TIME MANAGEMENT
Since the days of our ancestors up till this very present age and dispensation, it has been universally observed and noted that virtually everything in life deals with time and it inevitably a crucial factor that battles with the human race as regarding the road to success and accomplishment. Dear reader, if I may recall your knowledge back to the basic fact that there is always a time; To be born and to die To sleep and to be awake To be happy and to be sad To sow and to reap To gain and to lose To merry and to mourn To work and to play. Etc. Having known these few basic facts about time, and relating them to the daily activities of time, you will see that time is very paramount to a man’s lifetime. Do you also remember that seasons are a function of time i.e. each season has its own time of occurrence, e.g. the Rainy/wet season, Harmattan/ Dry season, Summer, Winter, Autumn, Spring, its value cuts across all countries and continents of the world and all field of study. Time is abstract in the sense that naturally, you cannot see it and even control it easily even though, it can be measured. This poses a very gigantic threat and challenge to man who has goals and career to pursue in life. There is a quote that states thus “A man who dares to waste an hour of his time has not yet discovered the value of time?. I want you to realize the fact that time has value and it takes a diligent, industrious, relentless, serious minded, optimistic and God-fearing person to be able to discover and utilize the value of time. As a student for you to be very successful, progressive, productive and excellent in your academics, your need God first who is the author of time and giver of wisdom, knowledge and understanding. You also need to know how to maximize the limited time you have, for the purpose of achieving your goals and reaching the peak of your career in life. Different scientist, philosophers, scholars, professional and academician have different definitions for time management but from my own philosophical perspective, TIME MANAGEMENT is “a means of maximizing judiciously the limited available space of time for the purpose of achieving our goals and reaching the peak of our careers in life” There is a popular saying that “whosoever fails to plan, plans to fail”. WHY MUST YOU MANAGE TIME AS A STUDENT? Time must be managed due to the following basic truths; 1. Time is not a friend of anyone. 2. Time cannot be bought or retrieved with money. 3. Time is very valuable. 4. Time cannot be controlled by man. 5. Time is inevitable i.e everything in life works with time. Consider this thought, “the value of time does not depend on how long you spend on earth, but it depends on how far you have achieved on earth. How can you manage time as a student? It is very simple. Do you remember that 24hrs make up a day? Then let us break it down (from 7-7) as follows: 7:00am -5:00pm – school periods 5:00pm – 10:00pm –after school periods 10:00pm-5:30am-sleeping periods 5:30am- 7:00am – preparation for school During school period from 7.00am-5.00pm always spend your free periods for writing your incomplete notes, assignment and even reading ahead of the next consecutive class after the free periods. This can be most effectively achieved by using your school’s library within an average period of 1hr 20mins per day. Likewise, you can spend 25mins of your BREAK TIME (of about 40mins) studying and revising what you have been taught, either in the library, after relaxing for the first 15mins of the break time. After school period from 5:00pm – 10:00pm, always have at least 1hour for SIESTA, whereby you are allowed to rest or sleep in order for your brain to cool down and be relieved from the academic stress incurred during the lecture periods. This can be achieved compulsorily as a boarding student in your hostel and also as a day student in your respective homes, and that can be after you might have completed the necessary errands for your parents at home. Set an alarm clock to the time scheduled to be awake from your SIESTA, or tell someone to awake you at your scheduled time. After your siesta, you can squeeze out 3hrs between the time range of 7pm-10pm for reading, studying and assignment treatment, thereby picking up your notebooks, textbooks, jotters and other study material based on what you have on your personal reading time-table for that particular day. Between 10pm and 5:30am, you are expected to sleep and rest your brain for the next day’s activities. Please note that immediately you wake up before you start to prepare for school, you must regularly say your prayer to God, greet your parent, after that, brush your teeth, take your bath, press up, arrange your school bag, take you breakfast, and then head for school. At this analytical juncture, I can vividly assure you that if you can optimally utilize 4hrs daily for reading and studying of your lecture notes, textbooks and other study material consistently, persistently and relentlessly, then you can affirmatively be assured of outstanding, astounding, excellent and remarkable results with God on your side. In conclusion: 1. Always plan your time ahead 2. Set goals for yourself 3. Always try to finish whatever you have started 4. Always give yourself daily exercise for nothing less than 10 minutes in order to aid physical fitness and good mental balance and alertness to reading and studying 5. Give yourself daily SIESTA immediately after school activities for nothing less than 1 hour. 6. Have a good reading time-table. “No building can be built without a good building plan and a solid foundation” “A wise man builds on a solid rock while a foolish man builds on sand” BUILD ON A SOLID FOUNDATION!!!