Managing Busy Schedules at Work
CEFR: B2
Read/Listen first
This week at the factory has been intense. My boss is away, so I am chairing two daily meetings and answering urgent emails from our German customer. Yesterday morning I arrived at eight o’clock with a clear plan, but by nine thirty my day was already full of back-to-back meetings. First, I had to reschedule a technical call that the customer cancelled two hours before. Then I needed to finish a presentation for next Monday’s audit while my phone kept ringing. To stay organised, I tried to time-block my calendar, grouping emails, reports and short meetings. I also created a priority list with three must-do tasks and moved less important work to tomorrow. Even so, I stayed late and did overtime to close an urgent safety report. If I don’t learn to protect focus time, my schedule will control me instead of helping me manage the team.⚡ Learning goals
- Can describe a very busy workday using schedule and time expressions.
- Can explain why tasks must be rescheduled and negotiate a new time politely.
- Can talk about strategies for protecting focus time and avoiding overtime.
✨ Key language
- My day is already full. “My day is already full of meetings.”
- I need to reschedule our meeting. “I need to reschedule our meeting for tomorrow morning.”
- Let’s block some focus time. “Let’s block some focus time for this report.”
⚙️ Rules & Grammar — 4 Structures
1️⃣ Present simple vs present continuous
Rule: Use present simple for routines and habits, and present continuous for temporary situations happening around now or this week.Examples: I arrive at eight o’clock every morning.; I am chairing two daily meetings while my boss is away.; He usually finishes at five, but this week he is working late.
Common pitfall + fix: Learners often say “I am arriving at eight every day” for a routine — use present simple “I arrive at eight every day” for regular schedules.
Which sentence correctly describes a temporary situation?
Tip: Use present continuous for situations that are true only for a short, temporary period.
Fill with the best answer: This week I ________ extra reports because my boss is away.
Tip: For temporary extra work around now, use present continuous: am/is/are + -ing.
2️⃣ Using “have to” and “need to” for obligations
Rule: Use “have to” and “need to” to talk about strong or external obligations at work.Examples: I have to reschedule a technical call.; I need to finish a presentation for Monday’s audit.; We have to send the safety report today.
Common pitfall + fix: Learners sometimes say “I must to finish” — remove “to” after “must” and similar modal verbs: “I must finish”.
Which sentence best shows obligation?
Tip: “Have to” and “need to” show that something is necessary, not just a preference.
Fill with the best answer: I ________ reply to these urgent emails before lunch.
Tip: Use “have to” to talk about tasks you cannot delay or ignore.
3️⃣ Time clauses with “when”, “while”, “before”, “after”
Rule: Use these conjunctions to show the time relationship between two actions.Examples: I arrived with a clear plan before the day became busy.; While my phone kept ringing, I tried to stay focused.; After the customer cancelled, I rescheduled the call.
Common pitfall + fix: Learners sometimes repeat the subject in both parts in an unnatural way — keep the structure clear and simple in each clause.
Choose the best option: I review my priority list ________ I open my inbox.
Tip: Use “before” when one action happens earlier than another.
Fill with the best answer: We update the action plan ________ we finish the weekly meeting.
Tip: Use “after” when one action happens later than another action.
4️⃣ Infinitives and -ing forms for plans and priorities
Rule: Use “to” + verb after verbs like plan, want, need, and use -ing after prepositions such as before, after, instead of.Examples: I created a priority list to focus on three must-do tasks.; I stayed late to close an urgent safety report.; Instead of answering every call, I tried protecting focus time.
Common pitfall + fix: Learners mix “to” and -ing forms randomly — remember many prepositions take an -ing form, not “to” + verb.
Choose the best option: I made a list ________ forget my most important tasks.
Tip: After “make a list”, use “to” + verb to explain the purpose.
Fill with the best answer: Instead of ________ every email immediately, I batch them twice a day.
Tip: After prepositions like “instead of”, use a verb in the -ing form.
✍️ Vocabulary
back-to-back meetings
Meaning: meetings scheduled one immediately after another, with no break between them.Synonyms: consecutive meetings, nonstop meetings
Chunk/Idiom: back-to-back meetings all morning
Example: I had back-to-back meetings and no time for a proper lunch.
Morphology: adjective phrase; used before plural noun “meetings”.
