ARE YOU INVESTING TIME?

“All men had been given time,
But only few men know its
Value.” ~ Sunday Adelaja

“Time is the indefinite continued progress of existence and events that occur in apparently irreversible succession from the past through the present to the future” ~ Wikipedia

The point to note is that time is irreversible and no one is disadvantaged when it comes to time, we all have 24 hours daily. The question is; are you investing or wasting your time and that of others?

No one displays disregard for time like a Nigerian big man.
A ministry in Delta State recently called a meeting, inviting stakeholders from different parts of the State and stated the time the meeting was to commence. The Hall was filled to capacity at the appointed time but the people who called for the meeting where no where near the hall even though the meeting was held in their office.
The Chairman of the ministry a man with a reputation to have studied in the UK, came into the venue of the meeting like an emperor an hour and half late with his flowing agbada without apology. He saw everyone there as poor folks who don’t have anything better to do but wait for him.
Until we learn to value time and invest it wisely, we will only make limited progress. A wise man said “If you can manage time, you can manage any other area of your life.”

Lee Polevoi gave us Eight (8) Tips for effective Time Management,
We will run through the list quickly.

1) KNOW YOUR GOALS:
It is said “Do something every day that moves you closer to your goal” that is assuming you have a goal and you should have a goal – a written goal. Make sure you are engaging in activities that support your goal, everything else is a potential time waster. The key is to constantly keep you in check by asking; how is this activity helping me achieve my ultimate goal in life?

2) PRIORITIZE WISELY:
Another is to have a “To-Do-List” as simple as it is, if written down, it helps us to prioritize and utilize our time wisely. In your list look at the task on the basis of important and urgent to be tackled first. The secret here is to have a guide as you go through the day.

3) JUST SAY NO:
We often sacrifice our personal happiness and goals on the altar of pleasing someone else. You don’t have to say yes to every request, learn the wonderful art of saying no, especially to things that don’t add value.

4) PLAN AHEAD:
He that fails to plan, has planned to fail goes the time worn saying,
We can’t emphasize it enough. In the evening before retiring to bed, arrange what you will put on the next day, this simple step will help your save valuable time spent in indecision in the morning.

5) ELIMINATE DISTRACTION:
In the world of social media, one major distraction in the morning is to reach out to your handset to update yourself on what you missed while asleep. Except you are media personality and social media is your business, that’s a major distraction. Have specific time for social media. Learn to eliminate the distractions.

6) DELEGATE MORE OFTEN:
Look for opportunities to delegate as this will save you valuable time to focus on core things.

7) WATCH WHAT YOU SPEND:
Keep a track of how much time you spend taking your bath in the morning, commuting, chatting, working, sleeping, cooking, cleaning, etc, see where you can make adjustments

8) TAKE CARE OF YOURSELF:
You are reading this because you are interested in maximizing your time. Ensure you take good care of yourself, get enough sleep, an alert mind is a high-functioning mind and one that’s less tolerant of time-wasting activities.

“Lost time is never found again” ~ Benjamin Franklin

You won’t disappoint your Maker!