Use the phrases to make up sentences about yourself.

1. I can’t help ………………………………………………………..

2. I’m not used to ………………………………………………….

3. One day I hope to ……………………………………………..

4. I would love ………………………………………………………

5. I had better ………………………………………………………

READING 1

TIME-SAVING TIPS : LISTS

Making lists is relaxing. It makes you feel important – all those things to do. It dictates the shape of the immediate future; it calms you down (it’s OK, it’s on a list somewhere) and it makes you feel good when you cross something off (list-making is standard practice in therapy for depression). It might even help you to get things done too.

The world divides in two when it comes to listing. Type A makes orderly lists, prioritizes and calmly sets to work on them. Type B waits until panic sets in, grabs the nearest envelope and scribbles all over it, sighs with relief and promptly loses it.

The more you have to do, the more you need a list and few people with high-powered jobs get by without them.

Barbara Vanilli, chief executive of a large chain of supermarkets, says, “Before I go to bed, I have to write down everything that’s going to stop me sleeping. I feel I won’t forget anything I’ve written down, so my lists are a great comfort.”

Women always think they ‘re better at lists than men. Men tend to have Tasks which they assemble into Action Plans whereas women just have lists of Things To Do. Jacqueline Maddocks, head of Maddocks Publishers, says, “My male colleagues only make lists for work, whereas I have to make lists for work and for home too. It’s essential to write tings down. If you’re constantly thinking, “I must remember this,” it blocks your mind.”

James Oliver, psychologist, has created his own “time management matrix”. He writes a list of things to do and then organizes them into categories: things that have to be done straight away, other things that it would be good to do today, things that are important but haven’t got to be done immediately and things that are less urgent but that he doesn’t want to forget. “Using categories to order the world is the way the human mind works,” he says. “ After that, you should put things into hierarchies of importance.” But he warns against the danger of Excessive List Syndrome. “If people get obsessed with making lists, it doesn’t work. They have too many categories and lose their capacity to prioritize.”

It’s all a question of what works best for you, whether it’s a tidy notebook, a forest of Post-it notes or the back of your hand. Having tried all these, student Kate Rollins relies on a computerized list, printed out each morning to be scribbled on during the day. “My electronic organizer has changed my life,” she says. “Up to now, I’ve always relied on my good memory, but now that I’m working and studying, I find I’ve got too much to keep in my head.”

So what are you waiting for? No, you’re not too busy to make today the first day of your upgraded time-managed life. In fact, there’s no better time than the present to get an upper hand on time and begin to take increased control of your work and life. So, get out your pencil and paper and make a list.