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BUSINESS ENGLISH · ENGLISH IN VIDEO · UPPER-INTERMEDIATE (B2-C1)

MANAGING
FREE TIME

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1 Warm up
In pairs, look at the pictures and answer the following questions.

picture 1 picture 2

picture 3 picture 4

1. How many hours per week do you typically spend working? Do you think this is above or below
average? Why?
2. What is the first thing you usually do when you have finished work at the end of the week?
3. Are you able to stop thinking about work in your free time? Why/Why not?
4. What activities do you usually do to relax?
5. Would you like to have more free time? Why/Why not? What would you do with it if so?

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2 Understanding the introduction

You are going to listen to a business person talking about managing free time. Number the extracts
from the introduction in order from 1-8. The first one has been done for you.

a colleague while on a picnic with your family. We’ve convinced ourselves that these behaviours are
no

And this is true even of our days off. Maybe you’ve taken a call at the beach, texted your boss from
the grocery store or emailed

big deal. It’s just one email. But there’s a real cost to these interruptions, and there are smart strategies
we can all take to better protect our time.

For so many of us, myself included, our days feel filled with a million small interruptions. 1

In one study, researchers recruited parents who were visiting a science museum with their kids. Some
parents were told to check their phone as much as possible;

others were told to check their phone as little as possible. After the visit, parents who used their
phones reported that the experience was significantly less meaningful.

These moments seem so small at the time, and yet research suggests they add up to a tremendous
loss. The constant creep of work into our personal lives can increase our stress and undermine our
happiness. So just what is the cost?

They also felt much lonelier.

Watch the first section of the video (00:00 - 01:07) to check your answers.

Now, find a word or phrase from the introduction that matches each definition.

1. an event which stops something else happening for a period of time

2. not something which is important

3. significant or large

4. something growing beyond its desired limits

5. make something weaker

6. get people to join a group or an organisation

7. emotionally significant

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3 Focus on vocabulary

Part A: Match the words to the definitions.

1. burnout (n) a. a feeling of being completely exhausted and unable to perform

physically or mentally, usually because of working too much
2. productive (adj.) b. a way of measuring something, often performance

3. boundary (n) c. completing a lot of tasks

4. uphold (v) d. felt very strongly

5. accountable (adj.) e. give someone the space or the ability to do something

6. metric (n) f. give the authority to do something

7. profound (adj.) g. responsible for a task or a decision

8. empower (v) h. support something

9. accommodate (v) i. the limit of what is and isn’t acceptable behaviour for someone

Part B: Now put the vocabulary from Part A into the correct gaps in the sentences. You may have to
change the form of the words.

1. Seeing how ill my father got from the stress from his job, had a effect on the way
I approach my working life.
2. The company gives me a lot of flexibility which allows me to the demands of
being a parent as well as a manager.
3. We spend so long in meetings at the moment that it is hard to feel during the
work day.
4. I found myself really struggling in the job because there weren’t any clear for me
to understand if I was doing well or not.
5. After such a positive performance review, I felt to apply for a promotion.
6. I really felt that his comments in the meeting crossed the of professional behaviour.
7. I’m sorry if I sound critical, but it’s my job as a manager to the highest standards
of work.
8. She suddenly asked for two weeks of leave. I think she’s suffering from .
9. Sales have been falling all year and he’s stressed because he knows he will be held
for that, even though it’s largely beyond his control.

Now in pairs, discuss the following questions.

1. What can you do to empower the people you work with in their roles?
2. Have you or anyone you know ever suffered from burnout? What happened? How did you/they
deal with it?
3. Does your company accommodate the needs of its employees? Or could it do more?

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MANAGING FREE TIME

4 Watching for details

Watch the rest of the video (01:07 - 05:05) and decide which of the following pieces of advice the
buisiness person gives.

1. Spend 15 minutes sitting quietly after work to separate work from your free time.
2. Treat your weekend as if it was a holiday.
3. Make sure you get some exercise during the workday.
4. If you are not available, ask colleagues to only contact you in an emergency.
5. If you are able to, move a Monday deadline to a Tuesday afternoon to protect your weekend.

6. Create a list of what you need to do the next day before you leave work.

5 Comprehension

Watch the rest of the video again (01:07 - 05:05) and answer the following questions.

