GMAT考试写作指导：Issue写作范文十七

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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
4 V2 L. S# d( U! Kchoice between planning one's time rigidly, by detailing important daily as well as long-
( R7 @$ Y. k  E/ ~' [. e" ?- C, M! Qterm plans, and not planning at all; and he prefers the second choice. The speaker's
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-
! }: x- c$ C4 u% j* w/ S) wterm can trivialize the efforts of both employees and organizational units so that all their
, V) L3 G6 G/ y, O  p2 w" q& zefforts become aimless. The only sensible way proceed is to consider first one's most
* a: f+ h0 G5 J2 }" ^, Cimportant long-term objectives; then an organizational unit and its employees can order
$ d' O- b) E( H" f0 `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 don't really contribute to
long-term job goals or to organizational objectives.
1 K4 [- M6 z, U( U5 j9 e      A detailed time-management system need not be inflexible. Knowing which items
7 B- p$ ?% W9 D4 Pto 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
, J& B. |) a1 n. l. L/ ztime 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 o'clock
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
: l& T  z/ J* {" ?9 N# wsatisfaction of long-term objectives. This way, the daily or weekly schedule becomes
. I6 x7 r0 M" Nnot 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
4 z8 t( m+ g/ Z& Q( punimportant interruptions.