Planning & Scheduling Your Week
CEFR: B1
Read/Listen first
Last Sunday I sat down with my planner to organise the next few weeks. I had to fit hospital visits, work meetings, and my online English classes into one calendar. I have already promised my family that I will spend more time with them, so I couldn’t cancel our weekend trip. At the same time, my manager has just announced a new project with a strict deadline, and we are going to have several long calls with the team. I decided to block time every evening, because if I don’t write things down, I always forget an important time slot. When I finished the schedule, I felt calmer. I knew exactly when I would visit my grandmother, when I would work late, and when I could simply rest. I would like to keep this routine every week, because it helps me balance work and personal life.⚡ Learning goals
- Describe and review a busy weekly schedule using past and future forms.
- Explain why certain appointments must be kept or rescheduled.
- Talk about balancing work, study, and family time.
✨ Key language
- fit something into your schedule “I had to fit hospital visits into my schedule.”
- be going to have a meeting “We are going to have a long planning call.”
- block time for something “I block time every evening for my online class.”
⚙️ Rules & Grammar — 4 Structures
1) Past simple for completed plans
Rule: Use the past simple to talk about finished plans and actions at a specific time in the past.Examples: Last Sunday I sat down with my planner.; I decided to block time every evening.; I finished the schedule and felt calmer.
Common pitfall + fix: Learners sometimes say “I have finished the schedule yesterday.” — Use “I finished the schedule yesterday.” instead.
Choose the correct past simple sentence.
Tip: Use the past simple form “sat” for a finished action.
Fill with the best answer: Last Sunday I ___ down with my planner to organise the week.
Tip: The past simple of “sit” is “sat”.
2) Present perfect for experiences and recent news
Rule: Use the present perfect to connect past experiences or very recent news with the present moment.Examples: I have already promised my family that I will spend more time with them.; My manager has just announced a new project.; I have planned my week carefully this time.
Common pitfall + fix: Do not use present perfect with finished time expressions like “yesterday” — use the past simple instead.
Which sentence correctly uses the present perfect?
Tip: Present perfect is “have/has + past participle”.
Fill with the best answer: I ___ my family that I will spend more time with them.
Tip: Use “have already promised” to show the promise is still important now.
3) Be going to for future arrangements
Rule: Use “be going to” to talk about future plans and arrangements that are already decided.Examples: We are going to have several long calls with the team.; I am going to visit my grandmother after work.; They are going to review the schedule tomorrow.
Common pitfall + fix: Avoid using the base form “going have”; always add “to” before the verb: “going to have”.
Choose the correct “be going to” sentence.
Tip: “be going to” is followed by the base verb: “to have”, “to visit”.
Fill with the best answer: We are ___ several long calls with the team.
Tip: Write the full phrase “going to have”.
4) Had to as the past of must
Rule: Use “had to” to talk about an obligation in the past; it is the past form of “must” or “have to”.Examples: I had to fit hospital visits into one calendar.; I had to block time every evening.; We had to change the schedule before the deadline.
Common pitfall + fix: Do not say “I musted”; use “I had to” for past obligations.
Which sentence correctly talks about a past obligation?
Tip: Use “had to” when the obligation was in the past.
Fill with the best answer: Yesterday I ___ change my schedule to visit my grandmother.
Tip: “Had to” is the correct past form of “must / have to”.
✍️ Vocabulary
planner
Meaning: a notebook or digital tool used to organise your time and tasks.Synonyms: organiser, agenda, schedule book.
Chunk/Idiom: open your planner.
Example: I sat down with my planner to organise the next few weeks.
Morphology: noun; related verb: plan.
Self-practice: Write two things in your planner for this week.
calendar
Meaning: a system or table that shows days, weeks, and months for planning time.Synonyms: schedule, timetable, agenda.
Chunk/Idiom: check the calendar.
Example: I checked the calendar before I accepted the meeting invite.
Morphology: noun; related adjective: calendar-based.
Self-practice: Check your calendar and say three important dates.
hospital visit
Meaning: a planned time when you go to see someone in hospital or see a doctor.Synonyms: appointment, check-up, consultation.
Chunk/Idiom: plan a hospital visit.
Example: She planned a hospital visit for Wednesday afternoon.
Morphology: noun phrase; verb: visit.
Self-practice: Describe one hospital visit you had to plan recently.
online class
Meaning: a lesson you join on the internet using a computer or phone.Synonyms: virtual lesson, remote course, e-learning session.
Chunk/Idiom: join an online class.
Example: I join my online class after I finish work.
Morphology: noun phrase; adjective: online.
Self-practice: Say when your next online class will be.
time slot
Meaning: a short, fixed period in a schedule that you can use for an activity.Synonyms: window, period, block of time.
Chunk/Idiom: choose a time slot.
Example: We chose a time slot that worked for everyone.
Morphology: noun phrase; related verb: schedule.
Self-practice: Choose one time slot today only for relaxing.
deadline
Meaning: the final time or date when something must be finished.Synonyms: due date, cut-off point, time limit.
Chunk/Idiom: meet a deadline.
Example: The project deadline is next Friday, so we must hurry.
Morphology: noun; related adjective: deadline-driven.
Self-practice: Say one deadline you have this week in English.
☁️ Examples (+ audio)
I have already promised my family that I will spend more time with them.
We are going to have several long calls with the project team next week.
I had to fit hospital visits and meetings into one calendar.
Last Sunday I sat down with my planner and finished the schedule.
✏️ Exercises
Grammar
Choose the best option: My manager ___ a new project with a strict deadline.
Tip: Use “has just announced” to show very recent news.
Choose the best option: Tomorrow I ___ my grandmother after work.
Tip: “am going to visit” shows a planned future action.
Fill with the best answer:
I ___ to keep this routine every week.Tip: “would like” is a polite way to talk about wishes.
Fill with the best answer:
When I ___ the schedule, I felt calmer.Tip: Use the past simple “finished” for a completed action.
Vocabulary & Comprehension
What is a “time slot”?
Tip: Think of one small block of time in your planner.
What does “deadline” mean in the story?
Tip: Many projects at work have important deadlines.
Fill with the best answer:
I sat down with my ___ to organise the next few weeks.Tip: This word is a book or app where you plan your time.
Fill with the best answer:
I had to fit hospital visits, work meetings, and my ___ into one calendar.Tip: Use the full phrase from the mini text.
✅ Guided practice
Mini-dialogue:
A: My week was so busy that I had to rewrite my whole schedule.B: Really? How did you fit hospital visits, meetings, and your online class into one calendar?
A: I blocked a time slot every evening, so I could finish everything calmly.
Why this matters:
Planning your week clearly reduces stress and helps you respect deadlines. It also makes it easier to balance work, study, and family time. When you control your schedule, you feel more confident and prepared.Verb & Adjective Pack:
plan ahead — I always plan ahead before a busy week.fit in — She tried to fit in one more hospital visit.
overwhelmed — He felt overwhelmed until he wrote a clear schedule.
scheduled — We scheduled our online class after work.
Try & compare:
Fill with the best answer: Tomorrow I am ___ my grandmother after work.
Tip: Use “am” + “going to” + base verb for future plans.
Self-correction: Fix the sentence: I have planned the schedule yesterday.
Tip: Do not use the present perfect with finished time expressions like “yesterday”.
Practice aloud: Listen, repeat, then type the sentence.
I block time every evening so I do not miss my online class.
Tip: Pay attention to word order when you talk about routines.