ESL WORKSHEET - Time management

LESSON PLAN FOR ENGLISH TEACHERS

TIME MANAGEMENT

LinguaHouse

Jan. 29, 2023

Level: Pre-intermediate (A2-B1)
Type of language: Business English
Tags: Time Management; Business People; Desk Work; Office Life; Article Based; 16-18 Years Old; 18+ Years Old
Publication date: 01/29/2023

This lesson looks at the vocabulary and strategies around time management. Students will listen to three people talking about how they organize their business day. They will also read an article talking about the importance of time management and how to do it. Exercises focus on related vocabulary, reading and listening skills and provide the opportunity for students to discuss questions connected to the subject. (by Joe Wilson)

• CLICK HERE to download the student’s worksheet in American English.
• CLICK HERE to download the teacher’s lesson plan in American English.
• CLICK HERE to download/listen to the audio in American English.
• CLICK HERE to download the student’s worksheet in British English.
• CLICK HERE to download the teacher’s lesson plan in British English.
• CLICK HERE to download/listen to the audio in British English.

AUDIO TRANSCRIPT

Speaker 1: I find that the best time to make progress with my work day is first thing in the morning. I usually get up early at around 5:30 am. It’s really quiet then and I have time to think. I have a rule that I don’t look at my phone until after 10 am each day. If I do, it’s easy to start thinking about films, or friends, or family and then I’m not very effective or focused. I have a to do list, that I keep on my desk and I put a little star next to the jobs that are a priority. I do those first and I always feel much better if I can do one or two before breakfast.
Speaker 2: As a manager, I have a meeting on my schedule with my team at 9 am every morning. My main aim is to get everyone in and thinking about what they are doing, and it also helps because each person knows what tasks everyone else is working on. Sometimes a quick conversation in the morning can mean that we don’t have to email each other which saves time. If someone is working on an urgent task and we don’t have much time, I can ask a few people to work on it together during the meeting and that helps to speed things up.
Speaker 3: My job involves both working alone and meeting people to talk about my work. So, I spend time organizing my day and I have to keep my calendar up to date at all times. I usually try to spend the morning working alone as that is the best time for me to work. Although sometimes, if a project is due, I have to work in the evening too. In the afternoon, I usually feel a bit tired, so that is when I try to have my appointments with people. It’s a lot easier to talk to people in the afternoon than it is to focus on my work. I make sure I color-code all of my projects so that I can easily see what I’m working on and what is the most important task to work on.

Adapted from: https://www.linguahouse.com/esl-lesson-plans/business-english/time-management. Accessed on August 4, 2025. LinguaHouse.com © 2008–2025. All rights reserved.