The Value of Time

A Nigerian song writer sang a song titled "Time na Money"

The most precious gift given to man by God is time. Everything in life revolves around time and is bound by time. The success of every man is dependent on how you utilise your time. Why are some people very rich and some very poor? The rich have learnt the secret of time management and consumption.

Time management is the act or process of planning and exercising conscious control over the amount of time spent on specific activities, especially to increase effectiveness, efficiency or productivity. In the book titled 'The Value of Time', the author Shaykh ‘Abd al-Fattah Abu defines time as ‘the loftiest and most precious of all primary blessings......'

Time management may be aided by a range of skills, tools, and techniques used to manage time when accomplishing specific tasks, projects and goals complying with a due date. This set encompasses a wide scope of activities, and these include planning, allocating, setting goals, delegation, analysis of time spent, monitoring, organising, scheduling, and prioritising. Initially, time management referred to just business or work activities, but eventually the term broadened to include personal activities as well. A time management system is a designed combination of processes, tools, techniques, and methods. Usually time management is a necessity in any project development as it determines the project completion time and scope.

The end-product of a well utilized time is a fulfilled lifetime. Time management is the act or process of planning and exercising conscious control over the amount of time spent on specific activities, especially to increase effectiveness, efficiency or productivity. God created every man equal and gave us equal task and equal time. One big difference between the rich and the poor is that the rich know how to maximize his time very well.

Recently, a new word found its way into my vocabulary, its 'Value system' and as I meditate and reflex on life, I've discovered that everything in life, is hinged on our value system. What does this have to do with our subject matter 'Time', everything! The most valuable thing in a rich man's life is his time. God almighty in His sovereignty said, "There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens"(Eccl. 3:1)

TIME MANAGEMENT FACTORS

Managing one’s time isn’t rocket science, but it doesn’t come all that easy; if it were, then you won’t be needing these tips. To be a master of time management, there are certain things you must ensure are in place;

• Discipline; Right. We think we’re disciplined if we work all the time, but we’re not. Actually, that shows we lack discipline—we have no recovery discipline. But discipline is really nothing more than habit. We need to create the habit of oscillating between periods of stress and recovery. Once those habits become ingrained, you can act in a responsible way—being disciplined both in your work habits and in recovering from that stress—without even thinking about it.
• Finding your work energy; Don't spend all of your time working and Finding your work energy; It means creating the right atmosphere and environment; one that is free from tension and fatigue. Your energy is your driving force and moves you into action.
• Always find a balance; Creating a balance between work, family, friends and fun is a huge step towards becoming an effective time manager.
• Develop a ritual for yourself; Develop a success habit that becomes a ritual that you must observe on a daily basis. Some people's rituals involve tennis every afternoon in the court at the Human Performance Institute. People may think I’m goofing off but I’m not. It’s my way of being disciplined—and responsible

PRINCIPLES OF TIME

TIME IS A GIFT; Gifts are given only by people who care about you. So God loves us and He gave us the gift of time. But how you use it is your decision and it determines what your get in life.

TIME IS PRECIOUS; What is the most valuable thing on earth? Time, because everything is acquired in time and all of man's business is conducted by time. You could have food, clothing, fabulous homes, wisdom - have all you want, but if you do not have time, it means - you have nothing. This brings me back to the issue of 'Value system'. If you value this precious gift of time that has been given to us, you stand a chance of gaining a whole lot of fortune out of life.

TIME IS AN ASSET; A good investment of your time makes you an efficient time manager. Time is a valuable asset that determines the acquisition of every other thing; relationships, material wealth, etc. 'Time is money' always remember that and you waste it on something worthless. To fully enjoy this precious asset, one must learn to set priorities and learn to do what's most important.

For more information on time management, check my other articles on 'Effective Time Management'

• To understand the value of a year, talk to a student who has failed an important exam.
• To understand the value of a month, talk to a mother who has given birth to a baby a month before her due date.
• To understand the value of a week, talk to the publisher of a weekly newspaper.
• To understand the value of an hour, talk to a couple in love, who are separated and want only to be together again.
• To understand the value of a minute, talk to someone who has just missed a train or a plane.
• To understand the value of a second, talk to someone who has lost a loved one in an accident.
• To understand the value of a millisecond, talk to someone who won a silver medal at the Olympic Games. 

The success of Every man depends on his understanding of time and effective use of it.