IS THERE SUCH A THING AS TIME MANAGEMENT?

By Matthew Ujah-Peter

Food is enjoyable so that we would want to eat it for our own good. Food, while enjoyable is not primarily for that purpose. The primary purpose of food, of course, is for our bodily well being and growth. But it has to be enjoyable and pleasing to us, else most of us may not eat. Imagine if all foods are either bitter or tasteless! Not many people will eat three times a day. If we do it will be under compulsion and reluctantly and we will definitely not eat enough quantity for our bodily growth and strength. How terrible will life be, then? Have you ever wondered? 

Most children's medicines such as baby syrups are sweetened and I'm sure it was so designed to encourage babies take them. Adult's drugs need not be sweetened. They are made for adults and adults know what is good for them - bitter or sweet. That pharmacist made most baby medicine sweet is not an indication that they want babies to reach for them each time they feel like taking something sweet. Sleep is enjoyable. But the primary purpose for sleep is not for that. It is for rest and recuperation. Even, if you hate to sleep. A time will come when you won't be able to hold it. You will fall asleep without warning if you proved stubborn and goes without it for days. Sleep is wired into us to help us rest and be refreshed and to start again. Though, one can sleep any time one wants to, we sleep mostly in the night because that is the time when we cannot do many other things. It is the time when everyone was suppose to rest. And when you wake up in the morning, it is another day and you can start (afresh) again.

Over-indulgence is an abuse. Abuse means abnormal use. When you use sleep for the sole purpose of 'enjoyment' and not necessary for rest you are abusing it. Why should you sleep from 10pm to 7am when you are not ill? Under normal situation, that is an abuse much more sleeping all day or all night for an upwards of 12 hours.  Sleeping time must not be allowed to eat into our work time. When you check it very well you will find that there are a lot to do for which more times should be created. Everyone of us is given 24 hours a day and nobody have 25 hours. But that 24 ours must be used judiciously. The time we throw into the so-called enjoyments or 'good times', be it eating, drinking, sleeping, partying, etc, can take a lot out from our lives. Time is an expensive capital and nobody has more of it, save the ones who 'create'  more out of his daily schedule.

The people referred to as 'having time' for something either deliberately 'create' the time or have no other more important use of the time. Idleness is simply having no use for your time. There are people in this world who have money but have no use for it. Others have house but no use for it. Still many have other material things but have no use for them. But the worst of it all is to have time but have no use for it. It is a tragedy to have no use for one's time.

CREATING TIME

No, you can't, in reality, create time. Time has already being created and given to you. It's your daily 24 hours. It's yours. Though, technically, no one can really create time, when we use the word 'create', we actually mean doing away or foregoing other things that take up our time space in other to devote such time space for more important things and activities. You can't manage it either. It's not time that need being managed, but you and your activities. Any time I pass by a place and see people sitting down doing nothing for a long time,  realising that it is not that they're resting, I often wondered why people could be so idle. 'At least they could get a book and read', I would say within myself. Don't get me wrong. There is nothing wrong with hanging around playing with friends. Spending time with friends is part of good investment to which one can put time. But even that can be over done or wrongly done. Time can be invested just as money is invested. Time wasted is lost forever. Time is an intangible asset. You may not be able to see and feel it but it's a powerful and one of the most expensive resources given to every one of us. Those who value it pay for it. They buy other people's time. While people who don’t value time could just throw it into useless activities and idleness.

Don't you know that your failure in something is actually your success in another? Check it and see every one is a success at something. Beggars, rubbers, thieves, cun artists, drunkards, medical doctors, the handy man, carpenters, footballers, everyone is a success by the name they are called. They succeeded in becoming the names you called them as a result of the time they throw into the practice that turn them into that thing you called them. If they had invested that same amount of time into other things than what they are now known for, they would equally be called that. What you put the greater chunk of your time into will finally define you. What you spend more time in is what you become.

TAKING CHARGE

Have you noticed that when you arrive late for a meeting or even into an examination hall as a student, you hardly get properly composed for that meeting or exams? To get properly composed you must arrive early, sit down and get into the mood of the environment. It's the same with our daily living. When you wake up early enough each morning you will be properly composed to get a proper handle of the day from its beginning. Especially if you create time for and meditate, plan and pray about the day. This helps you take charge of the day and come prepared to meet every opportunity or challenge that the day presents. When you are prepared like this you seem to gain the mastery over the things that others loses control about. When you do not come into the day like this, just like arriving late into an exam hall and unprepared you are likely to lose your control and composure and miss where you should hit the target.