1. What did the experiment with the tourists who visited the church show?

a. It was easier to communicate the experience to others when tourists had their phones with
them.
b. Recalling specific details of the visit was harder for tourists who had access to their phones
during that time.
c. Tourists who used their phones had access to greater amounts of information and therefore
enjoyed the experience more.

2. What example does the speaker give of how work distractions can take away from personal life?

a. She missed her first child’s birthday due to working too late.
b. She texted a client while her first child was performing in a play.
c. She communicated with a client during an examination while she was pregnant.

3. How does the speaker suggest we think about the word "rest"?

a. See it as time to proactively enjoy ourselves rather than just seeing it as dead time.
b. Look at it as time where you are allowed to do nothing and stay in bed if you need to.
c. Make it flexible and break it up with periods of work if it helps.

4. Which of the following suggestions does she make for enjoying yourself?

a. Get a bike and cycle around your local area like a tourist to rediscover it.
b. Walk a long way with no plan in mind and leave your phone at home.
c. Book a weekend trip to Paris to see the Eiffel Tower.

5. What is the second suggestion that the speaker makes?

a. Try varying your work hours, for example working ten hours one day and five the next.
b. Encourage people to go out for lunch once or twice a week to relax.
c. Set limits around your work time so that you are able to enjoy time off.

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MANAGING FREE TIME

6. What suggestion does the speaker make to help with the second suggestion?

a. Set aims for your free time with your colleagues and hold each other accountable for them.
b. Commit to cooking dinner in the evening for your family and honour that commitment.
c. Exercise with your colleagues so that you all feel fit and healthier.

7. What is the final suggestion the speaker makes?

a. If you feel you’re working too much, negotiate for a higher salary to compensate for your time.
b. Negotiate for time away from work during the week, such as spending an afternoon having a
long lunch with colleagues.
c. Try asking for more time to deal with your various tasks so that you are less pressured.

8. What did the speaker’s data reveal about the way some employees used their time?

a. Employees who asked for more time did better quality work with fewer issues around stress.
b. Employers generally value employees who can quickly and efficiently complete tasks.
c. Time management was a key factor in whether employees were promoted or not.

6 Phrases in context
In pairs, discuss the meaning of the underlined words and phrases in the following sentences.

1. I think burnout is far more likely in this always-on culture that we live in.
2. I spent too much time working when I was younger and got short-changed on time with my
children and my family.
3. A lot of people left the company in the wake of the restructuring and the impact it had on relationships.
4. For people to be able to be productive, I think it’s important to reframe how we think about time
off.
5. Employees who proactively look for feedback and confirmation do better with some managers
than others.
6. My ability to focus has been really fractured lately and it’s affecting my productivity.

7 Talking point
In pairs, discuss the following questions.

1. Why do you think it is that some people work really long hours and have little personal time?
2. In your opinion, are there problems with work/life balance with your workplace? Why/Why not?
3. Does your company do anything which helps its employees address the problems of stress and
burnout? What are they?
4. What did you think about the suggestions that were made in the video? Were they useful to you?
Why/Why not?
5. What other suggestions can you think of which would help someone have a healthier balance of
work and life?

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8 Extended activity/homework

Read the writing task.

You receive an email from a friend which talks about his work life. Read the following extract and write
a reply giving them advice about the situation.

Work, however, is very hard. I like my job, but I work long days, frequently going in before
8 am and often staying until after 6 or 7. I often don’t see the kids during the week because
they are either too tired, or already in bed when I get home. Vanessa and I haven’t been
communicating very well. She gets annoyed because I’m always checking my phone for emails
at the table, or reading reports in bed. I know I shouldn’t do it, but if I leave work alone for
too long, I worry that I might be missing something important. I even sometimes get up early
at the weekend to do a little work before the family gets up so I can not be stressed when we
spend time together. Honestly, I’m exhausted. I don’t know how much longer I can keep this
up.

You should:
• Write at least 250 words.
• Check your grammar, spelling and punctuation

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MANAGING FREE TIME

Transcripts

2. Understanding the introduction

Speaker: For so many of us, myself included, our days feel filled with a million small interruptions.
And this is true even of our days off. Maybe you’ve taken a call at the beach, texted your
boss from the grocery store or emailed a colleague while on a picnic with your family.

