Where are you investing your time?

Have you ever thought about time as an asset? Imagine if you were told that you have X number of years to live – what would you do with your time? Time is the most undervalued asset of our nation that is why our public transport is never on time, our government projects are never completed on time; our meetings, events and conference are never on time. Countries and individuals who have contributed significantly may it be in field of science, technology, social-service or business have one common trait – that is their ability to manage and invest time. However, it is still not too late, if we as a nation start investing our time efficiently, we will get back on track.

Realization

Time management begins with first understanding that time is a scarce resource. It is a resource that is perishable, lost time can never be returned. Every one in the world has 24 hours, no one in the entire world can have more than 24 hours. It can be invested in many things, time can either be invested in watching movies, Netflix, TV, going to the casino, attending a late gathering with friends, gossiping or it can be invested in learning new skills, reading self-development books, exercising or doing activities that may add value in your life. It is the only resource that one is accountable for, at home you are accountable to the head of the family, at work you are accountable to your boss and after life you will be accountable to the creator.

Management

Time management is easy if you have the right tools and techniques. The first step that I recommend is to make an activity log sheet which should be used to track your time at a micro level – even drinking tea, going to toilet everything should be recorded for 2 weeks in the sheet. At the end of the 2 weeks period, it has to be analyzed to understand where have you invested your time the most. Once you have an understanding of your value adding and non-value adding activities then the next step is to work on reducing non-value adding activities and your distractions. There is a whole set of applications and tools available online for time management. The key to managing time is first to realize, record and then analyze.

Adaptability

Adaptability is the ability to adapt to changing circumstances and unforeseen events, which is particularly important in Pakistan due to the socio-economic and political conditions in the country which can change your plan, thus wasting your time. Due to a resource shortage, mismanagement or disruption your work can be affected, hence it is important to add contingency in your time management schedule, and you should also have a plan B, C, and D ready.

There is a hadith of our beloved prophet Muhammad (SAW), “The most undervalued asset by people are good health and free time” – (6412). By realizing the scarcity of time, managing our time effectively and using adaptability, we can utilize the most undervalued asset and change the direction of our country. We can produce more quality thinkers, scientists, scholars, teachers, businessmen and other professionals from our youth which is more than 64% of the population.