Success is the achieved every day. The polite greetings, the prompt replies and the help you give to people as you go through the day adds up to score your success ratings for the day in even in life, generally. When you fail to prepare for the day hurries into your activities, you're not relaxed and that can translate into being unfriendly with people. The thing is that we are too used to such an unprepared style of daily living that we do not know their negative effects and how much we are losing out in life and the things and heights we have failed to attain because of that. We must learn to manage our lives and activities and to practice to handle each day from its beginning through waking up early, meditation, prayer and planning. Herein lies the victory. When every day is handled well they add up to a successful life over time.

The elements and social circumstances that make up our atmosphere and environments are there to help us not to pamper us. We are however designed to conquer, tame, manage and have the mastery over them. The cold weather, the rains, the heats, the mosquitoes, the lack of electricity and other social amenities in this part of the globe and so on, will never bow to laziness. They will control you and your circumstances if you fail to subdue them. People say 'what is mine will come to me.' Not true in every case. There are lot of things that you deserve or need that will never come to you where you are unless you get up and go for them. Others will come to you only if there are efforts on your part to get them. If you don't, remember other people are. Nothing is really physically having your name labelled on them. You are the one to get up and go get your name engraved on them. This means work. Work means discipline and self management.

MAXIMUM RESPECT!

LIVING INTENTIONALLY - A BOOK BY TOPE POPOOLA

Book Tittle: LIVING INTENTIONALLY
Author: TOPE POPOOLA
Publishers: HERITEK SUPPORT SERVICES
Pages: 170
Date of Publication: 2009
Reviewer: MATTHEW UJAH-PETER


This book reminds me of a story I once read about a boy who asked his father,
''father, when a person sleeps he can wake up, right?''
''Right'', replied his father.
''But, what about if he's awake, can he still wake up?"

The answer to that question lies within the pages of Tope Popoola's Living Intentionally.
 Popoola posits in the prologue of this  timely book that ''...you can only be said to have succeeded when you are consistently working in line with your Maker's original design and blue print for your life.'' 

''...and David, after he had in his generation, served the counsel of God, fell asleep and was laid unto his fathers...."
 - Acts 13:36.

In the word of Harold Thurman Whitman, as quoted by the author,  ''Don't ask yourself what the world needs - ask yourself what makes you come alive, and then do it. Because what the world needs is the people who have come alive.

As I read the story of Joseph in Genesis chapters 39 through 48, my attention is drawn to Tope Popoola's Living Intentionally - which I read about 3 years earlier.  Due to the way this book had impacted and challenged me, I decide to weave my own personal thoughts into this review.

 Needless to bore you  with Joseph's story, I realized in a deeper sense of the word that his special gift - his ability to interpret dreams - was the major factor that gave him the energy to ''come alive.'' Unless, he did not realize how much his brothers hated him already, ( for without the dreams he was already hated for being their father's pet ) how in the world could he have faced those terrifying eyes, looking them  straight in the eyes and telling them that in his dream their sheaves did indeed bowed down to his. There was an obvious note of excitement in his voice, and more than that was the energy and boldness with which he spoke. 

"...all his brothers, they hated him and could not speak peaceably with him... . Now, Joseph had a dream and told it to his brothers and they hated him even more.....so, they  hated him even more for his dream and for his word.....then he dreamed still another dream and told it to his brothers...'' (Gen.37:4-11).

But for divine intervention and arrangement, his ''running mouth'' would have earned him a trip to the  great beyond. His brothers did not know what was in motion - that their envy would become instrumental to the fulfillment of the dreams they so hated to hear.


WHAT IS ''IT''?
''And when he was fully forty years old, IT came into his heart to visit his brethren the children of Israel.'' (Acts 7:3).

''Everyone dreams of making 'it', even if they can not define what the 'it' is", says Popoola in the first chapter. "We can see the so-called successful people with fleet of cars, designer's wear, big house and we say he has made 'it'".

