Lesson: How to hack your to-do list
Conversation
Answer the following questions. You might be asked to write them down or answer them out-loud.
Vocabulary
Look at the vocabulary below. Take time to explore the links for their definitions in English and their translations to portuguese. When you are done, make a sentence with each word. Ask your teacher if you should write them down or say them out loud.
Video
Watch the following video but DON'T read the transcript yet.
After watching the video do this listening exercise.
Reading practice
Read the following transcript then do the associated reading comprehension exercise.
- So I was talking with David *Alan the book Getting Things Done about how to be more organized and he asked me: D: Why do you keep a calendar? - Because if I don’t I’ll forget where I’m supposed to be and when. D: That’s right your head can’t handle that complexity * the complexity of your calendar * the complexity of the rest of your life. If your calendar manages maybe 3% or 4% * your commitments * where you need to keep track of. - The other 96% David says are things like our goals, our projects, our to do list. What we need to store, that phone call we need to make, all these other things we just let our brain or * try to keep track of. D: The * actually sucks as system it’ll remind you of stuffs that you can’t do at 3 o’clock in the morning, which is not very bright. If that was just one thing that be bad enough but multiply that but about a thousand and realize this buzz is going on everybody’s head. - So David thinks we need a new system that captures that buzz and quiets your brain. The first step in the system is to get everything written down. D: So capturing it that’s a first critical step. That is I got to identify those things that are potentially meaningful otherwise my * is gonna go, don’t forget, don’t forget, don’t forget… and this little monkey is going to star to talk inside my head. - But just writing things down isn’t enough because D: If you look at most people’s to do list you see things like Mom or bank. You have to take to the next step, so now you’ve got to clarify with the all *command committed to. And then you say what does doing look like, *where does it happen, so what’s the very next action about Mom’s birthday, what’s the very next action about the bank, is that a phone to make, is that a surf the web to find out something. The third thing you need to do is you need to *park the result, otherwise it goes back *. - The final two steps David says are to review this list you make, those parking lots for your tasks in your projects and then of course to do them. D: The big secret here about getting things done is not about getting things done. I am now free and clear in my head to let my attention go where it wants to go or where I want to put it. It’s about being properly engaged with your life. - And won’t you stop trying to keep all of those tasks and projects in your head and quiet the * monkeys. You’ll find that you have increase capacity to think and be creative.
Writing practice
Write a couple of paragraphs ---->>>> instructions <<<<-----. Make sure to use words you learned from the text and try to make it as long as you can. This is your opportunity to show off your writing skills.