AEE 2356: Learn Some New English While You're At It
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This is an All Ears English podcast, episode 2356. Learn some new English while you're at it.

Welcome to the All Ears English podcast, downloaded more than 200 million times. Are you feeling stuck with your English? We'll show you how to become fearless and fluent by focusing on connection, not perfection. With your American hosts, Lindsay McMahon, the English adventurer,

and Michelle Kaplan, the New York radio girl, coming to you from Colorado and New York City, USA. And to get your transcripts delivered by email every week, go to allearsenglish.com forward slash subscribe.

Do you like to complete tasks in a piecemeal manner or do you like to get everything done all at once? Today, learn a useful, natural phrase to talk about getting things done when it makes sense. Do you struggle when new topics come up in conversation? Not sure how to transition to the next idea or jump in when a group of native speakers are having a conversation? These are all skills you build right here on All Ears English.

Plus, we believe in connection, not perfection when it comes to learning English. So we show you how to connect in English in any situation. Hit the follow button now to make sure you don't miss a single episode of All Ears English. Thank you.

Hey there, Michelle. How's it going today? Good, Lindsay. Lindsay, do you try to get multiple things done at once? Oh, I absolutely do, especially when I'm working online. If I have to wait, if the thing is, you know, the little wheel is moving, I have to go to another window and start something else. It's crazy. That's funny. Yeah, well, I'm glad to talk to you today. I mean, should we record a podcast episode while we're at it?

I think we might as well since we're on the phone. Hey, while we're chatting, while we're at it, let's get going. Let's do episode two. Might as well. All right. Yes, might as well. All right. So today we are going to talk about a very useful expression used to talk about productivity in English. Lindsay, we just said it. What is it? We said it. The phrase is while we're at it. And I love that this came up in your real life, real English with your native speaking friends. What were you doing when this came up?

I think she, I think my friend was talking to my daughter and she said, oh, should we take our shoes off while we're at it? Something like that. And I just realized that this was a very, I said, that's a good one. A lot of, a lot of these, a lot of my recent episodes have come from this one friend speaking patterns.

Oh, that's so funny. Does she know? She's such a great source of ideas. I told her. I said, you've given me a few ideas today. But it's true. They're all good. So I don't know. I don't walk into it. It's not like I walk into my conversations with my friends saying, okay, I'm listening for ideas. But when they come up, it hits me. That would be creepy, Michelle. That would be creepy if you did that. All right. I have my notebook.

bad let's talk about it no it's just that sometimes all of a sudden I'll hear something I think that's good that's good that's good yeah so the most important thing for our listeners to know here guys is that this is real English coming directly from our conversations with our native speaking friends so go ahead and hit that follow button and while you're at it leave us a review right well oh my gosh I just I did not even think about what you didn't I didn't even think about that's hilarious while you're

got it all right go ahead and leave us a review let us know what you think about this podcast all right I want to call out for rubia who left us a review on January 10th and she or he said love it

it five stars and then they said without a shadow of a doubt these girls are the best oh my gosh Michelle that is fantastic good English thank you so much that's so such a nice review yep so go ahead and leave your review everyone to get your name announced on the show so Michelle do you other than your friend who's giving us so many great ideas we have to send her a thank you heart um do you find yourself using this expression a lot absolutely

- Absolutely, and it sounds like you do too because you just used it. - I swear, I did not even plan that. I did not. - That's so funny. I thought you were just being zippy and- - Nope. - Let's go for it.

Not the beat, not going for it. Yes, just natural. Yeah, I definitely use this. It's extremely useful. So what does it mean? While we're at it, while you're at it, what is it? Let's break it down. So it means while we're doing something, we might as well do something else, get something else done.

And so what I said was go ahead and hit the follow button. And while you're at it, meaning while you're in your Apple podcast app or your Spotify app, you might as well go ahead and leave us a review. So while you're at it, leave us a review. Perfect.

Right. It's convenient. So it would be a good idea. Okay, you have it open already. So it's usually out of convenience. And it does, we've talked about that expression, kill two birds with one stone. It's kind of like that. But yeah, this one is, to me, is very in the moment or while making plans. So like our beginning, our example in the beginning, imagine that we were just having a video chat anyway and figured we might as well record.

I also just think, well, I like it more than Two Birds with One Stone. Two Birds with One Stone feels violent. It feels like what I said naturally without even thinking about it at the top of the show. I never would have said, "And if you want to kill Two Birds with One Stone, go ahead and also leave us a review." It just isn't as common. It doesn't feel as natural. So this is a much better go-to option for our listeners, I think. Right. Right. And I believe that we spoke about the other one and that, yeah, it's

There are some things that we teach that are just going to be everyday roll-off-the-tongue kind of expressions, and this is one of them. Whereas two birds with one stone is very useful and you'll hear it. It's a little bit more, you have to put a little bit more effort into it. It has more imagery. Yeah. And I think it also appears at a different place in the statement. I think that would tend to appear at the end. Right.

