GMAT考试写作指导：Issue写作范文十七

　　17. The speaker claims that a detailed time-management plan fails to afford adequate

　　flexibility to deal with the unexpected at the workplace. He seems to offer an either/or

　　choice between planning ones time rigidly, by detailing important daily as well as long-

　　term plans, and not planning at all; and he prefers the second choice. The speakers

　　claim is overly simplistic, since it is possible for a detailed time-management plan to

　　also provide flexibility.

　　Working at any job-without a detailed road map for the immediate and longer-

　　term can trivialize the efforts of both employees and organizational units so that all their

　　efforts become aimless. The only sensible way proceed is to consider first ones most

　　important long-term objectives; then an organizational unit and its employees can order

　　daily and weekly tasks according to how much each adds to the achievement of those

　　objectives. With a broader perspective, workers can eliminate from the list those daily

　　activities that may seem urgent or may be most enjoyable but dont really contribute to

　　long-term job goals or to organizational objectives.

　　A detailed time-management system need not be inflexible. Knowing which items

　　to eliminate from a to-do list gives a time-management plan its flexibility. When the

　　unexpected arises, it can be judged according to its role in fulfilling long-term goals. If

　　what at first seemed urgent turns out not to be important, it can be deferred to another

　　time or ignored altogether. But if something unexpected needs handling in order to

　　fulfill an important business or life plan, it will take priority over lesser activities in the

　　daily or weekly schedule. For instance, I might have a meeting planned for one oclock

　　with coworkers to decide the location of an awards banquet, and find out at noon that an

　　important client is thinking of switching to our competitor but wants to talk with me

　　first. I can easily discern that the banquet meeting is less important than a critical

　　meeting with a valuable client.

　　In conclusion, effective time management must involve a detailed scheduling of

　　tasks. But it also requires determining which tasks are more central than others to the

　　satisfaction of long-term objectives. This way, the daily or weekly schedule becomes

　　not just a list of tasks to check off, but a flexible plan that can accommodate important

　　urgencies while allowing us to bypass less significant scheduled tasks and ignore

　　unimportant interruptions.