Being on track / Sve prema rasporedu

In today’s complex business world, where time is money and extensive projects involve a number of individuals, teams or companies, the timing of every step of the project is vital to success. To help ourselves keep on track with our projects, we all need a good ‘raspored’. But how to choose the right English word, a different one for a different context?

The word ‘agenda’, most commonly used in business meetings, is a list of meeting activities in the order in which they are to be discussed. We’re having a meeting this afternoon, do you know what’s on the agenda? More generally, it means a plan: What is on your agenda today? (i.e. What is on your to-do list? Or what are you planning to do today?)

A timetable or schedule is an organised list, usually set out in the form of a table, providing information about a sequence of activities and the time at which these activities are planned to take place. Schedules are the basis of every project, and it is important to adhere to, stick to or keep to the schedule. Even though you might have a busy schedule or work to a very tight schedule, when your boss asks Are you on schedule? or Are you on track?, you do not want to say No, I’m behind schedule (meaning your schedule is delayed). What you want to say is I’m on track (you are meeting the schedule), or Actually, I’m ahead of schedule (you have finished a stage of your work before the given deadline). If things are not going as planned, you might want to reschedule an activity or appointment. You might want to schedule it in or pencil it in for another time, if you find another time slot.

Timetables are normally used to coordinate the participants, location and activities of a school, university or a conference, for example: According to the conference timetable, Dr Philips is giving his talk at the Green Hall at 11:30. Timetables are also extremely useful in transport, for planning our journey correctly and arriving to our desired destination on time and in time for something we plan to do. E.g. If my bus timetable is correct, and the bus from London is on schedule, it will be at the station in 5 minutes. If I hurry up, I will be at the station just in time to catch the bus.

A diary, personal organiser or personal planner is a small book which helps us organise and plan our business and private activities. Nowadays many of us have electronic personal digital assistants (PDAs) instead of diaries. When you are very busy and a colleague asks you to meet up for a drink, you can say: Let me consult my diary/check my schedule. If 5 o’clock is fine with you, I will put you down for tomorrow. See you at five tomorrow then. Bye!

If you are in time for something (e.g. a lesson), you arrive before the time the lesson is supposed to begin. If you are on time, you arrive at the precise time you were supposed to; His meeting was at 2 o’clock, so he hurried to be there on time (i.e. at 2 o’clock).

Time is money says the proverb, but turn it around and you get a precious truth. Money is time.

George Gissing, English novelist (1857-1903).