Pre-reading questions:
I will read each question. Then, please answer them.
- Do you make a detailed schedule of your activities every day? Why or why not?
- Please share something about the most time-consuming activity in your routine.
Vocabulary:
I will read the words, meanings, and sample sentences. Then, repeat after me.
- timetable /TAHYM-tey-buhl/
- precision /pri-SIZH-uhn/
- excessively /ik-SES-iv-lee/
- concept /KON-sept/
- dominate /DOM-uh-neyt/
[noun] – a detailed plan showing when events or activities will happen
I’ve sent the updated timetable to your email.
[noun] – the quality of being exact
Mizuki accomplishes his tasks with precision.
[adverb] – in a way that is too much
She excessively spends money on beauty products.
[noun] – a principle or idea
Their concept of time is different from ours.
[verb] – have power and influence over
Multinational companies dominate the economy’s markets.
Article reading:
Please read the whole article. Then, I will check your pronunciation and intonation.
Time management helps us organize details, saving us from decision fatigue. Yet, some experts claim that tasks, either productive work or leisure activities, don’t fit well into our timetables. In fact, scheduling can prevent us from accomplishing and completing our assignments.
Nowadays, many dedicate themselves to managing time with precision, thrusting blocks of our tasks into our schedules as much as we can on a day-to-day basis. But neither professional nor personal activities are always suitable to be organized. Assistant Professor Brad Aeon explains that decades of research imply over-organizing produces time pressure instead of benefits, as excessively arranging tasks can promote efficiency but not quality performance. Time management became a famed concept after people associated time with money. This means we base the quality of our time on how much we’re compensated for it. Over-organization potentially influences our emotions as well. For example, interruptions can be a source of stress and annoyance. Scheduling our tasks too tightly makes us feel like we don’t have enough time. Our sense of time becomes complicated as the deadline for a job assignment approaches because our understanding of time is inconsistent.
To lighten the burdens, change our concept of “time management”. Rather than allowing our schedules to determine our routines, we must dominate them as the organizers.
Nowadays, many dedicate themselves to managing time with precision, thrusting blocks of our tasks into our schedules as much as we can on a day-to-day basis. But neither professional nor personal activities are always suitable to be organized. Assistant Professor Brad Aeon explains that decades of research imply over-organizing produces time pressure instead of benefits, as excessively arranging tasks can promote efficiency but not quality performance. Time management became a famed concept after people associated time with money. This means we base the quality of our time on how much we’re compensated for it. Over-organization potentially influences our emotions as well. For example, interruptions can be a source of stress and annoyance. Scheduling our tasks too tightly makes us feel like we don’t have enough time. Our sense of time becomes complicated as the deadline for a job assignment approaches because our understanding of time is inconsistent.
To lighten the burdens, change our concept of “time management”. Rather than allowing our schedules to determine our routines, we must dominate them as the organizers.
Comprehension questions
I will read each question. Then, please answer them based on the article.
- To what do many people dedicate themselves nowadays?
- What did Brad Aeon explain in regards to over-organizing?
- Based on the article, how did time management gain popularity?
- How does over-organization affect people’s emotions?
- According to the article, how can people lighten the burden of time management?
Discussion questions
I will read each question. Then, please answer them.
- How do you manage your time wisely?
- Based on your schedule, on what activities do you think you need to save time?
- What would you do if you lacked enough time to finish your tasks?
- Do you agree that our understanding of time is inconsistent?
- When we claim we “don’t have time” to accomplish a certain activity, does that necessarily mean we do not prioritize it? Please share your thoughts about it.