You are going to listen to a business person talking about managing free time. Number the extracts from the introduction in order from 1-8. The ?rst one has been done for you.
a colleague while on a picnic with your family. We’ve convinced ourselves that these behaviours are no
And this is true even of our days o?. Maybe you’ve taken a call at the beach, texted your boss from the grocery store or emailed big deal. It’s just one email. But there’s a real cost to these interruptions, and there are smart strategies we can all take to better protect our time.
For so many of us, myself included, our days feel ?lled with a million small interruptions.
In one study, researchers recruited parents who were visiting a science museum with their kids. Some parents were told to check their phone as much as possible; others were told to check their phone as little as possible.
After the visit, parents who used their phones reported that the experience was signi?cantly less meaningful.
These moments seem so small at the time, and yet research suggests they add up to a tremendous loss. The constant creep of work into our personal lives can increase our stress and undermine our happiness. So just what is the cost?
They also felt much lonelier.
Now, ?nd a word or phrase from the introduction that matches each de?nition.
- an event which stops something else happening for a period of time
- not something which is important
- signi?cant or large
- something growing beyond its desired limits
- make something weaker
- get people to join a group or an organisation
- emotionally signi?cant
Focus on vocabulary
Part A: Match the words to the de?nitions.
- burnout (n) a. a feeling of being completely exhausted and unable to perform
physically or mentally, usually because of working too much
- productive (adj.) b. a way of measuring something, often performance
- boundary (n) c. completing a lot of tasks
- uphold (v) d. felt very strongly
- accountable (adj.) e. give someone the space or the ability to do something
- metric (n) f. give the authority to do something
- profound (adj.) g. responsible for a task or a decision
- empower (v) h. support something
- accommodate (v) i. the limit of what is and isn’t acceptable behaviour for someone
Part B:
Now put the vocabulary from Part A into the correct gaps in the sentences. You may have to change the form of the words.
- Seeing how ill my father got from the stress from his job, had a e?ect on the way I approach my working life.
- The company gives me a lot of ?exibility which allows me to the demands of being a parent as well as a manager.
- We spend so long in meetings at the moment that it is hard to feel during the work day.
- I found myself really struggling in the job because there weren’t any clear for me to understand if I was doing well or not.
- After such a positive performance review, I felt to apply for a promotion.
- I really felt that his comments in the meeting crossed the of professional behaviour.
- I’m sorry if I sound critical, but it’s my job as a manager to the highest standards of work.
- She suddenly asked for two weeks of leave. I think she’s su?ering from .
- Sales have been falling all year and he’s stressed because he knows he will be held for that, even though it’s largely beyond his control.
Watching for details
Watch the rest of the video (01:07 – 05:05) and decide which of the following pieces of advice the buisiness person gives. (Use the word mentioned/not mentioned)
- Spend 15 minutes sitting quietly after work to separate work from your free time.
- Treat your weekend as if it was a holiday.
- Make sure you get some exercise during the workday.
- If you are not available, ask colleagues to only contact you in an emergency.
If You are able to, move a Monday deadline to a Tuesday afternoon to protect your weekend.
Create a list of what you need to do the next day before you leave work.
Click the link and do the activity below .
https://forms.gle/uGu7VfBvfVWnYyEy9
Read the writing task.
You receive an email from a friend which talks about his work life. Read the following extract and write a reply giving them advice about the situation.
Work, however, is very hard. I like my job, but I work long days, frequently going in before 8 am and often staying until after 6 or 7. I often don’t see the kids during the week because they are either too tired, or already in bed when I get home. Vanessa and I haven’t been communicating very well. She gets annoyed because I’m always checking my phone for emails at the table, or reading reports in bed. I know I shouldn’t do it, but if I leave work alone for too long, I worry that I might be missing something important. I even sometimes get up early at the weekend to do a little work before the family gets up so I can not be stressed when we spend time together. Honestly, I’m exhausted. I don’t know how much longer I can keep this up.
You should:
- Write at least 250 words.
- Check your grammar, spelling and punctuation