Self-practice: Describe one day when you had back-to-back meetings at work.
reschedule
Meaning: to change the time or date of a planned meeting or event.Synonyms: rearrange, postpone
Chunk/Idiom: reschedule a technical call
Example: We had to reschedule the technical call after the customer cancelled suddenly.
Morphology: verb; regular verb often used with objects like “meeting” or “call”.
Self-practice: Write two sentences about meetings you had to reschedule recently.
time-block
Meaning: to divide your day into fixed blocks of time for specific tasks.Synonyms: schedule blocks, structure time
Chunk/Idiom: time-block my calendar
Example: I time-block my mornings for email and my afternoons for meetings.
Morphology: verb; often used with objects like “day” or “calendar”.
Self-practice: Explain how you could time-block one busy day this week.
priority list
Meaning: a written list showing the most important tasks you must do first.Synonyms: task ranking, action list
Chunk/Idiom: a priority list with three must-do tasks
Example: I review my priority list before opening my inbox each morning.
Morphology: noun phrase; combines noun “priority” and noun “list”.
Self-practice: Create a priority list with three tasks for tomorrow.
overtime
Meaning: extra hours of work beyond your normal schedule, often in the evening.Synonyms: extra hours, additional work
Chunk/Idiom: stay late and do overtime
Example: She worked overtime again to finish the urgent safety report.
Morphology: noun; sometimes used in phrases like “do overtime” or “paid overtime”.
Self-practice: Write when it is acceptable or not acceptable to do overtime.
focus time
Meaning: protected time in your schedule when you work without interruptions.Synonyms: deep work, concentrated time
Chunk/Idiom: protect focus time in my calendar
Example: I need quiet focus time to write clear, detailed audit reports.
Morphology: noun phrase; often used with verbs like protect or schedule.
Self-practice: Decide when your best focus time is and describe it in one sentence.
☁️ Examples (+ audio)
I often have back-to-back meetings on Monday mornings.
We need to reschedule the audit because my boss is away.
I use a priority list to decide what to do first.
Blocking focus time in my calendar helps me avoid overtime.
✏️ Exercises
Grammar
Which sentence best describes a regular routine?
Tip: Use present simple for habits and fixed routines.
Which sentence shows a strong obligation?
Tip: “Need to” is often used for important, urgent tasks.
Fill with the best answer:
My day is already ________ of meetings and calls.Tip: We often say “full of meetings” to describe a very busy schedule.
Fill with the best answer:
Tomorrow we ________ the cancelled call at ten o’clock.Tip: Use “will” plus the base verb to describe a future decision made now.
Vocabulary & Comprehension
What does “back-to-back meetings” mean?
Tip: Think of meetings that touch each other with no space in the calendar.
Why did the speaker stay late at work?
Tip: Look for the final reason given at the end of the mini text.
Fill with the best answer:
I use a ________ list to decide my three must-do tasks.Tip: Use the same noun that appears before “list” in the mini text.
Fill with the best answer:
Time-________ my calendar helps me protect long blocks of focus time.Tip: Think of the -ing form from the expression “time-block my calendar”.
✅ Guided practice
Mini-dialogue:
A: Hi, could we reschedule our update meeting? My morning is already full.B: Sure, let’s move it to tomorrow’s focus time block after lunch.
A: Great, that will help me finish today’s urgent safety report.
Why this matters:
Managing a busy schedule helps you stay calm and professional. Protecting focus time lets you complete deep work without constant interruptions. Clear priorities reduce stress and make your workload feel more realistic.Verb & Adjective Pack:
to reschedule a meeting — We rescheduled the audit meeting for next Monday morning.overloaded with work — I felt overloaded with work after three urgent emails arrived.
protected focus time — My protected focus time is usually early in the morning.
back-to-back meetings — Back-to-back meetings make it hard to think clearly.
realistic deadline — We set a realistic deadline so nobody needs constant overtime.
Try & compare:
Fill with the best answer: I try to ________ my morning so I have two hours of focus time.
Tip: Use a common verb we use with “schedule” and “day”.
Self-correction: Fix the sentence: I must to stay overtime every day this week.
Tip: After “must”, use the base form of the verb, without “to”.
Practice aloud: Listen, repeat, then type the sentence.
My schedule is busy, but I protect one long block of focus time.
Tip: Listen to the rhythm of the sentence before you type it.