Prioritising Tasks: Urgent vs Important

B1 video lesson on productivity, deadlines, planning and the Eisenhower Matrix.

Lesson Overview

Students watch a short productivity video about prioritising tasks with the Eisenhower Matrix. The lesson practises B1 language for urgent and important tasks, deadlines, planning, delegating and avoiding time wasters.

Before you watch

When do you feel overwhelmed?
How do you decide what to do first?
What things waste your time during the day?

Prioritising Tasks

Open video on YouTube

Prep

Drag the correct ending into each gap.

1. If you prioritise tasks,...

2. If you feel overwhelmed,...

3. If something is urgent,...

4. If something is important,...

5. If you delegate a task,...

6. If something is a time waster,...

Mixed answer options

you feel you have too much to do.it uses time but is not useful.you ask another person to do it.you decide which tasks are most important.it helps your long-term goals and values.it needs attention right now.

Watch the Video

Watch the full video once. Focus on the difference between urgent and important tasks and the four boxes of the Eisenhower Matrix.

Focus: overwhelmed, prioritise, urgent, important, long-term goals, Eisenhower Matrix, schedule, delegate and avoid.

Open full video

Comprehension

Click each question to reveal the answer. Each question is synced to the video time.

0:00Who is the video for?

It is for people who have a lot to do, feel overwhelmed and do not know where to start.

0:16What are the two factors that define what we do?

The two factors are urgent and important.

0:19What does urgent mean?

Urgent means something requires attention right now and has immediate consequences.

0:26What does important mean?

Important means something helps us achieve long-term goals and values.

0:48What is the first step in using the Eisenhower Matrix?

The first step is to write a list of all the things you need to get done.

1:15What should you do with important and urgent tasks?

You should do them first and do them now.

1:25What should you do with important but not urgent tasks?

You should schedule them and decide when to do them.

1:42What should you do with urgent but not important tasks?

You should reschedule or delegate them.

1:59What should you do with tasks that are not urgent and not important?

You should do them later or avoid them completely.

Vocabulary from the Video

You feel overwhelmed and don’t know where to .

This video shows you how to prioritise your .

Urgent tasks require your attention right .

Important tasks help your long-term .

Write a list of things you need to get .

Important and urgent tasks: do them .

Important but not urgent tasks: them.

Urgent but not important tasks: them.

Mixed options

delegatenowtasksschedulefirstgoalsdonestart

Vocabulary Review

Word / phrase	Meaning	Example
overwhelmed	feeling you have too much to do	I feel overwhelmed before exams.
prioritise	decide what is most important	I need to prioritise my tasks.
productive	able to do useful work	A plan helps me be productive.
urgent	needing attention right now	This email is urgent.
important	having value or a big effect	Health is important.
immediate consequences	results that happen very soon	Urgent tasks have immediate consequences.
long-term goals	things you want to achieve in the future	Studying supports long-term goals.
deadline	the time when work must be finished	The project has a deadline.
Eisenhower Matrix	a tool for organising tasks by urgency and importance	The Eisenhower Matrix has four boxes.
time pressure	stress because there is little time	The method helps under time pressure.
schedule	decide when to do something	Schedule important tasks.
reschedule	change the time of something	Reschedule the meeting.
delegate	ask another person to do a task	Delegate unimportant tasks.
time waster	an activity that wastes time	Checking social media can be a time waster.
avoid	choose not to do something	Avoid tasks that are not useful.

Collocations

prioritise your

long-term

immediate

project

time

avoid time

Mixed options

goalsdeadlinespressuretaskswastersconsequences

Phrasal Verb Questions

How do you work what to do first?

What tasks do you need to get today?

Which tasks can you put until later?

Who can you hand a task to?

How do you cut time wasters?

Mixed options

down ondoneoveroutoff

Speaking extension: Answer the five phrasal verb questions with a partner. Then put three real tasks into the Eisenhower Matrix.

B1 Grammar: Should / Need to / Imperatives for Advice

Use these forms to give advice about tasks and priorities.

Form	Example
should + verb	You should do urgent tasks first.
need to + verb	You need to write a list.
imperative	Schedule important tasks.

Grammar Exercise 1: Complete the advice

You should your tasks.

You need to write a .

Do urgent tasks .

important tasks.

urgent but unimportant tasks.

Mixed options

firstDelegateprioritiseSchedulelist

Error Correction

You should to do urgent tasks first.

You should do urgent tasks first.

You need write a list.

You need to write a list.

Schedule to important tasks.

Schedule important tasks.

Delegate it to someone does it.

Delegate it to someone else.

Sentence Transformations

Use “should”.
Do urgent tasks first.

Use “need to”.
Write a list of tasks.

Use an imperative.
You should schedule important tasks.

Discussion

What tasks do you usually do first?
What is urgent but not important in your life?
What is important but not urgent?
Why do people delay important tasks?
What are your biggest time wasters?
Can you delegate tasks at school or work?
How can the Eisenhower Matrix help students?

Useful Language

Talking about priorities	Giving advice	Explaining choices
My top priority is... This is urgent because...	You should... You need to... Schedule it.	I would do this first because... I would avoid this because...

Role Play: Prioritise My Day

Situation: One student has too many tasks. The other student helps them organise the tasks using urgent / important categories.

Student A: Overwhelmed Student

You have homework, messages, exercise, social media, a deadline and a family task. Ask for help.

Student B: Productivity Coach

Ask questions and decide what to do first, schedule, delegate, do later or avoid.

Challenge

Use: urgent, important, deadline, schedule, delegate, avoid, time waster.