anxiety, when we feel anxious, when we are kind of nervous, just like... Like this. This is the noise of anxiety. Did you like it?

R: That is a really accurate depiction of anxiety.

M: And also a well-structured routine, it increases engagement and participation in learning activities. So engagement in something, participation in something. So engagement, when people engage in something, when they take part in something, when they do something.

R: It could also be engagement with.

M: For example.

R: Well, here just increase engagement with learning activities or with others. With is like together. So it's usually with people.

M: Routine can help children develop time management and organizational skills and also benefit them throughout their academic and professional lives. So benefit is a verb.

R: And will is also a verb. Oh, it's also a modal verb. A modal auxiliary verb. I do like a modal verb.

M: So children could benefit from a learning routine at school. Or these skills, like organizational skills, will benefit children throughout their lives. So children will just get benefits because of organizational skills during their lives. And the keyword is structured. So children see how things are structured. Children can have things in a structured way. And they can have a say in structuring them. So have a say is a nice one.

R: But that just means to have an influence over something.

M: Yeah. So children can organize their routine. They can have some influence on how they do things. Right? So have a say in structuring. So have a say in doing something, right?

R: Yeah.

M: In something. Could you give us another sentence about maybe like children, parents and control with this have a say?

R: Well, parents usually have a greater say in what children do initially. And then as time goes by children have more of a say in things. Look, I used it twice.

M: Routine could give people mental space to engage in creative activities. So mental space? Some time to think. Yeah? You have some space in your brain, like, you take it easy, and you have some time to think. Reflective activities. What are they?

R: I have no idea. I was just thinking, creative and reflective, those words usually go together. No, reflective activities are when you look back on things and think about how to do it better next time. Part of the learning process. So things like writing in your journal, or writing even more things in your journal, I can't think of any other reflective activities, to be honest with you. Most people just journal.

M: Yeah, or maybe at the end of the day, you think about your day and you remember everything you've done.

R: You take stock.

M: Yeah, so you reflect what is good, what you could have done in a better way. So you reflect on this, right? And you will look back on it, so you remember what you've done before. Rory used a very good structure. By taking care of necessary tasks, individuals can free up mental energy. So by doing something, we can do something. A beautiful structure. Actually, it's very good for essays as well. So by taking care of our routines or of necessary tasks, people can free up some mental energy and focus on more important things. Rory, could you give us another example with this structure? So by doing something, something. Oh, about routines.

R: Well, what? By... By having a routine, you can more effectively organize your time. Or by having a routine you can free up more time to do other things.

M: Yeah. We free up some time, which is a phrasal verb. Or free up mental energy, free up some time to think. And we focus on more meaningful pursuits. Pursuits. Activities. Yeah? I enjoy outdoor pursuits. But, oh, come on, usually, we say outdoor activities. Yeah? Or leisure pursuits. Pursuit is a more formal word, but more meaningful activities? Activities, which bring more meaning to you, like meditation, spending quality time with your intelligent friends, not with some people who tend to drink all the time. So more meaningful pursuits. We can have fixed routines. So well-structured routines. And these routines may not be creative. Yeah? Because kind of their well-structured, you kind of do the same thing over and over again. And Rory told us that people may feel constrained about routine. Constrained.

R: Well, that just means they can't do as much as they normally would, although is it constraint about or constrained by? Where is it? Yes, constrained by a routine.

M: Constraint? Like limited to do something or like to be forced, to be made to act or behave in a particular way. And because we follow our routine, we do the same thing over and over again. So we feel limited, we feel constrained by our routine. But for other people, routine actually helps to foster creativity. So foster creativity? Develop creativity. The structure and predictability takes pressure off your brain. Off, double "f". So the structure takes pressure off your brain and it frees up mental energy. It allows more creative thinking. Some people dislike routine. You can say some people hate routine or they can't stand routine, because routine doesn't match up with their personality. Like for me, routine doesn't match up with my personality. Just like doesn't go well with me. It's just it's not for me. Routine might be constraining, right? So we've used this as a verb, people are constrained by routine, they are limited, or it's constraining, it's limiting. Or monotonous. Monotonous? All the same things over and over again, dull, like boring, monotonous. And some people might prefer a more spontaneous lifestyle. Spontaneous? Like you do things in the spur of a moment, or at the spur?

R: It was on the spur of the moment.

M: On the spur. On the spur of the moment? Just like, oh, let's fly to Cuba. Yeah? Just like it happens just now. Yeah, let's fly to Cuba, why not?

R: Why not?

M: Yeah, so spontaneous. Flexible lifestyles, right? So they're not fixed, but flexible. Our routines might differ from day to day. So they are different - they differ, from weekdays to weekends. And people have different priorities. And then Rory explains. Priorities? Like the most important things that we have. Now, weekdays tend to demand more structured work. So weekdays are for more structured work, school activities, while weekends, while, but weekends... We can also say whereas, so to contrast weekdays and weekends. While weekends allow for more leisure time. Social activities, like spending time with friends, chatting away or leisure pursuits. Yeah? Remember pursuits? Activities. And advantages and disadvantages, you can paraphrase it benefits and drawbacks. And if you start with the advantages, with benefits of routine. Benefits are that routine increases productivity, reduces stress, gives you a sense of stability, a sense of control, and this leads to improved mental health. However, on the flip side, on the flip side, like the disadvantages, the other side of the coin, like on the flip side, the disadvantages could include a lack of flexibility. So no flexibility, no spontaneity, no spontaneous things, and it's all monotonous, people can suffer from monotony. So monotonous activities. Monotony is a noun. Reduction and creativity. Yeah? And everything is controlled. And what was this last word you used?

R: Stifling?

M: Yeah.

R: Oh, stifling is just when it's all... When something is all closed in around you and you can't move or be flexible. So if a routine is stifling, then it stops you from being flexible in your life.

M: Stifling routine. Yeah, stifling also means extremely hot and unpleasant.

R: Yes.

M: So kind of stifling humidity, like in Thailand. Oh, it's unbearable, it's too hot. Yeah. Or stifling bureaucracy, for example. What else can we use it about?

R: Whatever it is could stifle your creativity.

M: And here, like everything could be controlled and stifling. So kind of unpleasant hot, like not enough space to swing a cat. Yeah, just like, not enough space for you to think. Super, dear listener! Thank you very much for listening and laughing at our silly jokes! Hugs and love. We'll see you in our next episode. Bye!

R: Bye!

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