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!