FUNCTIONS:

Agreeing

Disagreeing

Hesitating

Introducing your opinion

Asking for opinions

Expressing preferences

Asking for clarification

Expressing likelihood

Speculating, guessing

Advice and recommendations

Describing a picture

Agreeing

I think you’re right

I would go along with the idea

I completely agree with you

That makes perfect sense

You have a point there

Absolutely, that’s spot on!

I couldn’t agree more

Disagreeing

That’s not how I see it

I couldn’t agree less

You must be kidding

That’s a ridiculous idea, don’t you think?

With all due respect, I must disagree

I’m afraid I can’t see it that way

No way, that’s nonsense!

Hesitating

I’m in two minds about it

I have some reservations regarding that

I’m not entirely convinced

There’s something that gives me pause

While I’m not entirely opposed, I do have some doubts

Introducing your opinion

To my mind

I reckon

In my opinion

As I see it

It seems to me

I would argue

From my point of view

Asking for opinions

Don’t you think …?

What’s your attitude to …?

What’s your opinion of …?

Are you in favour of …?

What’s your position as regards …?

You don’t support …, do you?

Expressing preferences

I prefer…

I would rather…

My preference would be…

I tend to favour…

If I had to choose, I would…

I lean towards…

I am inclined to…

I’m a big fan of…

I really enjoy…

I’m into…

I absolutely love…

I’m crazy about…

I’m fond of…

It’s right up my alley

It’s my thing

I can’t get enough of…

It appeals to me

It’s growing on me

I wouldn’t miss it for the world

I’m not a big fan of…

I don’t really enjoy…

I’m not into…

I can’t stand…

I’m not fond of…

It’s not my cup of tea

It doesn’t do anything for me

I’m sick of…

It gets on my nerves

It puts me off

I’d rather not…

It leaves me cold…

Asking for clarification

Could you please elaborate on that?

Would you mind explaining that further?

I’m not quite sure I understand. Could you clarify?

Could you provide more details?

Can you expand on that point?

Expressing likelihood

“It’s a foregone conclusion that…”

“There’s no doubt in my mind that…”

“I am almost certain that…”

“It’s highly likely that…”

“Chances are that…”

“I wouldn’t be surprised if…”

“It’s possible that…”

“There’s a chance that…”

“It’s unlikely that…”

“I doubt that…”

Speculating, guessing

“It seems to me that…”

“My gut feeling is that…”

“From what I gather…”

“If I were to guess…”

“It would appear that…”

“I reckon that…”

“I suspect that…”

“In all likelihood…”

“There’s a distinct possibility that…”

“It’s plausible that…”

Advice and recommendations

“You might want to consider…”

“Perhaps you could try…”

“If I were you, I would…”

“One thing you could do is…”

“Have you thought of…”

“May I suggest…”

“It might be beneficial to…”

“Consider this approach…”

“Why not give this a go…”

“If it were up to me, I’d…”

Describing a picture

“In the foreground…”

“In the background…”

“In the center of the image…”

“On the left side of the picture…”

“On the right side of the picture…”

“At the top of the picture…”

“At the bottom of the picture…”

“The picture depicts…”

“The image illustrates…”

“The photograph shows…”

“One can see…”

“Notice how…”

“This scene captures…”

“This photograph highlights…”

DICTIONARY

Add new and interesting words from this lesson to your English dictionary.

Store your words and expressions in this handy dictionary. You can create groups and play games based on your entries. There is also a practical importing feature.

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Bardzo mi przykro, ale lekcje na platformie The Blue Tree działają jedynie na komputerze lub tablecie.

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Zespół The Blue Tree

Break your procrastination habit
Learn more words

THE BLUE TREE

Personal
Productivity

CEF B1

CEFR B2

Upper
Intermediate

Practise speaking by describing this image

warm up

Answer the questions below.

TRANSCRIPT

Yeah, I do struggle with procrastination sometimes, especially when the task feels overwhelming or boring. I’ve learned that I tend to avoid things that make me anxious, so I’ve been trying to break tasks down into smaller, easier steps. That helps me get started and build momentum.

Why is it hard to complete some tasks on time sometimes?
TRANSCRIPT

I think it can be hard to complete tasks on time because of our own emotions or mindset. Sometimes a task feels more difficult or stressful than it really is, which leads to putting it off. Also, if the work seems boring, we naturally avoid it. I try to manage this by focusing on the positive outcome of finishing the task, or by rewarding myself after I complete it.

Do you organize your work tasks according to priority or difficulty?
TRANSCRIPT

I organize my work tasks based on priority. I like to start with the most important tasks first, even if they’re difficult. I’ve found that once I tackle the high-priority tasks, it feels like a weight is lifted, and the rest of my day goes more smoothly. I also try to keep my systems simple, so I don’t feel overwhelmed by everything on my plate.

LISTENING

Listen to the audio. What is the main message of this HBR Management Tip?

reading

Break Your 1. Procrastination Habit

Do you keep 2. postponing work you need to do? Most of us procrastinate from time to time. Rather than feeling guilty about it, or 3. beating yourself up, try these strategies to break the habit.

Schedule your deep work. It’s easier to put off work that requires concentration. So build time in your daily calendar to focus on your most important long-term project. Having a regular pattern each day will make it less challenging and help make progress feel automatic, rather than 4. cumbersome.

Learn to accept demanding work. Don’t make the mistake of 5. equating easy work with productivity. The more tolerant you become of demanding tasks, the less you’ll procrastinate. This takes practice; commit to 6.tackling 90 minutes of at least one demanding task each day — not just busy work.

Create a system for starting new tasks. You’ll be less likely to delay 7. novel tasks if you have a system for approaching them. Have consistent steps you take when you 8. encounter something new to reduce decision 9. fatigue about how to start.

Use self-compassion. We tend to avoid tasks that stir up negative emotions. Try to identify what you’re feeling exactly, so you can address the emotion 10.head on. Sometimes the negative feelings about a task are driven by a prior experience. You can heal these wounds with compassionate self-talk. Tell yourself, “It’s normal to be disappointed in my past performance. I’m learning through experience.”

This tip is adapted from How to Stop Procrastinating,” by Alice Boyes

odkładać zadania na ostatnią chwilę

zwlekać, odkładać, przekładać (na później)

obwiniać się

nieporęczny (np. styl), nieudolny (np. o przeprosinach)

stawiać znak równości pomiędzy

uporać się (z czymś), stawiać czoło (problemom)

nowy, nieznany 

napotkać, natknąć się (na coś)

zmęczenie

bezpośrednio, z determinacją

COMPREHENSION

Answer the questions below. Throw some newly learned words and phrases into your answers.

  • How common is the habit of procrastinating?
  • What do some people do when they procrastinate?
  • Why should we schedule time for deep work?
  • How does it help to have a regular pattern for deep work?
  • What mistake do some people make as regards productivity?
  • What do we have to learn to tolerate?
  • What can we do to approach difficult tasks easier?
  • What tasks do we tend to avoid more often?
  • How can compassionate self-talk help us?

POLL

Cast your vote in the poll.

Which piece of advice about breaking the procrastination habit do you find most practical?

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COMMENTS

What is your method of dealing with procrastination? How do you make yourself do difficult tasks?

Share your views and experience here.

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