How to manage time?

Time is the scarcest resource,says Peter Drucker and unless it is managed, nothing else can be managed. Time is money. In the words of Theophrasteus,time is the most valuable thing a man can spend. Time never comes back. Time is irreversible. A maharaja came to meet Mr. Madhusudan Das, a great national leader who is otherwise known as Bharat Gaurav (Pride of India). The appointment was at 4 p.m. The maharaja in feudal style came in half an hour late. Madhusudan Das's memorable words on the occasion were:" Maharaja, the clock also did not wait for you. How can I wait for you". The lost time does not return. Time and tide wait for none. Time is so important,  that we must make maximum use of it. A day has 24 hours. Analyse time. How much time is spent on studies, sports and sleep? Write down how you spend time. It is an eye opener. You know where you stand. Do not attempt too much at once. Have a realistic time estimate. Organise time. Think how time has been spent. Have specific goals and a time limit. The greatest thing in this world is not so much where we are, but in what direction we are moving, says Oliver Wendell Holmes. If you do not know where you are going, you may go anywhere. A goal is achievable, if you have discipline. Discipline is not merely Do's and Don'ts. It is a kind of order that appears to bind but in fact it sets people free to fly.

Discipline begets determination. Josh Billing says," Be like a postage stamp. Stick to something until you get there". Great people are just ordinary people with an extraordinary amount of determination. The secret of success is enthusiasm. Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm,says Emerson. Nothing is so contagious as enthusiasm, adds Coleridge. Enthusiasm enabled Webster to spend 36 years in his dictionary. It enabled Thomas Edison to remove ten thousand defects before he invented the incandescent lamp. George Stephenson worked for fifteen long years to perfect his locomotive.  Mark Twain,when asked the reasons for his sucess,exclaimed " I was born excited". So, be excited, be enthusiastic, be time conscious. Sucess is yours. Learn to communicate.  Most of the controversies arise in life on account of misunderstanding. Iacocca says,"you can have bright ideas, but if you cannot get them across, your ideas won't get you anywhere". Robert Frost says with a touch of humour  "half the world is composed of people who have something to say and cannot and other half who have nothing to say and keep on saying it". Know what you speak and more importantly, how you speak. Listen to people. You have got two ears but one mouth. You should hear twice of what you speak. David Schwartz says" Big people monopolize the listening. Small people monopolize the talking". Winston Churchill used to listen a lot. We should never cut off a suggestion with a dismissal. President Johnson kept a small signboard which read "you are learning nothing when you are doing all the talking". Andrew Carnegie remarked,"it has been my experience that a man who cannot reach a decision promptly , once he has all the necessary facts for the decision at hand, cannot be depended upon to carry through any decision at hand , cannot be dependent upon to carry through any decision he may take. I have also discovered that men who reach decisions promptly usually have the capacity to move with definiteness of purpose in other circumstances". Making a decision - even a bad decision is better than making no decision at all. You must make several decisions: which goals to choose? Which way to invest time? What are the alternatives available to select from? Decide fast. As Edmond C.Lynch said," If I made a decision fast, I was right 60% of the time. If I made a decision carefully , I would be 70% right, but it was always worth it". Value your time. Waste neither time nor money but make the best use of it. Do not let others waste your time.