Speaker: We’ve convinced ourselves that these behaviours are no big deal. It’s just one email. But
there’s a real cost to these interruptions, and there are smart strategies we can all take
to better protect our time. These moments seem so small at the time, and yet research
suggests they add up to a tremendous loss.

Speaker: The constant creep of work into our personal lives can increase our stress and undermine
our happiness. So just what is the cost? In one study, researchers recruited parents who
were visiting a science museum with their kids. Some parents were told to check their
phone as much as possible; others were told to check their phone as little as possible.

Speaker: After the visit, parents who used their phones reported that the experience was
significantly less meaningful. They also felt much lonelier. In another study, tourists who
were asked to have their phones out while visiting an iconic church remembered fewer
details a week later. And in my research, employees who were paid for their performance
spent increasingly less time interacting with friends and family, and more and more time
interacting with colleagues and clients.

Speaker: These constant interruptions come at a cost to organisations, too. Companies lose 32
days of productivity each year to employee depression, which is often caused by the stress
and burnout of our always-on culture. Despite knowing better, I, too, have found myself
focusing on “urgent work distractions” over important life moments.

Speaker: Most recently, I found myself texting a client while in the middle of my first child’s first
ultrasound ... happy client, guilty mom-to-be. When you add up all of these moments, the
sum total is a life short-changed on meaning, joy, connection and even memory. As we
remake our models of work in the wake of the pandemic, now is our opportunity to create
a new culture that respects time.

Speaker: And the way to make this really big change is through small steps that we can take right
now. The first step that we need to take is to reframe rest. Reflect for a moment about what
you think about when you hear the word "rest". Sounds amazing, right? But in my mind, I
immediately worry about not being productive enough or letting down my colleagues.

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Speaker: When we do have time off, we need to find ways in which we can enjoy the present
moment and savour the leisure time that we have available, as opposed to seeing it as
an unproductive barrier to our work. One specific strategy we can take is to treat our
upcoming weekend like a vacation. On Friday afternoon, jot down how you would act and
behave as if you were on a holiday. Maybe you and your partner will buy a bottle of wine
and watch online clips of the Eiffel Tower.

Speaker: Maybe you’ll visit a local cafe and listen to some live music. Or maybe you’ll go for a long
walk in the middle of the day with no phone and no agenda. The plan doesn’t have to be
expensive or extravagant. Another strategy you can take is to create clear boundaries for
your time off. Instead of saying, "I’m out of the office. Feel free to Slack me whenever," say,
"I’ll be offline. Call me only if it’s urgent." To uphold these personal goals, work together as
a team. Set team goals for personal time.

Speaker: Do it publicly, collect data and hold each other accountable. These goals could sound like,
"I will not check email between 6:00 and 8:00pm;" "I will have dinner with my family four
nights a week;" or "I will go for a jog midday." Check in on your team’s progress and see
how everyone’s doing. If you or your teammates are unsuccessful, work together to help
accomplish personal goals.

Speaker: Lastly, you can negotiate for more time to prevent work from creeping into your personal
life. In business school, I teach students to negotiate for salary but realise I spoke almost
nothing about negotiating for more time. What does this look like in practice? You can ask
for more time on adjustable deadlines at work. If your client asks for a deliverable Monday
morning, ask for an extension until Tuesday afternoon so you don’t find yourself working
on your well-deserved weekend. And don’t worry too much about reputation.

Speaker: Quality truly is the metric that matters most. In my data, employees who proactively
asked for more time reported lower levels of stress and burnout, and were seen as more
committed and professional by their colleagues. These are small but powerful changes to
not only reframe rest, but to reclaim it. Once you discover the profound impact that these
changes can have, you’ll feel empowered to demand that others respect and accommodate
your approach to time. Maybe they’ll even feel inspired to piece together the fractured
moments of their lives, too.

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Key

1. Warm up

5 mins.
This allows the students to begin thinking about the topic. You may want to question students about the work
culture in their culture generally, though there will be the opportunity for deeper discussion at the end of the
lesson, so keep it light at this stage.

