📕 Part 1: Time management

Rory, let's talk about time management, shall we? Do you ever change your plans?

Oh, constantly. Well, there's an expression about life being what happens when you aren't making plans or something like that. So you have to adapt to change, or that could backfire.

What's the hardest thing about making plans?

I think that depends on what you're doing. If it's something by yourself, then you have to cope with unexpected changes in your schedule, if it's planning with others, then probably having to deal with conflicting agendas even. So in a nutshell, probably just the change and chaos that's part of life in general really, or coping with it.

What's the latest plan you made?

Well, this is exciting, actually, because I've organized a trip with some of my friends to the south of Italy for a week. We had to book flights, and, well, booked the hotel rooms as well, around the same time as each other. So that was interesting. As well as finding out about the different kinds of documents we need. It's all taken care of now, though.

Is it easy for you to manage time?

Usually, though, I suppose the thing is, you're never really done with everything, are you? There's always something to do. So while it's manageable, for lack of a better word, it can be demanding.

Do you like being busy?

I suppose it helps take your mind off things and focus on, well, the task at hand. Plus it's good to get things done. But I don't like being busy all the time. It's essential to have some downtime to recuperate from, well, from time to time.

Are you ever late for anything?

On occasion, yes, but it's never hugely so. So maybe like five to 10 minutes or fashionably late as I think it's called. Usually it's not more than that, though, since it's kind of rude to waste other people's time, isn't it?

Do you think most people can manage their time well?

Unless they're Russian, by and large - yes. Although some people who aren't very orderly probably struggle more than others. Then again, they're usually more creative. So there's a trade off there.

Thank you, Rory, for your...

Timely answers.

Timely answers.

Timeless. Well-managed. -

Right, Rory, I'm not sure that you are a reliable person to talk about time management.

You're a reliable person to talk about time management?

Oh, I'll be honest with you, I can't manage my time well.

Yes, I know.

I'm just really bad time management. Yep. So I'm late and I'm, you know, I'm procrastinating. And I don't do things, sometimes I forget things. So yeah, but usually I'm okay. Usually. But yeah, things happen. Life happens.

Okay.

Okay. So when we talk about time management, we talk about our plans, and making plans and then adapting plans, changing plans, and you said that it could backfire.

Yes. So that means that if you stick to your original plan without making changes to it, it could go wrong, or go in the opposite direction.

Yep. So if you've been making plans, and then you think you are controlling everything, yeah. And then it could backfire. Bam, like, you know, mess happens, life happens. And then what's the most difficult parts about making plans? And you said that you have to cope with unexpected changes in your schedule, or schedule. So cope with something. Yeah. And then you have to deal with conflicting agendas, conflicting economic conflicts, conflicting plans of other people that you have to deal with. And then to make it shorter, it goes lik oh, in a nutshell, probably, you know, to make it short. Like in short, just the change and chaos that's part of our life.

Change chaos. It always does something to do with plants, usually in a negative way.

And then the question was like, what's the latest plan? Can they say, what's the last plan you made? Or it's a bit strange? I should say the latest or the last plan?

Well, it would be a bit strange because it's like the last plan it's like you're not going to make any other plans after that. I suppose you could say last, and it would be okay. But latest is much better for this purpose. And for that reason.

Yeah. So like, like the latest film, if for more films are coming. And Rory talked about I've organized a trip. You can talk about, I don't know. Maybe you are planning to buy our Phrasal verbs course for example.

successwithielts.com/podcourses.

My latest plan is to buy IELTS Speaking for Success course on phrasal verbs by the way. And then you educate the examiner. And you tell them oh, you know, like this, this podcast and this Maria and Rory. Rory is from Scotland and then the examiner goes thank you, thank you, thank you. I don't need this. You know, let's keep going. Yeah, dear listener, make sure you do that. If you talk about organising a trip it's like you book flights, you book hotels. When are you going to Italy? Or when do you think you're going to Italy, mister?

I'm going there in a month. Well, a month from when we're recording this podcast. So on the 10th of April, I will go, because today's the 12th. So it's the 12th of March. Today. It will be the 10th of April when I go. So it's possible that this episode will be out the week before I go away. On the week I go away. And if that's the case, dear listener, hello from Italy.

Oh, that's nice. And then we talk about managing your time. It's manageable. You can say it could also be demanding, when you manage your time. Well, it's a bit frickin demanding.

Or when you have to manage your time.

Yeah. And we all know that Rory is really good at managing his time. So...

Usually.

Usually, yeah, usually. And then like do you like being busy? Do we have a synonym of to be busy?

Tied up or being tied down all the time? Or...

Or you can say like I enjoy having lots of things on my hands, maybe.

A heavy workloa.

A heavy workload. Yeah, I enjoy a heavy workload once in a while. And then you can say that it helps to take your mind off things. So if you take your mind off things, what happens?

Well, it means you're not focusing on things that you can't do anything about. So taking your mind off one thing and putting it on another thing.

And then the when you are busy, you get things done. Or you can say I don't like being busy all the time, but sometimes it's okay. And then Rory said something to recuperate.

Recuperate. Recover.

Such a strange word. And which word did you say at the beginning?

Oh, the congenital. Congenitally late just means like it's in... It's in your blood to be late.

Congenitally.

Congenitally. Yeah, if you talk about a congenital heart defect, then that's a medical term for something that they inherit, like the child is inherited from their parents.

Oh, wow.

So it's like a it's like a another way of saying like you're late because your parents didn't raise your correct.

And then are you ever late for anything? And Rory said that, it's usually kind of, like, I'm fashionably late. 5-10 minutes, you know, fashionably late. I'm a bit late. Because it's rude to waste other people's time. Yeah. Can I say like, I'm chronically late? I'm like, It's congenital. I'm congenitally late.

Yeah, it's probably not a great thing to say to other people. You could maybe say about yourself.

And then do you think most people can manage their time? By and large yes. So what does it mean? By and large.

Mostly. Most of the time.

Okay, most of the time, by and large, yes. And then some people are not very orderly.

Yeah. So orderly people are quite organized and have a good grasp of what's required in organization.

And then some people struggle more than others. Well, they struggle with time, obviously. And you use this word a trade off. There is a trade off there. What did you mean by that? Trade off.

Just that, in order to do one thing you have to, well, you cannot do another thing. It's like another way of saying side effect.

And could you please give us an example in a sentence?

So buying an expensive phone, it is expensive, but the trade off is that you have access to more functions, and it usually works faster. There you go.

So dear listener, hopefully, you are managing your time well, and you're managing the use of this podcast well, and you're reading our scripts, by the way. And you want to buy our course on phrasal verbs and subscribe to a premium and blah, blah blahdy blahdy, blah. Yep. Thank you very much for listening! Let's stay in touch. Be on time, not as on time as Rory because Rory is on Scottish time. It's a special time. You know, it involves whiskey in his cornflakes.

Rude.

In the mornings. So yeah. Thank you very much! Rory, say goodbye.

Bye!

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