Time is continuously flowing. This flow is irreversible. Nothing can be substituted for time. Worse, once wasted, it can never be regained. People have numerous demands on their limited time. Time keeps slipping away and they have trouble controlling it. No matter what their position, they cannot stop time, they cannot slow it down, nor can they speed it up. Thus, time needs to be effectively managed to be effective.
Every task has a value and importance when it is done at the right time. Those who know the value of time never waste it. They complete their work at the right time and reap the rewards. This is the only secret of success. But, this is only possible when we are fully alert and work towards our goals actively adhering to the laws of time.
Success is always interlaced with time. Every individual’s life and profession are deeply connected with the winding journey of time. It is the time that makes a man laugh or cry. These emotions are the result of meandering turns of time.
Wise men often say that time is almighty. A person who wisely utilizes time becomes successful. If time is not utilized properly then even with abundant resources the results will not be well-disposed. On the other hand if a person wisely uses his time he will succeed even with dearth of available resources.
Gandhiji remembered all the shlokas of Gita. How he remembered them is an interesting fact. In those days, he was very busy with the activities of freedom struggle. Even with so much work, he had kept a routine of learning a new shloka everyday and contemplating on it. The interesting part is that he used to think about the shloka while brushing his teeth. In those days people used to brush their teeth with a twig of Neem tree. He would memorize the shloka by the time he finished brushing his teeth. In due course of time he memorized the whole of The Gita. This just shows how nothing is impossible if you follow a set routine and skilfully plan your activities.
Managing time is the work of a professional. Being a professional implies that a person executes a task based on its merit to the best of his skills and ability. Today’s professional world requires that a person should skilfully complete his assignment in the least possible time. If somebody cannot complete his task in the stipulated time then he starts lagging in his business or work place.
This is how the business is done: to achieve the desired quality in the least amount of time. If there is lag in either the quality or the delivery time then it becomes very difficult to survive in the tough competition. If a person can be a partner with time then he can succeed, else he will be left far behind.
But does that mean that we should change our conduct in order to profit from bad dealings? That is not correct. The question of good or bad has to be decided by our intellect. Those who imbibe good values and follow them in accordance with time are respected wherever they go. Those who benefit through wrong dealings don’t deal with the time on its merit and do not value the time for its worth. The question is of following the ideal societal and moral yardsticks to achieve the result. Wise people know this fact and plan and execute their work in accordance with the legal and moral boundaries set by authorities and remain tension-free with this understanding.
Knowledge of opportune time for a task has a lot of significance. Lack of this knowledge leads to wastage of time. If there is knowledge of time and action is applied to complement this knowledge, then success is not far away. But this knowledge can be obtained only with awakening of inner wisdom.
The importance and value of life is understood through the management of time. The important question here is how to start effectively managing time? If a person can properly allocate time in his daily routine and steadfastly adhere to it, then amazing results can be achieved. The following are some effective tips for better time management:
• Create a simple “To Do” list – This simple program will help you identify a few items, the reason for doing them and a timeline for getting them done.
• Daily/weekly planner – Write down appointments, meetings and tasks on a chronological logbook or chart. If you are more visual, sketch out your schedule first thing in the morning; check what’s ahead for the day; always go to sleep knowing you are prepared for tomorrow.
• Long-term planner – Use a monthly chart so that you can plan ahead.
Long-term planner will also serve as a reminder to constructively plan time for yourself.
Sometimes a situation arises when there are a lot of tasks to be done and each task has its own significance. In this situation one should always start with most important task first then move on to the next task with a lower priority and so forth. As they say – first things first.
In the book tilted ‘First things first’, Stephen R. Covey et al [1] tell a great story:
“One day an expert in time management was speaking to a group of business students. As he stood in front of the group of high-powered overachievers he said, “Okay, time for a quiz.” He then pulled out a one-gallon, wide-mouthed Mason jar and set it on the table. He produced about a dozen fist-sized rocks and carefully placed them one at a time into the jar. When the jar was filled to the top and no more rocks would fit inside, he asked, “Is this jar full?” Everyone in the class said, “Yes.” Then he said, “Really?”
“He reached under the table and pulled out a bucket of gravel. Then he dumped some gravel in and shook the jar causing it to work down into the space between the big rocks. Then he asked the group once more, “Is the jar full?” By this time the class was on to him. “Probably not,” one of them answered. “Good!” he replied.
“He reached under the table and brought out a bucket of sand and started dumping the sand in the jar until it filled the spaces left between the rocks and the gravel. Once more he asked the question, “Is this jar full?” No! the class shouted. Once again he said, “Good.”
“Then he grabbed a pitcher of water and began to pour it in until the jar was filled to the brim. Then he looked at the class and asked, “What is the point of this illustration?”
“One eager beaver raised his hand and said, “The point is, no matter how full your schedule is, if you try really hard you can always fit some more things in it!” “No,” the speaker replied, “that’s not the point.”
“The truth this illustration teaches us is that if you don’t put the big rocks in first, you’ll never get them in at all. What are the ‘big rocks’ in your life? Your children, your loved ones, your education, your dreams, a worthy cause, teaching others, doing things that you love, your health, your mate? Remember to put these BIG ROCKS in first or you’ll never get them in at all. If you sweat about the little stuff then you’ll fill your life with little things and you’ll never have the real quality time you need to spend on the big, important stuff.”
So, tonight, or in the morning, when you are reflecting on this short story, ask yourself this question: What are the ‘big rocks’ in my life? Then, put those in your jar first.
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[1] Stephen R. Covey, A. Roger Merrill, and Rebecca R. Merrill: First Things First: To Live, to Love, to Learn, to Leave a Legacy, New York: Simon and Schuster, 1994.
Akhand Jyoti Magazine 2009 May-June
