Productivity

Everyone has their own system for getting things done, which makes this a topic with lots of room for debate. These questions explore work habits, time management, and what actually helps people stay focused.

Questions are organized by level from beginner to advanced. A printable PDF of all the questions is available at the bottom of the page.

Beginner (A1-A2)

1. What is your morning routine? How long does it take?
2. Do you make a to-do list every day or every week? What’s on your list right now?
3. Where do you usually work or study? What do you like about that place?
4. What is the most productive time of day for you? What do you usually do during that time?
5. What do you do when you need a break? How long is your break?
6. Who helps you stay organized? What do they do?
7. Do you use a calendar or planner? How often do you check it?
8. Do you have a desk or workspace at home? Tell me about it.
9. What is the first thing you do when you get home from work or school?
10. When you finish a big task, how do you celebrate?
11. What time of day do you feel the most tired? What do you do about it?

Elementary (A2)

1. What technology helps you to be productive? How do you use it?
2. What are some things you want to do but don’t have time for?
3. What is the biggest waste of time for you? Why is it so hard to stop doing it?
4. Are you better at finishing things quickly or taking your time? Why?
5. What is the hardest part about staying focused? What makes it so hard to ignore?
6. Have you ever missed a deadline? What happened?
7. Have you ever stayed up very late to finish something? What happened?
8. What task do you always put off until later? Why do you avoid it?
9. How do you usually remember things you need to do? Does it work well?
10. What is one habit you have tried to build to be more productive? Did it work?
11. How does music affect your ability to focus when working? How much does it affect you?
12. How often have you experienced burnout from trying to be too productive? How did you recover?

Intermediate (B1)

1. Are you a very motivated person or do you wait until the last minute to do things? What makes you that way?
2. How can people improve their productivity?
3. Who is the most productive person you know personally? How about really productive famous people?
4. Do you think people today work harder than their parents? Why or why not?
5. What advice about being productive would you give to a young person just starting their career?
6. Do you think smartphones increase or decrease productivity? Why do you think so?
7. What do you think was the most productive period of your life so far? What made it so productive?
8. Do you prefer to do one thing at a time or many things at once? Why?
9. Do you like having a routine or do you prefer flexibility? Why?
10. Should schools teach students how to manage their time? Why or why not?
11. What do you think makes some people natural procrastinators? Give me some examples.
12. If you had an extra two hours every day, what would you do with that time?
13. Do you think taking frequent breaks helps or hurts productivity? How so?
14. Do you think people who wake up early are more successful than people who stay up late? Why or why not?
15. If you could only choose one, would you rather have more money or more free time? What would you do with it?
16. Do you think meetings at work are usually helpful or a waste of time? What makes a good meeting?

Upper-Intermediate (B2)

1. Do you think that some people are more productive because of genetics or how they were raised? Why do you think so?
2. How has remote work changed people’s expectations about productivity and work-life balance? What do you think about those changes?
3. Some companies track everything their employees do on their computers. What are the upsides and downsides of this kind of monitoring?
4. Some people say that being busy and being productive are two very different things. How is being busy different from being productive?
5. What are the advantages and disadvantages of working a four-day work week instead of five days?
6. What role does sleep play in how productive people are? Why do so many people sacrifice sleep for work?
7. Many people feel guilty when they’re not being productive. What can be done to change that mindset?
8. How has the idea of what it means to be productive changed over the last 50 years? What do you think caused those changes?
9. How does the physical design of a workplace affect how productive people are? What would your ideal workspace look like?
10. Some people say that being creative and being productive require very different ways of working. What are the advantages and disadvantages of trying to be both creative and productive at the same time?
11. How does a long commute affect a person’s productivity and energy throughout the day? What are some ways people try to make commuting time more useful?
12. How does a person’s productivity change as they get older and move through different stages of their career? What factors cause those changes?

Advanced (C1)

1. Hustle culture tells people to work harder and sleep less, but research says rest is essential for productivity. How do people decide who to believe, and why does the ‘grind’ message stay so popular?
2. Remote work was supposed to give people more freedom, but many remote workers say they now work longer hours and feel more pressure to prove they are being productive. How does working from home end up creating new kinds of control?
3. Many people use productivity apps, habit trackers, and self-optimization tools, yet people do not seem to be getting happier or less stressed. Why might constantly trying to be more productive actually make life feel worse?
4. In some countries, people who work long hours are admired. In others, people who leave work on time are seen as having better priorities. How does a country’s culture shape what people consider productive, and how does that affect people’s lives?
5. As AI and automation take over more routine tasks, some people worry about losing their jobs while others say it will free people to do more meaningful work. Who benefits most from this shift, and who gets left behind?
6. Schools and workplaces often reward people who produce the most output, but some of the most important contributions, like mentoring, thinking deeply, or building trust, are hard to measure. How does focusing on measurable productivity change what people value?
7. People often say they want a better work-life balance, but when they get more free time, many of them fill it with side projects, online courses, or self-improvement. Why do people struggle to actually rest, even when they have the chance?
8. How does the pressure to document and share your productivity on social media change what productivity actually means?
9. Open-plan offices were designed to increase collaboration, but many studies show they actually decrease face-to-face interaction and make people less productive. Why do companies keep building them despite the evidence?
10. Older generations often say that younger people are lazy, while younger people say the system is unfair. How much of the productivity debate between generations is really about different values, and how much is about different economic realities?

PDF: Download a PDF of all the questions