'IT' entered into Moses' heart to visit his brethren...'' 'IT' is that thing that keeps you awake at night while others sleep. 'IT' was what kept Joseph telling his brothers his dreams in the face of oppositions. 'IT' gives you joy even in the middle of oppositions. 'IT' took Jesus to the cross. Popoola  argues that 'it' is not about  acquiring cars and designers wears. 'IT' is your number one investment capital to provide answer to questions and cries of many.

Immediately 'it' entered into Moses's heart, he was no longer the same person again as he became willing to forsake the luxuries and comforts of the palace to go after 'it'. So, 'it' is your assignment in life. ''the best cure for envy is to discover your own 'it''' Popoola says.

God did not place man in the garden of Eden to toil in it. God's intention for man is not toils. Man began to toil when he left Eden garden. When you find your Eden, your toils ceases. The author challenges his reader to embark on the journey to discovering his or her own garden of Eden and stop  blaming Eve or the serpent. He further show his readers how to embark on this journey of discovery of Eden. Among the several questions you will answer to help you discover your Eden, according to the author, are :
- what problem do you notice in the society or community that others don't seem to notice?
- what pain of humanity do you feel?
- what kind of discussions gets your adrenaline pumping?
- etc.

Living Intentionally is one book that is sure to put speed into your life walk and help you pulsate with life. It will help give a sense of accountability for every moment, opportunity and privilege at our disposals. This, perhaps is a book written for Africans having in mind the peculiarity of our environment and circumstances because will help open the readers eyes to the treasures and opportunities around rather than only seeing the lacks in the society.

Popoola says that life is not a rehearsal, it is the real thing. ''Wake up'', he says, ''the play has started. ''Every new born baby enters this world with a clenched fist as if to announce to the world, ''I brought something for you.'' Conversely, all men die with their hands wide open as if they were saying, ''I left it all here.''

He challenges his reader to rise above a life style of excuses saying, ''if you are willing to pay a price and then turn around to name your wages, life comes up with the resources to pay.'' He further says that every life has a story. Every man has a history. The unfortunate thing is that many people have come to accept their biography as their future, their experience as their destiny. Know this for sure: you cannot succeed beyond your story! Success has story, so does failure.

Successful people are those who have learned to build a platform for motivation from their stories while failures are those who have turned  their stories into an excuse, a crutch, an unfortunate support system that validates a crippled mind. when  the looser  sees a rose, he complains about the thorns. When a winner sees the same thing, he admire the beauty of the rose.
      
THE SABOTAGING STORY
The author talks about the sabotaging stories about our past failures that affect our thinking, forming a mindset that further affect our outlook on life and by extension give us a wrong estimate of our own ability, worth and potentials. This in turn impede our progress thereby creating a vicious cycle of failure. The perfectly scripted sabotaging stories that most often totally eclipsed our desire for the real things that we want out of life compound the whole thing in combination with what he called ''the fall back position'' which gives our stories a soft landing. This comfort zone which provides our stories the cushioning pad becomes our ultimate limitation.

The sabotaging stories could range from anything like ''my boss doesn't like me'', or '' I have no money'', or ''I'm from a poor background'', or '' I grew up in a village'',  or ''I have no connection'', or ''the government has not provided the necessary facilities, and so on. Popoola says you can't achieve beyond your best excuse. This reminds me of the saying that ''excuse limits a man.'' He urged the reader not to pick up an excuse when he/she finds one. one great reason to succeed dwarfs twenty reasons not to.''

The truth be told,  all of us have one or two sabotaging stories and we can not pretend that there's isn't one in our lives. But walking past it is the key. How do you do that? Think about how long you have being telling yourself and others that same story over and over. Has that helped? Look for and find a compelling WHY for the attainment of your dreams. Tell yourself that story for the last time but don't put a full stop this time around and realize that you have a far more noble reason for living than the sabotaging story. This will help give you the energy to walk past that story.

The author listed questions that you can ask yourself to help program your mind which will turn you into the kind of person that you need to be to be able to truly walk past the damaging stories that have kept you back for too long.

