An ER doctor on triaging your “crazy busy” life by Darria Long
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THE BLUE TREE
Man & Society
CEFR B2
Upper
Intermediate
warm up
Answer the questions. Listen to the sample answers.
| What are some common signs or indicators that suggest you may be experiencing burnout from a hectic lifestyle? |
TRANSCRIPT
For me, one of the biggest warning signs is when you’re tired all the time, even after a good night’s sleep. You might also become impatient with people or find it hard to concentrate on simple things. Another sign is that things you normally enjoy start to feel like another job. I think that’s when you need to stop and ask yourself whether you’re simply busy or actually running yourself into the ground.
| In your opinion, what are the key challenges in balancing work, personal life, and self-care in today’s fast-paced world? |
TRANSCRIPT
I think the biggest problem is that everything seems important at the same time. You’ve got work deadlines, family, friends, exercise, housework, and all those little things you need to deal with. Something usually has to give, and quite often it’s rest or time for yourself. Another problem is your phone. Even when you’re technically off work, messages and notifications can make you feel like you should still be available.
| Have you tried any time management techniques or strategies in the past? If so, how effective were they in helping you regain control over your busy schedule? |
TRANSCRIPT
Yeah, I’ve tried making daily to-do lists and deciding on my three most important tasks for the day. That actually works quite well because a huge list can make me feel overwhelmed before I’ve even started. The problem is sticking to the plan when something unexpected comes up. I’m getting better at leaving some space in my schedule instead of filling every minute. That seems to make busy days much easier to handle.
part one
KEY LANGUAGE
Go through the flashcards below. Make sure you understand all the words and expressions.
VIDEO
Watch the first part of the video.
COMPREHENSION
Answer these questions. Refer to the information from the video.
| 1 | 0:20 | Would you have risen your hand to the question: "Have you ever used the phrase "Crazy Busy""?Yes, I probably would. "Crazy busy" is a common way to describe a day or week when you feel overwhelmed and have too much to do. |
| 2 | 0:34 | Does Darria use this word in the ER?No. She says that "crazy busy" is a phrase you will never hear her use, even though she works in a very busy emergency room. |
| 3 | 1:11 | How does the Crazy Mode diminish our capability of handling the ‘busy’?Our stress hormones rise, while the brain’s executive function declines. As a result, our memory, judgment and impulse control get worse, and the areas linked to anger and anxiety become more active. |
| 4 | 1:37 | What does the research show about our ability to react to a stressful situation?Research shows that although our brains process stress in similar basic ways, the way we react to stress can be changed and trained. |
| 5 | 1:48 | What does Darria contrast the "Crazy Mode’ with?She contrasts Crazy Mode with what she calls "Ready Mode," the state emergency-room staff use to deal with whatever comes through the doors. |
| 6 | 2:19 | What does being in the "Ready Mode" mean in general?It means feeling prepared and confident that you can handle whatever happens, rather than becoming overwhelmed by the situation. |
part two
KEY LANGUAGE
Go through the flashcards below. Make sure you understand all the words and expressions.
VIDEO
Watch the second part of the video.
COMPREHENSION
Answer these questions. Refer to the information from the video.
| 1 | 2:35 | What is the first step to go from Crazy Mode to Ready Mode?The first step is to relentlessly triage — to stop treating every task or problem as equally urgent. |
| 2 | 2:50 | What does it mean to triage?It means prioritizing things according to how urgent they are, so you deal with the most important ones first. |
| 3 | 2:58 | What does the work of Dr. Robert Sapolsky show?It shows that people who cannot tell the difference between a real threat and a non-threat, and react to everything in the same way, have about twice the level of stress hormones. |
| 4 | 3:15 | What are the colours of triage? What do they mean?Red means immediately life-threatening, yellow means serious but not immediately life-threatening, and green means minor. The reds get attention first. |
| 5 | 3:34 | What is part of the problem with Crazy Mode?Part of the problem is that we react to everything as if it were red — as if every task or problem were an emergency. |
| 6 | 4:11 | How does noise make triaging more difficult?Noise can make something seem more urgent than it really is. The loudest problem is not always the most important one, so we have to look beyond the noise and identify the real reds. |
part three
KEY LANGUAGE
Go through the flashcards below. Make sure you understand all the words and expressions.
