What do we do with our time as it passes? How to we use it for good?
Time is a concept imagined by human beings to apprehend change. It implies variation. However, objects that undergo alterations over time remain the same, numerically, despite the changes they undergo. For example, a child, from birth to adulthood, changes in morphology and mindset, but remains the same individual from a numerical point of view. Regardless of age, the child remains the same child for their mother or father. From this perspective, we immediately understand that time necessarily impacts our lives. It is up to us to do everything in our power to ensure that its impacts on us are more positive than negative.
Monitor and Transformer of our Lives
Time, which is difficult to imagine and conceptualize at first, can only be examined from the perspective of universal individual experience: the past, the future, and the present. We should continuously ask ourselves: How was I last year? And now? What will I be next year? The answers to these questions guide our efforts towards self-realization.
Time that Passes
Two conceptions of passing time can be perceived:
- Either the individual is in motion relative to the axis of time; it is only they who know how much time it will take them, for example, to find a job, build a house, etc.
- Or events are heading towards an individual; for example, approaching exams, the celebration of Ramadan on Sunday, August 19, etc. This individual is static; the event finds them where they are.
I would like to invite each one of us to be in motion with respect to time and not remain static, waiting in one place. Let us be aware that we must act to become better as time goes by! Like wine that improves with age, isn’t that right, dear parents?
Time Management
Regularly, children and adults are exposed to wasting time, the absence of planning, or poor time management.
Waste of Time
Time is wasted when it is used for things that do not add value.
Examples:
- A child who plays from morning to evening, from Monday to Friday;
- An individual who spends all their time in front of the television, watching one movie after another, or global football matches; chatting with their friends for endless hours about trivialities or obscenities, etc.
Absence of Time Planning
Not knowing what important things to do in an hour, a day, a week, a month, or a year represents a total loss. Such an individual is said to be idle, inactive, with no occupation. They frequently inconvenience those who are busy or working by making unexpected or untimely visits. They are static and await whatever may happen to them by chance. Idleness is a sin because the one who does not use their time wisely lets the talents that God has graciously given them fall asleep. They do not nurture them.
Poor Time Planning
This is characterized by:
- Lack of priorities: aligning a thousand things to do in a given time without arranging them in order of importance; the resources dedicated to each activity, including time, must correspond to its significance.
- Poor estimation of the time allotted for an activity; a student who knows they are weak in math and must absolutely learn a lesson and do exercises must allocate enough time for such a program; an hour will certainly not be enough!
- Inappropriate arrangement of activities: after two hours of intense sports or returning from the fields, one is certainly tired; it is useless to immediately pick up books and notebooks to study, you won’t be able to do it; you need to recharge your energy by eating and taking a short rest. In order for your will to understand a lesson to materialize, you must avoid pretending to study; you run the risk of being found asleep, snoring on the study table, with your head carefully placed on the notebook or book.
- Overloading the schedule: It is important to pinpoint what needs to be done during a given time; one cannot study five different lessons at the rate of one lesson per hour, as time is needed to assimilate concepts and to do application exercises.
Good Time Planning
When we have avoided all the above, we have a good schedule. We know exactly what we need to do during a given period. The best schedule is not obtained on the first try; we create an initial draft, experiment with it for a short period, then adjust it to have a more digestible schedule. It is always appropriate to schedule a little free time in one’s schedule for relaxation, extracurricular, social, or family activities. Do not forget that memory and mental faculties need rest to be more capable of serving our demands.
Summary
Time is too precious to waste; it is a resource that each one of us must cherish:
- By imposing strict schedules
- By adopting a strategy to free up time for priority activities
- By reflecting on the most suitable way to achieve the goals we set for ourselves
- By becoming the master of our time.
Finally, remember that my time, your time, and everyone’s time become increasingly precious as seconds pass. Also, note that it is not easy to make up for lost time. Regardless of whether you know how to manage your time or sacrifice it to trivialities, you are now informed that it is a rare and valuable commodity on which your life and our future depend.