GOLD - LIVE LESSONS

Productivity

What you will learn:

Productivity Vocabulary

Part 2 and 3 Questions

Model Answer

Collocations

Your Questions

Zoom - Break out chats

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 Essential Vocabulary for Productivity

Fill in the gaps in these sentences with ONE word. We are talking
about productivity.

1. I’m a real procrastinator, I often put ______ the work I need to do.

2. I have ______ a lot of e ort ______ this report, please take time to
read it.

3. He is a proli c and e______ writer, he can write 3 books in one

year.

Answers at bottom of PDF

Productivity (n)

To be productive (adj.)

To procrastinate (v.)

Procrastination (n.)

To put something o = to postpone

Proli c (adj.) = produce a large amount of something

Tips, tricks and hacks

You are barking up the wrong tree = you are focused on the wrong
thing

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 E cient (work with the least time, e ort and resources)

E ective (produce the desired result)

“ Ef ciency is about getting more things done. Effectiveness is about

getting the right things done”

James Clear

Make an e ort to do something

Put a lot of e ort into (doing) something

Put in a lot of e ort.

A to-do list

To manage your time

To waste time

To save time = spend less time doing something

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How to be productive

Priority (n.)

Prioritise (v.)

Prioritise your tasks

Have a nap

To stretch your legs in between tasks = have a short break

Break down work into smaller tasks

Make a plan and hedge your bets = reduce the risk

Use a to-do list

I am a stickler for ____ = I insist on _____ (a clean desk)

Listen to the audio (in the live lesson) and write down the
tip!

You can read the article the audio is based on here

https://jamesclear.com/productivity-tip

ANSWER

Do the most important thing rst each day!

Read more from James Clear here

https://jamesclear.com/productivity

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An important ‘theory’ related to productivity is the Pareto Principle.

You can watch a video about this, in the link below.

The Pareto Principle

This principal, also know as the 80 - 20 principle, says,

80% of your results come from 20% of your work

An example of this could be,

80% of revenue comes from 20% of customers

More useful books on Productivity

The 4 hour week by Tim Ferris

Atomic Habits by James Clear

The One Thing by Gary Keller

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Common Questions Part 2

Describe something you changed that saves you a lot of time

Ideas of time-saving changes

This is a tough one and you need to rack your brains!

First think of di erent activities you do, for example…

When…

working,

studying,

cooking,

shopping,

reading,

Second, think about how to save time…

Delegate

Track your own time

Focus on one task (with closed door)

Multi-task / Double up (walk, listen to podcast, pick up bread)

Avoid meetings

Read blinkist

Group similar tasks together

Make the most of trips

Delete social media from your phone

Get more ideas from this website below:

https://organisemyhouse.com/ways-save-time-every-week/

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 Model Answer
Describe something you changed that saves you a lot of time

You should say,

What it is
How you implement it
How dif cult it is

And explain how you feel about the change

Watch the Model Answer (in the live lesson) and then ll in the gaps
with one word only

1. A productivity tip or ______

2. She ________ us to prepare our activities for the day

3. Just make a ______ about it

4. You just get _____ with it

5. In the evening, you’re not ______ up in your work

6. I found it easy to _________

Answers at bottom of the PDF

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 Useful Expressions

To take a short cut

To take a quicker route / way than usual.

We can take a short cut by crossing the forest.

Using canned beans is a nice short cut for this recipe, and saves time

To cut corners
To do something less well, to save time or money.

These guests are important so don’t cut corners when preparing the
food

To get round to doing something

To nally manage to do something

Last week I nally got round to starting my new book.

To double down on something

To focus even more on one particular activity or strategy

We should double down on this marketing strategy, as it is working so

well.

To be bogged down with work = to have too much work…

To be snowed under with work = to have too much work…

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How to use mind maps (Part 3 of the course)

You can both create your own mind maps and also review the mind
maps in the course.

You can use them to

- Generate ideas
- Build vocabulary (Collocations)
- Review language
- Practice saying sentences (relevant to you)

Common Topics Part 3

Does technology save us time?

Should we teach children to save time?

Should we teach children to be productive?

Does productivity at work lead to success?

Is the growth of the hack culture a good or a bad thing?

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Essential Vocabulary for Productivity: Answers
1. I’m a real procrastinator, I often put OFF the work I need to do

2. I have PUT a lot of e ort INTO this report, please take time to
read it.

3. He is a proli c and EFFICIENT writer, he can write 3 books in one

year.

Model Answer gap- ll: Answers

Watch the Model Answer and then ll in the gaps with one word only

1. A productivity tip or HACK

2. She ADVISES us to prepare our activities for the day

3. Just make a NOTE about it

4. You just get ON with it

5. In the evening, you’re not WRAPPED up in your work

6. I found it easy to IMPLEMENT

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