Time Management by Dr Ahmed Adam

To read the previous part: How Time Should Be Spent

By  Dr Ahmed Adam

The feeling we get when we say that “there is no time,” stems from a subconscious conflict that occurs in each and every one of us. On the one hand, we need the time to earn a living and attend to our daily activities. On the other hand, we are aware on a subconscious level, that there is “too much to do,” and too little time; we are also aware that because we have “too much to do,” we have to find the time to do everything. This means that we have to start sacrificing some of the time from other activities, which are important, but not urgent, such as family time, sleep, prayer, and exercise, to devote to those activities that have to be done. We usually justify and rationalize our usage of time by telling ourselves that we will do something “later” or “one day.” For example:

Unfortunately, we fail to realize that the road to “soon/later/someday” leads to the city of “nowhere.” It is a false illusion that we use to deceive ourselves into thinking that right now we are too busy, but one day, when we get the chance, we will do the “important” things in life.

However, if life is so uncertain and unpredictable, how do we know that we will ever get to that “one day”? Today is a gift, a kind of “present.” We have to cherish this “present” that we have been given today, and we should not fool ourselves and wait for “someday.” If you look at any calendar, you will find “Monday, Tuesday, etc.” but no “Someday” — “Someday” does not exist! We have to start spending time on the important activities today.

Seminars that run time management workshops make lots of money showing people how to manage time. What they do not tell you is that time management does not exist. We cannot “manage” time — we can only manage ourselves. It is only when we take stock of how we utilize our time on a daily basis, and then start changing our habits, only then can we have some hope of making more efficient use of the time available to us. When we make a list of what is important to us and then inculcate a new habit of daily focusing on the important issues, then, and only then, can we have a sense of the usage of time. If not, we will soon face the shocking reality that time is no longer on our side, and life has passed us by. It will be too late for regrets! We are essentially souls, on a brief physical journey, en route to an eternal spiritual existence. How do we prepare ourselves for our eternal existence?

To read the next part: How Should Time Be Spent