Manage Your Time!

We all receive the same amount each day; from the richest to the poorest, from the most successful to the least, from the most popular at school to the least known, from the best player on the school team to the most inept. No matter who you are, everyone is allotted the same amount of time.

Every day we have over 86,400 seconds, and mostly at our own discretion. We decide how, where and with whom to spend it.

We can be productive and accomplish tasks with this resource—or we can waste it away idly.

Sadly, the world, especially the news media, focuses mostly on celebrity life—the life of idleness, including all the trappings of success, wealth, cars, houses and friends. Often it is said of a successful person, “Oh, they just got lucky” or “They were born into money” or “They married into it.” The point is made that they came by their wealth easily, or that the popular ones at school have all the “natural” talent and good looks. This is the case with most of those glamorized by the media and society.

However, the truly successful did not become so because it was given to them. Instead, they obtained it by hard work and ingenuity, mastering the most important resource we all have: time!

Time cannot be bought or sold. We can either prolong our days or shorten them, depending on how we choose to live. When we are young it seems as though time is never-ending. Yet how we use it has a great effect on our lives.

Managing this resource and putting it to good use now will enable you to reap benefits far beyond your imagination.

Balance

You might be thinking, “I’m young. I don’t need to worry about how I spend my time. Let me enjoy my youth and not worry about those ‘grown up things.’” True, youth should be enjoyed to the fullest—but in balance. This is an important point for time management and one that should be applied in every area of life.

While you want to enjoy every minute of your youth, you can just as easily jump into the other ditch: “All work and no play makes a dull person.” Balance is the key. The need to divide your time between many important issues such as family, friends, school, work, play, vacations, etc., often makes it hard to manage.

Apply the seven laws from the booklet The Laws to Success to manage your greatest resource. These laws will help keep you balanced and you will receive a tremendous return on the time spent.

Six Keys

The first law of success is Setting the Right Goal. As mentioned earlier, you have 84,600 seconds to spend each day. Set goals on how you plan to spend your time. Consider these examples: Setting an hour aside each day to exercise; making it a point to get out of bed the same time every day; making time for family; making time for friends; setting aside time to study, etc.—the list goes on.

After making a list of goals, prioritize them into short-term and long-term tasks. Place the items in a schedule—you might be surprised how much time you actually have remaining for more tasks, or to sit back and relax. Once your weekly schedule is together, stick to it!

When young, school is often considered a waste of time. Sitting in class thinking, “I would rather be doing…” is common. But having the right education—the second law to success—is an aspect of spending your time wisely.

Suppose you have never been taught to tie your shoes. It would take you quite some time to figure it out; you would fail many times trying to teach yourself—wasting your time. The first time you get it right would take a considerable amount of effort, but once you accomplished it, you would progress to doing it more quickly. If you had someone teach (educate) you about this small task, you would have learned faster. Just knowing how to accomplish simple tasks saves us endless amounts of time.

Consider another example: learning how to use the language you speak. Knowing how to write a letter can save a lot of time. How to correctly give or listen to instructions can also reduce time lost from having to perform work over again. Pay attention in class—the investment will pay off. This can be applied to subjects such as math, science, geography, specialized mechanical skills, etc. Good education will help you use your time better.

When looking for a job and entering a career, your salary will be based on how quick you are with your skill set and how fast you learn. Use your time wisely now and educate yourself so you will be more successful. This will give you more control of your time.

Another key to proper time management is Maintaining Good Health—the third law to success. Think of a fine-tuned and well-maintained car engine: It runs cooler than most engines, has better gas mileage and breaks down less often. The same is true for looking after your health. Make time for sufficient rest. Maintain proper eating habits. Exercise in balance. You will feel less tired, think more clearly, absorb information easier, enjoy life more and be sick less often. Businesses around the world lose millions of dollars each day due to time lost from sickness and poor health of their employees. Staying healthy allows you to accomplish more each day!

Yet even with goals, education and good health, if you do not have the drive (the fourth law) to apply those points you will not be able to manage your time efficiently. You must have an intense desire, and drive yourself to implement them. It will be tough to stick to your goals, yet accomplishing them will be sweet to your soul (Prov. 13:19).

As in almost everything you will ever do in life, resourcefulness (the fifth law) is key in managing your time. Life’s daily events will make it difficult to manage time, so be prepared to adjust. Teachers may surprise you with assignments that have due dates you think are impossible. They may interfere with plans already made, and you may need to make adjustments to your schedule. Possibly a shopping or fishing trip will need to be postponed. In the end, being flexible and resourceful will mean you will complete tasks on time, which will give you the thrill of accomplishment. As you become better at managing your time, it will not matter what a teacher, superior or life in general throws at you—you will be able to adjust and succeed.

As mentioned earlier, when creating a schedule you should stick to it. The sixth law to success is Perseverance—stick-to-it-iveness. Managing your time, setting goals, educating yourself and good health all take much effort and hard work. At first it may not appear to be working. Keep in mind that persevering until you have it “all down pat” will take time. You will need to drive yourself to persevere. You will find yourself—sooner than you think—with time to do more. Remember not to give up, no matter how enticing it is to waste time watching television, playing games or hanging out with friends. Stay focused. Sticking to managing your time comes at a price, but it will be synergistic—like compound interest—the more you do it, the more time you will have!

The Most Important Key

Using the first six laws to success in managing your time will increase your ability to achieve more and your time will be better spent. You will have a certain measure of accomplishment. Yet, to achieve the highest success each day, you need to apply the last law—Contact with God. Truly this law is the most important. It should guide every decision you make.

It is not in our ways to direct our steps (Jer. 10:23); we need God to guide us. Without His help, you would not know how to correctly apply each of the first six laws.

Your first priority should be Bible study and prayer. This is the ultimate best use of your time, spending it seeking God and living His way of life. Being in contact with Him and applying His ways will help to correctly set goals and prioritize all the tasks and things that can be done with your time.

Being close to God leads to education (knowledge), which will teach you how to see right from wrong. God’s Way is a light to your path (Psa. 119:105). Knowing how to decide what is right will lead to better use of your time. Think of the advantage this gives you.

The Bible—God’s Word—is the foundation of the basic knowledge on how to live. It shows you what you should and should not eat. Following God’s laws of healthful living will keep your motor running smoothly, efficiently, so you get more out of your day.

Apply drive, resourcefulness and perseverance in managing your time. This is made easier with the goal of constant contact with God. He will lead you through hard times; give solutions to be more resourceful; and the power to be driven.

Implementing each of these keys and putting contact with God as your first goal and tool for time management will make your return on investment astronomical!