Time Management
IELTS Speaking Topic | Time Management
How do you manage (or, organize, or plan) your time?
I normally use an app on my iPhone which allows me to program all the events I have for the week and their duration and then I know roughly how much time I have and when I have to be someplace at a certain time on a certain day and so on.
Would you say you manage (or, organize) your time well?
Generally speaking, yes. I'm usually quite busy during the week so I need to be well organised, but on weekends I'm normally a bit more relaxed about how I use my time.
Do you find it hard to manage your time?
I used to, a few years ago, and in fact I didn't do much planning, but as I got busier it became more important to be better organised, so I really made an effort to learn about time management and that's when I started using the app I told you about - that's what made the difference for me, and since then it's just become a habit, so now it's easy.
Where did you learn how to organize your time?
I taught myself really, just by reading some articles about time management and trying to find a way of doing it that suited me. It took a bit of time to get used to being disciplined about it, but eventually it became normal for me.
How do you think you could better manage your time?
At the moment, I really don't think I could. I mean, I organise all the things I have to do and try to optimise my time between work and studying and it works well for me - so I can't really think how I could improve on what I'm doing just now...but if I had some extra hours in the day, I'd probably plan those as well in the same way.
Do you think it's useful to plan your time?
Generally, yes, because you can get more done in the same time. But it's important to have some time free when everything's not planned, that's usually how I treat my weekends as long as there's nothing particular I need to do. I tend to be more relaxed about what I do or when I do it. I don't think it's a good idea to be clock watching all the time - you need some periods of time when you don't have things organised and can just go with the flow.
What do you think people would gain if they were better at managing their time?
Well, speaking from my own experience, I used to be terrible at time management and it meant that I was always doing things at the last minute, or even late - now it's completely different, I manage my time well and it allows me to get more done and with less stress so that's what I think other people would benefit from if they managed their own time better, they would have more time free or be able to do more in the same amount of time.
Are you ever late for anything?
Very rarely, it almost never happens nowadays.
If you had more time, what would you do with the extra time?
I'd probably use it to relax more and maybe do some kind of activity, maybe a sport or something like that to do something different, or learn something new.
Good luck with your IELTS test!
What Are Some Good Time Management Tips?
Answer:Do these things daily to avoid getting overwhelmed and burnt out.
- Get rid of anything that takes less than two minutes.
- Learn your weaknesses - if you're forgetful, sleep-deprived, whatever - make lists.
- Use the different tools available, like google calendar to manage your time and set reminders for deadlines coming up or vacuuming every other week instead of every single week etc.
- Take notes on possibilities for improvement at work/home email etc. Think about what would be helpful (images?) come up with a plan with some benchmarks!
- Plan chunks of time when you can analyze, strategize and take care of things as they come up.
Discussion Questions
What do you think of when the phrase "time management" is used?
Can you share an experience that has influenced your thoughts on time management?
Do you have any tips for keeping track of one's schedule and time spent on different tasks or projects?
When are deadlines too tight to be achieved without sacrificing the quality of work done on a project?
Have you found other ways to maintain focus besides multi-tasking, like setting hourly goals or using timers and alarms for repetitive tasks?