Right. Hey, while we're in town, let's pick up some milk and also get gas. Kill two birds with one stone at the end. Right. You're commenting on what you're doing, but while you're at it, I'm saying that kind of at the beginning, or it could also be at the end. Do you know what I mean? Right, right, right, right. And guys, while we're at it, I just want to, uh,

let you know that we are going to do a spotify poll later on in this episode. So guys, sometimes we interact with you by, well, we put a poll on every day, but these ones, these special ones are ones that we share the results. So it's a great way to interact. So if you're listening on Spotify, you can answer this poll. So wait until further in the episode and we'll give you the question. All right. So should we do some examples to make this crystal clear for our listeners?

Yes, exactly. So here we go. Here's one. Lindsay, could you pick up your shoes and move them off the carpet? And while you're at it, can you put your umbrella in the stand? Perfect. Exactly. So while I'm at what, Michelle? While I'm at the business of cleaning up things, moving my shoes, or

Right. Right. Right. You've kind of, I'm imagining you came in the door and you just kind of threw everything and I'm, I'm, you know, can you just pick those up? And yeah. And the concept of this, I, some, I find that people are one of two ways. Right. And I hate it when people do this, they create buckets, but I'm doing it right now.

People either like to piecemeal work, for example, cleaning. I think we've had this conversation. Piecemeal cleaning, like a little every day, or they like to get it all done at once, maybe once a week. It sounds like, I think you mentioned before you're more of a piecemealer. Is that right, Michelle? Yeah, and you are

You are all at once. Yeah. So while I'm taking out the trash and while I'm at it, I want to clean the kitchen, clean the bathroom. I don't want to go back to this work every day. I just want it to be done for the week and then I revisit it the next Sunday. So that's how this while you're at it kind of fits in. Do you piecemeal things or do you do things...

all at once. What does piecemeal mean? Piecemeal is a great bonus for today. Oh my gosh. Piecemeal means you do things in pieces. You do things in pieces, in phases, or you come back to it. But that's not who I am. Okay, excellent. All right. What's the next example, Lindsay? All right. So I could say, let's see. I could say, okay, first, let's wash our hands. Oh, and wash the tomatoes while we're at it.

Yeah. Yeah. You got the sink on. Exactly. What's another example, Michelle? I'll boil the water and while I'm at it, I'll preheat the oven.

Perfect. Yeah. So it just fits so naturally. And the other thing I love about this phrase, it's a good transition. So if you're taking IELTS and you're putting together a speaking answer, it's a really nice way to transition to ideas. It just brings your phrases together. Instead of saying, and next I'm going to, and then I'm going to, and while I'm doing that, I'm going to. It's just natural, right? Very natural. Mm-hmm.

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- All right. - We have a few more examples to make sure our listeners 100% get this, right? - All right, here we go. - Yes, go ahead. - I did my cardio at the gym and I figured while I was at it, I should also lift weights. - Oh, I love this 'cause now we're seeing that we can do this in different tenses, right?

Yes. Yes. So like, yes, exactly. So you're telling stories. You can use it. I mean, this is just so versatile. It can be used for anything, I feel. Exactly. I could see using it for the past tense. I wouldn't use it for the present perfect tense. I never hear, well, I've been at it. That doesn't make any sense. No, no, no, no, no, no.

It doesn't make any sense either. Right? That's not, yeah, no, that's true. No, no, no. All right. One more example, Lindsay. All right. If you're going to watch TV, at least fold some laundry while you're at it. Yeah. And you know, if you have teenagers or something, you're probably likely to say this to them. Right? Right. Yes, exactly. Exactly. So yeah, to me, this expression sounds pretty light, pretty friendly, but I mean, in the wrong tone or in a nasty way, it could be

on the more strict side, like that last example, at least fold some laundry while you're at it. That could be a little bit snarky, but I think with basic things, I think it's just very useful. What do you think, Lindsay? Yeah, I think it's really useful. I do hear it sometimes to snap at people if someone's in a fight or

Maybe it'll say, oh, go, you know, get out of the house. And while you're at it, go pick up something. Maybe not a serious fight or something. But yeah, sure. It doesn't always have to be used in a positive tone. It could be in a more snarky or, you

you're fighting with someone and it could work there too. Yes. Yes. Yeah. So let's talk about some other expressions. Now we've been throwing this one around pretty naturally. I think you used it right at the beginning and I thought, oh, I hope I put this one in the plans and I did. What is it?

Yeah, might as well. So these mean very similar things, or you might hear them associated in the same statement, right? Might as well, might as well do something. If you're going into the office anyway, you might as well do payroll while you're at it. So yeah, it's not used instead of this, it's used in addition to this, right? Right, exactly. These ones go along with it. So this one also is a good one that goes along with it. It's Y not X.

So it's your birthday. The cake is amazing. Why not take an extra slice while you're at it? Yes. Why not do this? It's just basically the idea here for today is this thing makes sense to do along with this other thing, right? Yes. Exactly.

