One of the greatest problems about the entire continent of Africa is the embarrassing issue of how to keep to time. It is widespread in Africa and people don’t think it is a problem, they have grown accustomed to it and regarded as the and the generally acceptable norm. Yes, it is so common, so much that we have a name for it! Not keeping to time is called cheekily “African Time”.
But the disadvantages of this seemly harmless attitude are pronounced and if the trouble is not taken to crush its metaphorical nymph, it will grow into an adult pest, capable of breeding more of its dangerous self and causing a fully fledged invasion of unfavorable conditions.
Not keeping to time (I don’t want to call it African Time, I am embarrassed at that name) is a close relative of procrastination and both of them are avid thieves of time. If you want to grow in all leaps and bounds, you cannot afford to be at home with any endeavour that might lead to time wasting.
You must be aware that time as an element is equals to, in fact it is more important than money. For if money is lost, it can be regained. But time when lost is gone forever more. Time is the currency of life, once spent, it can’t be regained.
To get rich, to have good health, to be successful, to do anything you want effectively, you must learn how to keep to time well. Using time well is using your life well. And the results are endlessly favouring. So let’s find out, how just do you keep to time?
Understand What Time Is
Everyone wants to lazy around, it is very easy. But if you realize what time is then you know you can’t have that luxury. Like I said before, your time is your life and you don’t to be wasting your life. Once you realize that, you want to use your time judiciously. It is time you stopped wasting your life!
Disadvantages of Wasting Time
1. Dis-organization
If you are a person who can’t keep to time, there is every chance your life will be disorganized. Your disorganization will lead to stress and reduced efficiency.
Consider a certain Mr Johnson (oh, your name is Johnson, how are you doing, Johnson?) who doesn’t keep to time. He is getting ready for a six o’clock meeting at ten minutes past six. In haste, he is scrambling from one room to another, looking for things he hasn’t placed there. He is late. Then he needs to be at another place and he is certainly going to be late too. Because he was in an hurry he didn’t bother to lay his bed this morning or does he remember to unplug the dishwasher.
Do you see how unorganized Mr Johnson’s life is? When this man gets home he will be exhausted and yet he wouldn’t have accomplished much in the day. He could have got more out of the day if he knew how to keep to time.
2. Missed Appointments
Remember that Mr Johnson was late for his second appointment. Imagine he was meeting an agent who is interested in his work. The agent awaited him by eight but had to go since he didn’t show up at eight thirty. He misses an opportunity of a life time!
You might want to argue than he won’t miss the appointment since it is very important to his career. But you forget that habits are part of us and very difficult to change. Old habits die hard, so they say. If you’re used to getting late, you will always get late.
3. Low productivity
Since you didn’t focus all your attention on one task and always worried about not getting late, your productivity will be low. You can’t rush art, the same way you can’t rush production. If your day has been well planned, there is only a small possibility you run into time debt.
4. Health
At first glance you may wonder what’s health got to do with time? Well, since you are always in an hurry to get to your appointments, you will not be eating nutritiously. Junks and fast food will be the majority of your breakfast and lunch, dinner might be of no worth either. Bad eating habit can lead to serious health complications such as obesity and health diseases.
How To Manage Time
Now we have discussed the disadvantages, let’s learn how to manage this important element.
1. Plan
Yes it is as simple as that, plan. Planning your day (or even two or three days) ahead gives you the ability to know where you must be at what time and rid you of all time wasters. Time wasters can come in the mould of T.v or game consoles or even your colleagues at work and your dear friends.
You should schedule everything including time to work and play. The two must be well balanced out else you will find your self burning out or unproductive. Times for work are strictly time for work and times for play or leisure are strictly for leisure. You can add some extra time for unforseen occurrences.
Much as you know what you want to do, you don’t know what will happen. So get a to-do-list and make a list of what is important to be done. Start with the most important and hardest first, then the others.
2. Stick To Your Schedule
Making a schedule is easy, sticking to it is the real deal. When you make the schedule, place it where you can see it every day and stick to it. If by 9 you should be at the cinema with Sven, be there, nothing unreasonable should stop you. By sticking to it, you will be getting to your appointments in time and taking control of your life again. If you run the schedule for months it becomes part of you and you will understand how rewarding keeping to time can be.
3. Use Transition Time
Transition time is doing something while waiting for another. You are using transition time if you are listening to a motivational talk while on the bus to your next appointment. You can merge two not so tasking activities together and do them simultaneously instead of allocating some time out for them.
4. Allow Some Fun
It is necessary to budget some time to just be random. This is the time when you don’t follow any schedules. It helps in recharging your batteries.
Now You Know
Now you have learnt how important time is to you, learn how to keep to time today. You will see it nourishing your day.
Shisdulo.
