ESL Podcast 272 - Time Management
to be snowed under - to have too much work to do; to be very busy
During finals week, students are snowed under with exams and essays.
efficient - able to do things very well and very quickly, without wasting time
Ike is very efficient, so he's able to do twice as much work as anyone else in a day.
time management - the practice of planning one's activities during a day to make good use of the time that is available
Susana must have exceptional time management skills, because she's going to school, working full-time, and raising two children.
tool - a thing or idea that helps people do something better, more quickly, or more easily
Many websites give people tools for saving their money, such as special calculators and ideas for spending less.
to keep track of (something) - to monitor something; to know what is happening with something at all times
Makiko keeps track of how she spends her money by writing all her purchases in a small book that she carries with her.
deadline - the day or time when something is due; the day or time when something has to be finished
People who write for daily newspapers have deadlines every afternoon.
definitely - certainly; without a doubt; a word used to show that something is true
Arturas and his wife definitely want to have children soon.
to-do list - a list of the things that one has to do; a piece of paper with the things that one needs to do written on it.
What's on your to-do list for today?
task - something that needs to be done; a small activity or project that needs to be finished
My task for the project is to call the health department, and Janie's task is to read about the diseases we're researching.
high-priority, low-priority - the very important (high-priority) and less important (low-priority) important things that need to be done before or after other things
A high-priority for Jean this week is to finish moving into her new apartment before her new job begins, and going out with friends has to be low-priority until that's done.
to assign - to say that something should be done by a specific person or finished at a specific time
The director assigned Sibyl to head new project.
urgent - very important and needing to be finished very quickly
When Kaur broke his leg, it was urgent that we get him to the hospital.
to slip through the cracks - to be forgotten or overlooked because one was paying attention to other things
My highest priority as your new mayor is to make sure that the poor do not slip through the cracks.
to check off - to put a check mark (!) next to one line in a list to show that that thing has been finished and no longer needs to be considered
The airline employee had a list of all the passengers' names and he checked them off as they got on the plane.
to cross off - to draw a line through one line in a list (example) to show that the thing has been finished and no longer needs to be considered
There are only three weeks until my vacation and I'm crossing off each day on the calendar as I get closer.
reminder - something that is written or said to make one remember something
Can you please send everyone a reminder that our group will meet in front of the museum before the tour?
to schedule - to decide when things will happen in the future; to decide that something will happen at a certain time and date in the future
Many businesspeople have secretaries or assistants to help them with their scheduling.
to allocate - to give time, money, or something else to someone or something for a specific purpose
Every month, Sean allocates $350 for food, $100 for entertainment, and $100 for transportation.