BUILD RELATIONSHIP
''Nobody succeeds all by himself'' This is the tone and message of this chapter on relationship building. The author believe that we must build relationship to a level of friendship rather than mere acquaintances. Friendship according to him is ''being naked without being ashamed in the presence of the other. Friendship, as he posits is sincerity. faithfulness, enduring, nurturing, dependable, nourishing, sacrificial, inspiring and purpose centered.

There will be ''friends'' who will challenge you to greater heights. It is not only those friends that wish you well and give you positive feed backs or who are careful not to offend you that will help push you up . But even those  that love or hate you enough to tell you things that even though will hurt you, that will dare you to do things you never would have ventured into out of your comfort zone. There are people who will tell you to your face that you are a none-entity, a never do well and worthless individual. These may be seen as the ''enemies'' but will dare you to prove yourself - to prove a point not necessary to them but to yourself.

THE EVIL OF ENVY
Envy, according to the author, is admiration turned upside down. What envy desire and cannot have, they despised. He further said that if you always belittle others, you will always be little. The envious person believes he is more qualified for something, even when he is not willing to pay the price. Envy sometimes creeps into our hearts unnoticed. The envious person most times do not realize that the force driving him is the venom called envy.

What is the cure for envy? Contentment. Contentment is not being  satisfied with the status quo ''it is about learning to enjoy where you are on the way to where you are going'', says popoola. We must learn to genuinely celebrate the success of other people. This will not only contribute to your own happiness and contentment, but boost your hope and give you the ability and humility to learn the ropes from successful people.

Contentment is the quality of being grateful for what you have and the place you are, now. ''It pays to realize that your present level of frustration is another man's level of aspiration'', says the author. Arrest every tinge of resentment, envy, against any one due to what they have and realize that ''God is no respecter of person, but  of Principles''. If you see something in someone that you admire, do not be ashamed, afraid or hesitate to ask them to show you the ropes. A key to happiness is to celebrate others in their accomplishments.

THE POWER OF ROUTINE
''...and as His custom was, he went into the synagogue on the sabbath day, and stood up for to read'' - (Lk4:16)

'' I have discovered that champions do regularly what ordinary men are only willing to do occasionally.'' Popoola writes.
There must be something you must be doing regularly towards the achievement of your dreams in life. A successful actor must be involved in regular grueling hours of rehearsals and memorizes his lines until he assume that part.  Bestselling authors write every day: world class musicians play their instruments every day. Great singers rehearse songs every day. Sport stars train every day even in the face of contrary weather conditions.

You must have a private routine that prepares you for your public appearance. The Olympic medalist we celebrate did not start yesterday. Years of  routine practice went into those medals. The soccer stars we celebrate as highest goal scorers in fact had missed far more goals than they scored. There are no accidental success. Over night success took so many nights to manifest. Succeed is a results of constant, persistent, continuous hard work with many failures in between.

In reality, nobody likes routines. Routines are boring. But when the routines are within the path of your inner natural born abilities and potentials, the passion that is embed in that natural ability will provide you with the catalyst to overcome the boredom. And over time, that routine will metamorphose into a winning habit. Another way to surmount the boredom of routine is to see clearly what is at stake.

Another component of Power Routine, according to Popoola, is the practice of keeping notes. Record important events. Quoting Anthony Robinson who said that ''if your life is worth living, it is worth recording'', Popoola pounds home the truth and the efficacy of record keeping. He urges the reader to keep record of appointments. Plan your daily activities. Put them priority list for each day, each week,  and each month. Learn to return calls. Finally, be sure to stick to your routine and success is guarantee.

KILL PROCRASTINATION BEFORE IT KILLS YOU
 We often hardly ever get around to do eventually those things we procrastinate in many cases. Never fall to the temptation that you will be less busy tomorrow. May be you will, but does it always happen? Do not be involved in the practice of giving to tomorrow what belongs to today, tomorrow has its own challenges and issues that you are not aware of today. The time space you think you have tomorrow may already have other things gunning for it and will probably rise up to take up that space.

Most things worth doing are not usually convenience at the time. Procrastination is a monster that must be fought off on a daily basis. A major victory you must be sure to win every single day is the one over the monster called procrastination. You see, whenever you do not feel like carrying out a task, or want to do something there will be a thousand and one reasons to postpone them. Procrastination do not announce itself. It comes as 'tiredness', bad moods, 'inconveniences', etc. But the moment you snap out and get to doing the task, it flee with its tail tucked in between its legs like a frightened dog.

