"Time is a finite resource and we
all place infinite demands on it. I view time as an opportunity, as a chance to
make choices about how I spend that resource -- because it is our choice. And
that's something people often forget." -- Maggie Wilderotter
When I asked my students what is the
biggest gift they can give to others, they came up with several responses such
as money, gold, property, and so on. But I replied them that it is the time
they can gift to others as our life spans are fixed, and when you spend your
precious time then you have gifted a part of your precious life.
Benjamin Franklin said that time was
money but I would like to assert that time is more than money as you can earn
money but not the spent time. Time is
like a river that flows and the river doesn’t flow back. People often talk of managing their time but some
assert that ‘time management’ is a misnomer. There are a number of books on
time management, and it shows the growing attention time is drawing globally.
Pareto Principle says that people
spend 80 percent of their time on the activities that give 20 percent results and
they spend 20 percent of their time on the activities that give 80 percent
results. Hence, there is a need to spot the areas where people spend
unnecessarily to eliminate time wasters and to maximize the results. It is
popularly known as 80:20 principle, and it is applied in other areas also. Let
us look at the possible areas where people waste their precious time so that
they will be able to identify and make use of their time judiciously.
Some people gossip for long time on irrelevant
issues. It wastes their precious time. Unwanted
telephone calls, standing in queues for long hours, and uninvited guests to
name a few are the reasons for wastage of time. We cannot avoid certain things but
we can take care to contain time wasters. People also waste their time on
internet and especially students spend a lot of time on unwanted websites
including Facebook. Facebook is a social
networking site that can be used in a limited way not to the extent of sitting
for long hours continuously at the cost of studies and other important
activities.
In order to find out where you are
wasting your time, write a diary for a month of activities that you do daily
against the each activity you spend.
Then you analyze where you spent your time constructively and spot the
left over time where you spent your time unproductively. Try to eliminate
unproductive activities and fill with constructive activities.
When you have a lot of activities
classify them as follows: A stands for the activities that are urgent and
important. B stands for the activities
that are not urgent but important. C stands for the activities that require
your attention but can be taken care of later. D stands for the activities that
can be delegated to others. E stands for
the activities that don’t require any attention and are meaningless that can be
eliminated. Hence, when you have so many activities classify them as discussed
and work on, and you will spend your time wisely and find amazing qualitative
outcomes. This concept is known as
‘ABCDE’ of time management.
Remember if you waste one second you
have wasted one second of your life as God gifted us a fixed lifespan. Learn to spend your time wisely to lead your
life constructively, peacefully and happily.
“Time is really the only capital that
any human being has, and the only thing he can’t afford to lose.” - Thomas
Edison
Email: profmsr12@gmail.com
Born for the Students
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