2. Understanding the introduction

10 mins.
This allows students to interact with the script from the video they will be watching and deal with some vocabulary
visually.

1. For so many of us, myself included, our days feel filled with a million small interruptions.
2. And this is true even of our days off. Maybe you’ve taken a call at the beach, texted your boss from the grocery
store or emailed
3. a colleague while on a picnic with your family. We’ve convinced ourselves that these behaviours are no
4. big deal. It’s just one email. But there’s a real cost to these interruptions, and there are smart strategies we can
all take to better protect our time.
5. These moments seem so small at the time, and yet research suggests they add up to a tremendous loss. The
constant creep of work into our personal lives can increase our stress and undermine our happiness. So just what
is the cost?
6. In one study, researchers recruited parents who were visiting a science museum with their kids. Some parents
were told to check their phone as much as possible;
7. others were told to check their phone as little as possible. After the visit, parents who used their phones
reported that the experience was significantly less meaningful.
8. They also felt much lonelier.
Vocabulary

1. interruption 2. no big deal 3. tremendous 4. (the) creep of

5. undermine 6. recruited 7. meaningful

3. Focus on vocabulary

5 mins.
Ensure students can correctly pronounce the target vocabulary. Ask them to complete the task unaided in the
first instance, but allow them to use a reference to check their work later if needed.
accountable (adj.): (Note: this is often used with the verb hold. You can hold someone accountable for something
or be accountable to someone)
empower (v): (Note: this is often used passively to be/feel empowered to feel as though you have the ability/confidence
to do something)

1. a 2. c 3. i 4. h 5. g 6. b 7. d 8. f 9. e
Part B
10 mins.

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Ask students to decide which part of speech can fill the gaps before attempting the exercise. Point out that they
may have to change the form of the words to fit. You may want them to check what other forms of the words
there are so that they are prepared for this. When they have finished, ask them to discuss the questions in order
for them to practise using the vocabulary.

1. profound 2. accommodate 3. productive 4. metrics 5. empowered

6. 7. uphold 8. burnout 9. accountable
boundary/boundaries

4. Watching for details

5 mins.
This allows the students to watch the video and listen for the general information before engaging with the
comprehension questions.

1. not mentioned 2. mentioned 3. not mentioned

4. mentioned 5. mentioned 6. not mentioned

5. Comprehension

10 mins.
Ask the students to read through the questions with the choices and predict what the answers are before watching
the video to check their work.

1. b 2. c 3. a 4. b 5. c 6. a 7. c 8. a

6. Phrases in context

5 mins.
This gives students additional support with some of the vocabulary from the video and a chance to discuss it while
looking at it in context.

1. This describes a culture where there’s no real time 2. In literal terms, "short-changed" is when you are
for resting or relaxing. Continual hard work and high not given enough money back when you make a cash
output is valued over rest and reflection. purchase. For example, you buy something for eight
pounds, you give a ten-pound note and receive one
pound back. However, we also use it in situations where
we feel we don’t get enough of something we should
have had. So, in this example, this person feels they did
not get the time with their children and family that they
should have had.
3. What happens after an event as a result of that event. 4. To frame something is the way you talk about it or
A "wake" in literal terms is the waves caused by a boat express it. Therefore, to reframe something is usually
moving through water. So, this is a way of referring to talking or thinking about it in a new way. Often because
the effects of something. there was a problem with the old way. So, in the
example, it’s likely that the culture was negative about
taking time off work, and the speaker is saying that we
need to think about it differently and that time off and
rest is linked to productivity, not the opposite of it.

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5. Proactively doing something means consciously 6. If something is physically fractured, it is split into
doing it and focusing on doing it. So, if you proactively smaller pieces. However, we can use the same idea to
look for feedback, you ask for it and don’t just wait until talk about time, concentration and other non-physical
someone offers you feedback. aspects to express a negative idea of it not being whole.
So if your ability to focus is really fractured, you can’t
focus well. Your attention is split between lots of
different things.

7. Talking point

10 mins.
Ask the students to discuss the questions in pairs or small groups. Circulate and help as needed.

8. Extended activity/homework

40 mins +.
Ask the students to read the letter extract, plan, write and edit their reply. Ensure you give students feedback on
their work.

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