Yeah. Yeah. So yeah, this is about productivity. And Lindsay, do we have a poll for today? So what's our Spotify poll? We do have a poll. So I think what we should do for a poll today is ask what we, what came up in the conversation. Cause this is really about what kind of person are you, right? So do you piecemeal tasks or do you prefer to get everything done at once? Everything done at once. Let's say for, imagine if,

In terms of cleaning, are you more like me? You want to clean once a week and do everything. Maybe it takes three hours, but you're done. No more cleaning. Or you're like Michelle, you want to do maybe, I don't know, 10 minutes every night, for example, right? So are you a piecemealer or are you a get it done at once person? That is our poll for today, Michelle.

- That's a good one. - Yes, that is a good one. So guys, definitely answer that and then we will be giving you the results in a future episode. - Yeah, and I also wonder if any of that is cultural too, right? Is it personality? Is it cultural? Is it just your productivity style? I mean, both ways are good, both ways you get the work done, but how do you prefer to do it?

Or another example, I don't like to get work done during the day and then go work out and then come back and work after that. I don't like to split it up like that. I would like to just get all the work done and then be totally done, go work out and just go hang out or something. Do you know what I mean? Yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah. I mean, it's definitely nice to feel that sense of accomplishment. You've completed your tasks instead of, oh, I have to go back and finish. But at the same time, sometimes...

Sometimes I want to do that. And then I just, my brain is, I realize I'm wandering. I realize that I, that if I, I'll be more efficient if I actually do take a little break, but of course it's more, I would rather get it done. No, it's so true. You can't, you can't.

Yeah, that's a good point. Michelle, you can't force your way through it if the ideas just aren't coming. Sometimes you do actually need that air, get out, go to the gym, maybe go out for dinner or something and then come back and you have like a new brain. It's amazing. Yeah, it is amazing. Yeah. So, all right. So guys definitely answer that poll. So let's do a role play and put this together. All right. So here we are friends. We're building a DIY bookcase. Now what is DIY?

DIY is do it yourself. So this could be from Ikea or somewhere where we have to build our own bookcase. Oh, no, this never goes well for me. Never goes well. Let's see how it goes today. All right. Okay. Okay. So can you go in the other room and grab the instructions? Sure. Oh, and you might as well grab the hammer while you're at it. It's in that drawer. Okay. No problem. Oh, and why not get us a lemonade while you're at it? Anything else? No, that's it.

So I was starting to get, was I starting to get a little bit like, geez, Michelle, what's my next order? - Yeah, and do this and do that. Yes, exactly. So I asked you to go in the other room and grab the instructions and you said, sure. And so I said, oh, and you might as well grab the hammer while you're at it. So you're going in the other room anyway, so you might as well do this while you're at it. So again, those two expressions are used really a lot of times they're used together.

Yes, I love that. Might as well. I agree. So again, they're not replacing each other necessarily, but they're associated with each other. And we can start talking about that more on the show too. Instead of replacement phrases, associated phrases, you know, in the same context, in the same situation. That's a great way to learn new vocabulary. Right. Yeah. It's funny. Yeah. Because sometimes it's not always, okay, what are...

what are multiple ways to use this, but what are some things that you'll hear around it? Exactly. I love that idea. Yeah. And then I said, oh, you said, oh, and why not get a

not get us a lemonade while you're at it?" And now you're pushing the boundaries. Now I'm pushing it. Yes. So I used, "while you're at it" twice. I might not do that, but exactly. Just to give you another example. I mean, another thing you might say instead of "while you're at it" is, "why not get us a lemonade while you're out or while you're in the kitchen or while you're somewhere?" While you're there. Yeah. Your physical location. Right? Right. Right, right, right. Exactly.

So we haven't even started building the bookcase. - I'm not sure if this bookcase is gonna get built. I'm not sure if I'm confident in this. - Well, especially I'm already, we haven't even started and I'm ready for my lemonade and yeah.

I can tell who's in charge. I don't seem very committed. Yeah. I love it. So this is great. Michelle, is there another episode our listeners should check out right away when they finished this episode today? Yes. So we do have, this was episode 2326 was what do birds and efficiency have in common? So going back to that idea of the birds and the stones. Yeah.

I love it. And again, talking about efficiency today, what is your style? There are a lot of ways to get things done and it just depends on how you want to design your life. So it's kind of cool, especially in the beginning of the year to sit down and think about what is your efficiency style? Are there any adjustments we want to make for 2025? If you're a piece miller, does that work well for you or do you want to become an all, you know, all or nothing, all at once task, right?

You know, someone who just gets these things done all at one time. So take some time to reflect on how you get things done. Interesting. Yeah, definitely. All right, guys, remember to check out that poll. And thank you so much for listening today. All right, Michelle, you have a good one. I'll talk to you soon. All right, you too. Bye. Bye.

Thanks for listening to All Ears English. Would you like to know your English level? Take our two-minute quiz. Go to allearsenglish.com forward slash fluency score. And if you believe in connection, not perfection, then hit subscribe now to make sure you don't miss anything. See you next time.

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