Paul brown's daily routine
Friday morning. The alarm clock goes off at 7. Paul usually gets up easily but not this time. It’s not simple to wake up so early if you go to bed at 3 in the morning. He can hardly open his eyes. Half an hour passes before Paul finally makes himself get up. He is still sleepy. He slowly gets dressed and looks out of the window. It’s drizzling1 and the sidewalk is wet. There’s nobody in sight2. The campus looks deserted. But Paul goes jogging every morning, whatever the weather3. He sighs4, puts on his sneakers and goes out. Twenty minutes later he comes back and takes a long shower. As usual jogging and a cold shower do him good. He is wide awake now. Paul looks at the clock. It’s 8.15. Time for breakfast. He goes to the kitchen to make coffee. A cup of coffee is always reviving5, especially after the party like yesterday’s. He smiles at the thought of that delicious birthday cake. But the smile vanishes6 the moment he remembers his schedule for today. He’s got three classes on Friday.
9.00–10.30 – German Class
11.00–12.30 – Political System of Germany
14.00–15.30 – German Literature
Anything else? An appointment with his tutor at 4 o’clock. He completely forgot! And there’s an essay to finish! When in the world can he do that? He suddenly remembers: lunch time (12.30—14.00). Well, he can’t afford7 a regular lunch today, just a quick snack. It gives him at least an extra hour more to finish his essay and get ready for the discussion. His tutor is always very critical of his students’ homework. You must know your subject well enough to answer his tricky questions.
8.50. Paul rushes out of the house. It doesn’t take him long to get to the college. So at 8.55 he is at the university. All the students in his class are already there. They’re very glad to see Paul. And so is he. At 9 o’clock Mr Lewis comes in and the class starts. Mr Lewis’s classes are Paul’s favourite ones. Time flies quickly. He enjoys the class so much that the end of the class at 10.30 always comes as a surprise. 10.30–11.00. Coffee break. Paul and the other students go to a coffee bar to have a chat over a cup of coffee. 11.00. Back to another class. It’s rather difficult for Paul to concentrate on the subject, all the more so he doesn’t like it too much. It isn’t as interesting as Mr Lewis’s German Class. Honestly Paul finds it boring.
12.30. Lunch time. Everybody hurries to the dining hall. But Paul doesn’t. At lunchtime he is at his desk in his room. So much work to do and so little time! Paul opens his essay book and starts writing. When he looks at the clock, it’s ten minutes past 2. He is late for the class but he feels great. His essay is ready! The thought is very comforting. Friday’s last class is German Literature, another of Paul’s favourites. It’s always very interesting and instructive. After the class Paul has got half an hour to look through the essay and his notes. He is no longer afraid of the coming meeting. He feels sure of himself.
The session goes well. The students discuss their essays. The tutor makes some critical remarks but on the whole he’s quite pleased with their work. Finally he sets work for them to do and they part till next time. On his way home Paul drops in at the student pub. He takes a glass of beer and sits down at the table next to his friends. He looks around. The pub is crowded, as usual at this time. Everybody is laughing and talking. Loud music is playing. But nobody is dancing. It’s too early for that. Paul suddenly feels very tired. He says good-bye to his friends and leaves the pub. The thing is that there is a concert of a Spanish guitar player at the club at 8. Paul doesn’t want to miss it but he needs some rest. The concert finishes at 11.30. When Paul comes back home, it’s nearly midnight. At long last the hard day is over! He takes off his clothes and goes to bed straightaway. 5 minutes later he is fast asleep.
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1 drizzle – мелкий дождь; моросить
2 in sight – в поле зрения
3 whatever the weather – в любую погоду
4 sigh – вздыхать
5 revive – восстанавливать (силы, энергию)
6 vanish – исчезать, пропадать
7 afford – (быть в состоянии) позволить себе
Are the following statements true or false? If false, say why.
1. On Friday mornings Paul never gets up before 8.15.
2. Paul always goes to bed until midnight.
3. Paul doesn’t care about the weather when he goes jogging.
4. He almost never has a regular lunch in the afternoon. Instead, he has a quick snack.
- Paul’s college is a five minutes’ walk from the hall where he lives.
6. Paul doesn’t like all the subjects he’s studying but only some of them.
7. Paul is self-confident because he’s always ready for his classes.
8. He feels comfortable at the thought that his essay is ready.
9. The tutor is displeased with Paul’s work and he tells him to come next time.
10. There’s a student pub not far from Paul’s hall.
11. After classes Paul doesn’t drop in the pub because he is too tired.
12. In the evening he goes to the pub to see a concert of a Spanish guitar player.
How do you remember all the things you have to do each day / week / month? Read the article and find out how many of your ideas are mentioned. Do you agree with the other ideas?
TIME-SAVING TIPS
Making lists is relaxing. It makes you feel important – all those things to do. It calms you down (it’s OK, it’s on a list somewhere) and it makes you feel good when you cross something off.
The world divides into two types of list-makers. Type A makes orderly lists, prioritises and calmly sets to work on them. Type В waits until panic sets in, grabs the nearest envelope and scribbles1 all over it, sighs with relief2 and promptly loses it.
The more you have to do, the more you need a list, and few people with high-powered jobs get by without them.
Julie Rost, chief executive3 of a large chain of supermarkets, says, “Before I go to bed, I have to write down everything that’s going to stop me sleeping. If I write something down, I feel I won’t forget it, so my lists are a great comfort.”
Jane Levy used to write Lists, but she would forget where she put them and then waste precious time looking for them. Then a couple of years ago she came up with a new system. Now she writes key words on the back of her hand! “At least I can’t lose it,’ she says. True, but too many trips to the bathroom could have disastrous results.
Des O’Brien, a self-employed business consultant, uses another method for organising his time. He writes a list of things to do and then organises them into categories: things that have to be done straight away; other things that it would be good to do today; things that are important but don’t have to be done immediately; and things that he can put off but that he doesn’t want to forget. “Using categories to order the world is the way the human mind works,” he says.
It’s all a question of what works best for you, whether it’s a tidy notebook, a forest of Post-it® notes or the back of your hand. Having tried all these, Kerry Johns, student, relies on her personal organiser. “My personal organiser has changed my life,” she says. “Up to now, I’ve always relied on my good memory, but now that I’m working and studying, I find I’ve got too much to keep in my head.”
So what are you waiting for? There’s no better time than the present to take control of your work and life. So, get out your pencil and paper and make a list.
Sue Kay & Vaughan Jones, New Inside Out, Macmillan
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1 scribble – писать быстро и небрежно
2 relief – облегчение
3 chief executive – президент (компании), директор