The most precious thing in the world
Author: Kanishka Sinha

Time is the most precious of all our resources. Every tick of a clock, each passing wave on the sands, the movement of the stars and the sun and moon across the sky all hint at it's passing. It's the most limited of resources we have on this earth. We could mine distant planets and dredge the depths of the earth but we'll never find another reservoir of time for ourselves. Every time a second passes, we have a second less to work with. A moment that can never be reclaimed. Its intangible nature sometimes makes us forget just how transient and ephemeral we are.

Time has another vicious characteristic. I become more and more aware of it with every year. It speeds up. I seemed to be 5 years old for an eternity. That's because that one year was 20% of my life. At 22 my last year seems to have spun by. That's because it accounted for less than 5% of my life. I used to hear my parents and relatives say ‘My how the years have gone? never really paying attention to what that meant. I’m conscious of it now. Time is accelerating. There is no time for me to say, “I’ll start that when I’ve finished my education?because a few years after my education finishes I'll get married. Then I'll say, “I’ll start that when we're settled down? But after I get settled down I'll have kids. Then I'll say “I’ll start that when the kids have grown up? “I’ll start this when I’ve seen them married? and then “I’ll start this when??And it'll never start. The dreams that we want to grow in our garden need to be seeded and nurtured for now. The clock is tickin! g. And it's tempo is increasing.

But although my time may be limited my imagination isn't. My optimism is unbridled. My potential is unlimited. The person I become, the things I know, the friends I make, the influence I have on my world, the things I achieve are therefore limited by just one factor. My use of my time.

Moments of procrastination and misspent time are the barnacles on my ship. They slow me down. They take away my seaworthiness. I dream of finding some miracle cure to rid myself of this affliction. If only I could free myself of their clinging clutches. I'll be able to skate over the sea effortlessly and masterfully. Whatever speed I want. Whatever path I take. But they never loosen their desperate grip. They know that they're die without me to scavenge off. Parasites.

The image of my perfect life will save me. The paradise Island that I’ve been searching for. I’ve just realised that this idealised vision has been in the wrong place in my mind. I’ve always thought that it's where Is going. A destination. A mirage of something that lies somewhere beyond the horizon. Over there. But it's not. It's about how to getting there. A journey. It's a vision that keeps me illuminated at all times. Right here beside me. It's the compass that guides me when the clouds obscure the sky. It's the breeze that fills my sails when I stumble into the sullen doldrums. And whenever a mutiny appears to be beginning below decks, whenever my mind, body and soul become stubborn, whenever I begin to forget what land feels like below my feet then all I have to do is to pause and remember it. I know my bearings and the direction and speed to point my helm. Smooth sailing.

Of course pretty dreamy thoughts and words may be exhilarating when they first brush your imagination but they lack a staying power and like dreams soon fade into the mist along with all the other luminescent resolutions and sparky ideas we're ever engendered. What we need therefore is a pillar of practicality to grab hold of. An easy to follow list that will make sure that we don't stagger about on deck.

? Decide what you want to achieve out of life

? Use this vision as the blueprint to decide whether any task is relevant to your life ambitions. Chances are that if it is you'll be motivated to do it properly and stay focused. If it isn't then don't do it.

? Irritating activities like sorting your bills are necessary and therefore it simply makes sense to get them over with so that you don't have to deal with them anymore.

? An elephant from a distance doesn't seem that big. However when you actually get close it's pretty large. Never let yourself drift into obligations that seem remote. When the time comes, the task will take on its actual proportions and you'll find that you wished you never made the commitment.

? Keep your work and play areas tidy and organised for maximum efficiency

? Exercise routinely and eat healthily. This provides the upkeep and energy for your mind and body. If you add efficiency to energy you can achieve anything.

? Make a to do list. Plan your day in advance, preferably the night before. Then, when arriving at work, there is a plan of action to direct you forward. Typically, it is unlikely that all items on the list will be completed, but that is fine. Success has little to do with how much was left undone at the end of the day but, rather, what was actually accomplished. Having a lot to do creates a healthy sense of pressure on us to naturally become better time managers. With a lot on our plate, we tend to be more focused, we tend to suffer interruptions less, and we delegate better.

? Remember that every race has a winner and a runner up. The prize that the winner gets may be twice as big as the prize that the runner up gets. But the winner doesn't have to work twice as hard as the runner up. Go that slight bit further.

? Move from doing urgent?things that are catching up activities to doing important?activities, which are getting ahead activities. A simple example. Cleaning your room may not be an urgent activity but the next time you need to do an urgent activity like finding an important file you won't waste any time. There's no point in grinding away at a tree with a blunt axe and saying that there's no time to sharpen the blade. ? See what elements you can delegate to others and what the most efficient way of dealing with the task is.

? Note how long the job actually takes so that you have a better idea of how long it'll take next time.

? Plan to do the various jobs at the earliest possible time and stick to the targets you set.

? Focus on the task in hand and do it in its entirety.. When you're working, work. When you're watching TV watch TV. Don't work and watch TV. Your work will not be as good as the work you would have done if you were concentrating on it completely and you can't enjoy the programme either.

? Half completing all the tasks is not half as good as fully completing half the tasks. This is because if you have left something uncompleted then there is a period where you have to revisit some of the work that you're already done wasting time and causing inefficiency

? Handle paper just once. As you encounter each new piece of paper, physical paper or emails do one of the following things. Respond immediately if it will take a minute or two or schedule time for it if it will take longer. Ask yourself what would happen if you did nothing with it and if the answer is not much?then bin it outright.

? Spend money to save time. People say, time is money? but for many of them it isn't. But they spend their time to save money. They're the same people who crave more time. On the other hand, successful people will spend money to save time. They don't worry about spending a pound if it will save them an hour. If we put a monetary value on our time we'll be able to realise how much money we're wasting by wasting time.

? Plan time so that you can take time off and replenish your energies. Don't neglect the various spheres of your life - health, family, financial, intellectual, professional, social, and spiritual. Go to a movie. Make time for balance. Working all day and night will increase your stress level. Schedule time for art, culture, recreation, spirituality, community or family activities in the same way you schedule your urgent? priorities. Don't let time for the important things slip away. Plus, the experiences and insights you gain from these activities will allow you to do your job better.

Above all remember, your time is worth it.








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kanishka_sinha@hotmail.com

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