Habits - both good and bad ones - are products of routines. Acquiring the right habits takes the discipline to stick to your routine. It is the right habits that leads to success. You will become more perfect at what you do regularly. The most important thing in life, according to Popoola, follows routines:
 - breathing
 - our heart beats
 - transition between night and day
 - season of the year, etc.

David had being practicing his slingshots in the wilderness before it attracts divine backing at the time it mattered most. Popoola asserts that your chance of doing the wrong thing diminishes when you constantly do the right things. ''Your consistency will attract attention to you'', he says. He challenges the reader to exercise staying-power by  turning our act into an art and our art into a science through what he called ''stick-to-itiveness'' for you are recognized for  what you are celebrated for.

He also challenges the reader to create his power routines around relationship too. In other words, while you are busy with your routine, time should also  be created for relationship development and your relationship should be three facet:
 - with God
 - with family and
 - people relevant to your life assignment

Routine must also be created with time management / time consciousness, financial management, as well as one's core values - you must live by a higher sets of moral standards. You must also create a routine around your physical health and well being through regular exercise, rest, etc.

Also, you must learn the art of documentation. Document agreements / dealings. Creating structures for wealth is not convenient.  Sticking to your routines is not convenience. Most people who have great ideas think it is for tomorrow and they lost them for the tomorrow they wait for never arrived.

TIME IS PRECIOUS
Popoola says that '' losers wastes time. Mediocre spends time. Winners invest time." ''When you 'kill' time you are committing suicide. As long as you have time there is no need to complain about what you  lack. The people that are giving great responsibilities are those who are already busy with important things. Great responsibilities are not given to loafers and idle people. Jesus called twelve disciples to follow Him for a new and greater responsibility. All twelve were already engaged in something else before He called them. Idleness is a crime against success. The Scriptures say that ''For whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance: but whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken away even that he hath.''

LESSONS FROM THE PAST
While the memory of the past can haunt and hurt us, imagination and dreams of the future can project and propel us beyond present pains and the status quo. Every body has a past - good and bad - while there is no denying the fact that the past is like a movie replaying on the screen of our minds to either spur or stop us,  we can choose to create a newer and more powerful paintings and movies for the future on the canvas of our minds to help pull or push us towards the desired future.

To avoid repeating history, the wise thing to do is to learn from them, especially if they are negative. If we carry on with the past it is possible to re-enact it or repeat its occurrence. It is like putting one foot on the break and another one on the throttle and wonder why you are not moving. The past is a weight. It is safer and faster to travel light. Rather let the positive past feed you with the feed back for better performance. The victories and medals of the past are worth reliving to help put more energy to our resolves for better tomorrow. But it must not get us relaxed.

Easier said than done. But you see, it was not the memories of the  negatives that helped David shot into lime light but the memories of the positives. There were a host of negative experiences in the dessert. So it is the memories you choose to record and recall that determine victory or failure. Take a look at these two Bible texts:
“Do not remember the former things,
 Nor consider the things of old. 
 Behold, I will do a new thing,...''
                      -  Isaiah 43:18-21 (NKJV)
This is telling you to forget the negative past and not let it hinder your  new efforts.

 "Remember the former things of old,
 For I am God, and there is no other;
 I am God, and there is none like Me,
 Declaring the end from the beginning,
 And from ancient times things that are not yet done,
 Saying, ‘My counsel shall stand,
 And I will do all My pleasure,’...'':  
                    - Isaiah 46:9-10(NKJV)
This is telling us to remember the past victories and be encouraged in our new efforts.

We don not count the numbers of misses, but the numbers of goals scored. You can not tell how many contracts and business the today’s successful business man has missed or lost in the past. You can not tell how many manuscripts the today’s successful author had written without being published nor can you tell how many books he had written before becoming a best selling author. You cannot tell the numbers of cuts an editor must have made to a blockbuster.

If you choose to, your pains and lost can become the manure for your success. In the same token we must not let our past successes form a roadblock to how far we can go.

FOLLOW THE PROCESS.