VIDEO
Watch the third part of the video.
COMPREHENSION
Answer these questions. Refer to the information from the video.
| 1 | 5:19 | How does Darria approach the green tasks?She treats green tasks as minor and reminds herself that they do not have to be perfect. Sometimes it helps to think, “That’s a green task. No one’s going to die.” |
| 2 | 5:34 | What does the black colour mean in triage?Black is used for patients for whom nothing more can be done. In those situations, medical staff have to stop and move on to people they can still help. |
| 3 | 5:51 | What are black tasks in our lives?They are tasks we need to remove from our list because we simply cannot do everything. Darria’s example was stepping down from the school fundraiser so she could focus on her real priorities. |
| 4 | 6:12 | What is the next step in moving from Crazy Mode to Ready Mode?The second step is to expect and design for crazy. We should prepare in advance and organize things so that important tasks are easier to do when life gets busy. |
| 5 | 6:28 | What does science tell us about the relationship between a number of choices and our decisions?The more options we have, the longer each decision takes. And the more decisions we make, the more tired our brain becomes, which makes it harder to make good decisions. |
| 6 | 6:40 | What is the second step about?It is about finding practical ways to reduce the number of decisions we have to make every day. |
| 7 | 7:39 | How does planning, autonomating, collocating, and decreasing temptations help with designing?They make good choices easier and reduce unnecessary decisions. Planning removes last-minute choices, automating handles recurring tasks, colocating keeps what we need together, and reducing temptations means we rely less on willpower. |
part four
KEY LANGUAGE
Go through the flashcards below. Make sure you understand all the words and expressions.
VIDEO
Watch the fourth part of the video.
COMPREHENSION
Answer these questions. Refer to the information from the video.
| 1 | 8:09 | What is the third step of getting from Crazy Mode to Ready Mode?The third step is to get out of your head. Instead of getting trapped in your own fear and thoughts, you need to shift your attention outward. |
| 2 | 8:44 | What matters when we get scared?Being scared is not the main problem. What matters is what we do next — whether we stay focused and act effectively or let fear take control. |
| 3 | 8:59 | How can being scared derail us?Fear can start a negative internal monologue. We may catastrophize, develop tunnel vision and become unable to see the situation clearly or solve problems effectively. |
| 4 | 9:18 | How does Darria get our of her head?She deliberately focuses on someone else. She looks at the person in front of her and asks what they need, what they fear and how she can help. |
| 5 | 9:42 | What effect does compassion have on tunnel vision and negative internal monologue?Compassion interrupts tunnel vision and the negative internal monologue. It widens our perception, helping the brain take in more information, see more possibilities and make better decisions. |
part five
KEY LANGUAGE
Go through the flashcards below. Make sure you understand all the words and expressions.
VIDEO
Watch the fifth part of the video.
COMPREHENSION
Answer these questions. Refer to the information from the video.
| 1 | 11:04 | How did the other patients react when Darria helped deliver a baby?They came together to root for the baby. Despite having their own problems, they gathered nearby and shared in the joy when the baby was born safely. |
| 2 | 11:13 | What happens when you go from Crazy Mode into Ready Mode?Other people notice the change. They may want the same sense of calm and control, and sometimes all they need is someone to show them what Ready Mode looks like. |
| 3 | 11:29 | What does Darria encourage us to do?She encourages us to own the busy but stop calling it crazy. We already have the ability to handle demanding situations; we just need to use the right strategies and be ready. |
POLL
Cast your vote in the poll below. How does your answer compare with the other respondents?
DISCUSSION
Answer the questions below. Try to throw some newly learned words and phrases.
 | Have you ever been in “crazy busy mode”? How did it affect you at work or at home? |
| Can you think of a time when prioritizing tasks better would have helped you? |
| How do you manage daily decisions, and where could you simplify things? |
| When could focusing on others instead of yourself help you make better choices? |
| How could you use “ready mode” in your life to face busy times with more confidence? |
COMMENTS
Have you got your own strategies for dealing with Crazy Mode?
Share your views and experience here.