When you ask people what they would like to change most about the things they have done in the past, a lot of them will tell you something that is related to time. Most would want to go back to alter some of their old decisions, while some would say they would give almost anything to have more time to spend on a certain activity or with another person or family member. Indeed, time is one of the life factors most coveted by human beings.
Unfortunately, time is not something we can control, nor can we try to steer it into a direction we want. Time simply runs continuously, and it is up to us to make sure that we cope with it smoothly. Because it won’t make adjustments for us, no matter how grave our circumstances may be.
Sure, we’ve seen on television and movies how some characters were able to alter how time flies, even having the ability to freeze it. However, this remains a fantasy. All we can do with time is to chase after it. Or manage it in such a way that it is giving us favor.
There are many forms of time management and planning strategies
Post-its on refrigerator doors and highlighted reminders on bulky notebooks have worked for most of us, students and professionals alike. Some of the more technologically and gadget-inclined have turned to personal digital assistants and cellphone-based alarms and reminders to get them going. Other have opted to download software not just to help them arrange their schedules, but also to help them assess their activities and their degrees of importance.
There are those of us who take a more social route to time management and planning by enrolling in time management programs and seminars, not just to be able to learn new techniques and how to execute them, but to share the experience with people with like interests and goals. Because man is a social animal, as Aristotle said, a lot of us find greater comfort in heading the journey off with people who share our views.
However which way we attempt to tackle the issue of time management and planning, and whatever forms it may take, one thing is common to them all: the recognition and acknowledgment that time is precious and that we should seek every means and ways to maximize it, no matter how short.
These time management and planning forms, however, while very helpful, are merely tools to help us achieve a certain goal. They don’t, in any way, guarantee, that we will always be successful, because, as with anything else in this world, success is dependent on how we act upon it. Yes, no matter how many strategies and time management forms we employ, none of our tactics would amount to anything without our own intervention.
If we truly want to succeed in making the most of our limited time in this world, then we must act immediately. Time management and planning forms are there only to aid us and make things easier for us along the way. It’s us that will make things happen. Without our will and perseverance, all our planning will end in vain.