Time management is the new rage and time-bound working the new Dharma. Being a scarce and non-renewable commodity, time is highly valued. Losing time is equivalent to losing money. Success is known to be the result of managing your time efficiently.
TIME MIS-MANAGED IS FAILURE
Let us take the example of a person who viles away his time only to repent it later. He always loses the opportunity to get a handle on his time and put it to productive use. His growth is stunted until he does that. He is not carefree but lazy. He wishes to make it big but can’t get himself to change his ways.
TIME MANAGED IS ANOTHER FAILURE
Thereafter, he attends a few time management programmes. This helps him change his habits. He cuts down on time-wasters and re-invests his time for his growth. He ends up being successful and keeps setting higher and higher growth goals. He becomes yet more successful but yet more busy. He is not left with enough time for his health, his leisure and his family. He spends the later part of his life spending his wealth to earn back his health and harmonious relationships.
TIME NOT-MANAGED IS SUCCESS
Juxtapose this with a third scenario: the life of a truly care-free person. This person appears similar to the lazy person from the first scenario. But in actuality he is different because he doesn’t wish to change his non-serious ways in the first place. He doesn’t value success as much as the world around him does. He has no special need for fame or power. He is happy with his mundane existence.
This person is at ease being an ordinary soul. He doesn’t give any premium to becoming extraordinary. He finds the desire to be extraordinary as very ordinary. He sees the quest for money, fame and power as an ambition that entangles. He sees that any type of ambition is actually a race to the bottom. Now imagine what would time mean to a man like this? Would such a man see time as a scarce commodity that shouldn’t be lost at any cost?
No way. To such a man, there is no premium attached to time. The measurement of time or its saving has far lesser meaning for this person. He lives in happy oblivion of this whole anxiety-inducing concept called ‘Time’.
SOME TIMELY QUESTION
Whose life do you think is qualitatively better? That of a person who has become accomplished in time management or that of a person who lives in oblivion of the same? The latter, isn’t it? What use is a life that is high on money but low on time as opposed to a life that is low on money but high on time?
And look at the paradox here: Who has more time at hand? The uber cool corporate executive who has attended so many time management programmes or that contented being who is not bothered about managing his time?
I leave you with these worthwhile thoughts. Take lots of time to think them through. If you don’t find the time to think them through, then don’t go for a time management programme. Learn to drop the importance you give to success. Lots of time will open up.
Yes, I also agree that every time time management is not needed. Sometimes being lenient makes your life easy and peaceful.