I once read a quote that says ‘’anything born big is monstrous and dies....’’ Great things are born small and then grows big. Life is designed to function alone the chain of process and process  takes time. Progress is woven into time and process. Process gives birth to progress. To every thing there is time and season It is easy to look at successful people and label them as ‘’lucky’’, but as the saying goes, ''luck is opportunity meeting preparation''. And preparation means taking time to follow the process. Those who are successful today paid their price yesterday through process. Life does not answer to those who refuse to obey the principles of process.

The truth that the black race must pound home to itself is that of willingness to follow process. We have the most of the world's resources yet remain poor because we are not able or willing to follow process. We can't wait. We prefer to sell our resources crude and unprocessed. Cocoa, hide and skin, petroleum,... you name it.We enjoy the extractive economy. Our young men lack the patience that comes with learning the ropes for business. They prefer to play ''the fast one''. But the truth is, short term solutions will only alleviate poverty only long term solution will eradicate it.

Most successful businesses and business people had had to at one time temporarily ''go out of business''. They recognize that that too, was part of the process. But if they had stayed out permanently they would not have bounced back. Esau's undoing was his impatient. Impatient is the number one enemy of process.

THE PRINCIPLE OF EQUIVALENT ADVANTAGE

This principle, according to the author says that every problem that has the potential to draw you back also has the potential of moving you forward.

LIFE IS MEANINGFUL WHEN LIFE IS GIVING
the art of giving is one that we must learn to acquire. All else makes no meaning if giving is absent. Your life is a gift from God to mankind and to other creations. If you have no money, you have time, love, energy, talent, skills, hope, words, and encouragement to give.

FREE OFFERS MAKES YOU CHEAP
As the author puts it, ''all over the world, successful people know that there is  no prize won without price paid''. You will be at the mercy of others if you always do not pay for what you get. The people who give you free things will ride over you. You will not be bold to demand for what you want if what you get is free. Don't built your life around free offers. This does not mean that you should not  accept gifts or accept anything that comes to you free. But living for free offer deadens your creativity. Seeking to pay for a value obtained places demand on your creativity. Be ready and willing to give back value for any value you get. This is the path to elevation and wealth in life.This is not to say you must seek to pay for everything that is free.

THE GOD FACTOR
True riches, wealth and success come from God. We can only access them by His help. The fear of God and faith in Him in your business and quest in life will pay you handsomely at the end. Don't use people, don't oppress people. Don't short change people. This is in direct violation of God's intention for man's existence. Put God's own principle to your life and business.

''If we know the source of your wealth, would you be able to walk on the street with your head high? Does your means of success leave  tears and sorrows in its wake? If you can not trace your wealth and success to God you are poor indeed.

GOD IN A TRUNK OF A CAR?

The story is told of how in Campinas, Brazil a group of drunk friends went to pick up one of their friends. The mother accompanied her to  the car. Worried about the drunken state of her friends, she said to the daughter who was already seated in the car – holding her hand, ‘’My daughter, go with Go and may He protect you.” Her answer: ‘’Only if he (God) travels in the trunk (the boot) because it’s already full in here’’. Hours later, they were involved in a fatal accident. Everyone in the car died. The car was so badly wrecked that even its make was hardly recognizable. Surprisingly, the trunk, (the only place offered to God) was intact. Everyone who saw the sight wondered how that could have happened, considering the enormity of the damage. Inside the trunk was a crate of eggs. Not a single one of the eggs was broken!

CONTESTING FAME WITH GOD?

In 1966, at the peak of the Beatles popularity, John Lennon in an interview with an American Magazine said: ''Christianity will end, it will disappear. I do not have to argue about that . I am certain. Jesus was okay, but his  subjects were too simple, today we are more famous than Him.” Not long afterwards, Lennon was shot six times. The Beatles later disintegrated and ended. Faith in Christ is still waxing stronger.

THE MAN THAT CLAIMED TO BE MORE POWERFUL THAN GOD

During a Presidential campaign for Brazilian presidency, one of the candidates Tancredo Neves, declared that if he could get 500,000 votes from his party, not even God could remove him from Presidency. He got the vote alright, but he took ill a day before being made President, and  subsequently died.

At the end of it all we will all find that outside of God everything else is meaningless.