Describe a time you were very busy – IELTS Speaking topic belongs to the big topic of Experiences & Events.
Describe a time you were very busy.
You should say:
- When it was
- What you had to do during that time
- How you managed it
And explain how you felt about it.
Take-note
| When it was | Two years ago, when I was juggling two jobs at the same time |
| What you had to do during that time | A bunch of clashes between my primary job and my side hustle: Had to log into two meetings at once, or use my time off from one job to work on the other. – Had to bear in mind who I was sending emails and texts to Virtually no break for me to soak myself up. – Even-skipped meals sometimes and had to sleep much less, |
| How you managed it | Sorted tasks based on their priorityTook a short break during role transitions, and spent a certain amount of time per day on preparing meals and meditation. – After another two weeks, pressure from work subsided, and I was already accustomed to the workflow. |
| Explain how you felt about it | It taught me about the importance of time management, and the value of mental health, which I am really grateful for. |
Sample Answer
I still remember every bit of the strenuous time when I was snowed under with a huge amount of work, which I once thought I could not handle.
It was about two years ago, to be exact. At that very moment, I was simultaneously juggling two jobs: a nine-to-five occupation, and a side gig. A lot of multi-jobbers might find it okay to moonlight one or even two jobs, as long as those may altogether help you ameliorate your skills even better. However, my time inside and outside of the office contributed to completely different professions.
There were a bunch of clashes between my primary job and my side hustle. There were times when I had to log into two meetings at once, or use my time off from one job to work on the other. Besides, I had to bear in mind who I was sending emails and texts to, in order not to send important documents to the wrong one. Tasks were piling up, and I just felt like there was virtually no break for me. I even skipped meals sometimes and had to sleep much less, getting myself drained at the end of each day.
Having been through all these mental breakdowns for two weeks, I decided not to treat myself badly any longer. Going over the mailbox, I sorted tasks based on their priority, so that I would not mistake one for another and complete them faster. I also took a short break during role transitions, and spent a certain amount of time per day on preparing meals and meditation. After another two weeks, pressure from work subsided, and I was already accustomed to the workflow. From then on, I was pretty confident and ready to take on any task.
Although two years have gone by, I still remember vividly that tough time like it was yesterday.
It taught me about the importance of time management, and the value of mental health, which I am really grateful for.
Vocabulary
- snowed under (a) need to do too much work
- Simultaneously (adv) = at the same time
- Juggle (v) tries to do many things at once because he doesn’t have much time
- Nine-to-five (a) related to work during office hours (working from 9am, leaving work at 5am)
- Side gig (n) part-time job
- Multi-jobber (n) someone who does many things at the same time
- Moonlight (v) does a side job
- Ameliorate (v) = improve
- bear in mind (v) = remember
- drained (a) : very tired
- Subside (v) : descending
