Lesson 3
How to Manage Your Time

Guidance

What is the most important in your life? Money or time? Of course time. And can you manage your time well? 你生命中最重要的是什么？金錢還是時間？當然是時間。你會合理安排自己的時間嗎？

1 One day, a teacher was speaking to a group of students about how to manage time. He gave such an interesting example that his students would never forget.

2 He put a wide-mouth jar on the table. Then he took out some rocks and carefully placed them into the jar, one at a time. When no more rocks would fit inside, he asked the students, “Is this jar full?”

3 Everyone in class shouted, “Yes.” “Really?” The teacher pulled out a bag of small stones. He put some small stones in and shook the jar. The small stones went down into the spaces between the big rocks. He then asked the group again, “Is this jar full?”

4 Most of the students kept in silence. After a while, “Probably not,” one of them answered. “Good!” the teacher replied. He brought out a box of sand and put some sand into the jar and it went between the rocks and the small stones. Again he asked the same question, “Is this jar full now?”

5 “No,” the class shouted. Once more the teacher said, “Good.” He poured a cup of water into the jar till it was full. Then he asked, “What is the point here?” One student raised his hand and said, “The point is that if you try really hard, you can always put more things in.”

6 “No,” the teacher replied, “that’s not the point. What I want to tell you is that if you don’t put the big rocks in first, you will never get others in at all.^①”

7 So, remember, first, order your to-do list.^② Next, pick your top 5 tasks, keep the top one with you all the time. Then, make them non-negotiable. Finally, don’t wait to “find time” in your day, make time.^③

8 What are the “big rocks” in your life? Time with your friends, your education or your dreams?

(390 words)

Word bank

Notes

^① What I want to tell you is that if you don’t put the big rocks in first, you will never get others in at all. 我想告訴你們的是如果你們不把生活中重要的事情先做好，其他事情也做不好。

^② order your to-do list… 學會給自己日程表里的工作排序，分清主次。

^③ don’t wait to “find time” in your day, make time. （做事情）不要等有了時間才去做，要自己擠出時間，合理安排。

Practice

Ⅰ. Reading comprehension

1. What did the teacher put in the wide-mouth jar first?

A. Some water.

B. Some stones.

C. Some rocks.

D. Some sand.

2. He put some small stones in and shook the jar. What’s the Chinese meaning of the underlined word?

A. 填滿

B.震動

C.倒空

D. 晃動

3. He gave such an interesting example that his students would never forget. In another way, we can say he gave________________________________________that his students would never forget.

4. Why did most of the students keep in silence?

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5. One student said, “The point is that if you try really hard, you can always put more things in.” What’s your opinion?

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Ⅱ. Writing practice

What are the “big rocks” in your life? Time with your friends, your education or your dreams? Please write it down, and say something about it.

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