HOW TO EFFECTIVELY MANAGE YOUR TIME.

  Time management is key to living a fulfilled life. Life is a product of time. A wise man once said "time is an asset of inestimable value." Today I'll like to let you know that time is an asset of equality. No one human being gets more time than the other. What becomes of your life is a product of the use to which you put your time. If you use your time wisely, you'll live a happy, impactful and fulfilled life. Today, we shall be exploring the secrets behind effective time management and as we do, I'll like you to keep this quote by Michael Altshuler in mind;"The bad news is time flies, but the good new is you're the pilot." Here are some practical steps to effective time management;

1. Highlight your daily goals: Time is like a river flowing in a particular direction, there is nothing you can do to change the direction of its flow, the wise thing to do therefore is to take advantage of its flow. Taking advantage of that flow begins with highlighting what you would like to do as you flow down the river. I'll like to relate time management with the work of a plumber who's employed to set up the plumbing framework of a new house. The first thing he does is to consult the building plan and extract information about the full scope of the plumbing required for the house - what to fix and where to fix it?  He also acquaints himself with the water channeling pattern - inflow and outflow. He then goes ahead to meticulously arrange and set the plumbing framework of the house and check to see if there is any adjustment to be made. After the completion of the plumbing system, he then goes ahead to turn on the switch that enables water to flow into the house and there you have it - effective water supply system. I'll like you to see yourself as the plumber of your life tasked with the responsibility of setting the pipes for the flow of time. From the the narrative, the plumber consulted the building plan, therefore you must consult yourself and reason within yourself in order to extract your plans and implement them. Ask yourself questions like; what is my plan for today? What do I intend to achieve today? How can I make the most of my day? What can I do to make today better than yesterday? It is on the back of honest questions like these that you begin to outline your plans, intentions and ideas. Until the prodigal son reasoned within himself by asking honest questions, he never came up with ways to make the most of his life and free himself from suffering and shame.(Luke 15:17-20). If you must make good use of your time you must have clearly outlined goals.
2. Prioritize: It is certain that anyone who applied the first step will come up with more than enough suggestions on how to use their time for the day. But you'll also agree with me that while all the items listed are good, some are of greater importance than others. This is where prioritization comes in; here, you'll try to map out a scale of preference by trying to arrange these items in order of decreasing importance. Carefully separate those that require urgent attention from those that don't, those that must be done today from the ones that can wait till a later time. In a bid to emphasize the need for prioritization, let's look at this incidence involving a man called Paul. He told his audience of his consideration of two options; whether to depart and be with Christ which was more profitable for him or to stay with the people which was more profitable for them. He weighed the two options in a balance and ranked one above the other.(Phil. 1:21-25). You must begin to weigh your highlighted goals and arrange them in an order of priority. Which goals move you closer to the fulfilment of your vision? Which goals are consistent with your values and beliefs? If you fail to prioritize you may end up investing your time on the least profitable item on your list. Weigh the items based on projected outcome. Jesus gave us an insight into this when he narrated the parable of the sower, at the end of the journey, the seeds that fell on fertile ground produced differently. Some generated 30-fold returns, some 60-fold and others 100-fold.(Matt. 13:1-9,23). Don't assume, ensure you prioritize.
3. Map out a to-do-list: Benjamin Franklin said "Lost time can never be found." To avoid the loss of your time you must plan the use of every available minute. To map out a to-do-list simply involves rearranging your Prioritized goals into specific time-slots, this way you can know what you ought to be doing at different hours of the day. David had a to-do-list and although I may not have access to all the items on that list and their various time slots, I know of the item he revealed in the book of Psalms. He said "Evening, and morning, and at noon, will I pray unto thee...." (Ps. 55:17). Prayer was among his prioritized goals so he put it in his to-do-list. This way he knew he had to pray in the morning when he wakes up, pray again at 12 noon and finally pray at night before he retires to his bed. So what do you intend to do, at what time and for how long? These details must be contained in your to-do-list. Until this is established, you may discover that you're unable to achieve much despite the fact that you painstakingly prioritized your goals. If some of your prioritized goals include; exercise, movie watching, yoga class, then your to-do-list will inform you that from 8am-9am you'll be exercising, from 2-3pm you'll be in a yoga class and from 6-7pm you'll be at the cinema watching a new movie. The beauty of the to-do-list is that it allows you to checkout items as you do them and track your compliance.
4. Say no to distractions: This is so crucial because distractions surface everyday with the sole aim of thwarting you time management attempts. You must put on your armour and stand strong against them like a soldier else they'll disrupt your agenda for the day.(Eph. 6:16). Distractions must be quenched without hesitation. Every time waster is an enemy of your destiny. Anyone or anything that is not adding value to you is not worth your time, you must be weary of them and excuse yourself from them without any sentiments. Jesus showed us how to get this done. After performing miracles in a particular city, he woke up with a freshly set agenda for the new day and began executing the same. But his disciples came looking for him with a company of people expecting a continuation of the miracle sessions and when they found him they said " Hey, come and continue from you stopped, we have all these people on the waiting list." But Jesus checked and saw that the request did not correspond with his outlined agenda for the day, so he politely ignored them and said "... Let us go to the next towns that I may peach there also..." (Mk. 1:33-38). You owe no man an explanation or apology on how you decide to use your time, that it is why it is yours. If you refuse to use your time wisely, men will help you to waste it. Every man decides how he uses his time. If you colleagues decide to spend their time on gossiping and chatting, decide to invest yours in a profitable way. Steve Jobs said "Your time is limited so don't waste it living someone else's life. Don't be trapped by dogma,which is living with the result of other people's thinking." If you don't do away with distraction, it may cart away with your time.
5. Stick with the plan: No matter how inconsistent your pursuit of the plan may be, stick with it. Don't be discouraged because no matter how poor your effort may seem, the good thing is that you gave it a try. It is an established fact that practice makes perfect. If you refuse to give up, you'll eventually succeed. Just follow the plan don't turn from it to the right or to the left. Don't give up on the plan half way into the day, keep at it and be determined. Engage this principle like Paul did, he forgot those things that were behind and reached for those things that were ahead.(Phil. 3:13-14). Don't cry over spilled milk because what is gone is gone. Instead of feeling bad, lay hold of the opportunity to make the most of what lies ahead. Every item you miss teaches you a lesson, pick up the lesson and go for the next one. If you don't stick to the plan you may end up worse off than someone who had no plan at all.
6. Don't procrastinate, do it now: Procrastination is a major enemy of effective time management. When the time comes for you to stop watching TV and hit the gym, don't say "I'll go 5 minutes from now." That singular breach could negatively affect the whole agenda. Time management requires discipline, it requires that you get up when you ought to get up and do what you have scheduled to do at every point in time. Don't allow laxity in the transition from one task to another because whether you are aware of it or not the clock is ticking. Solomon a great king speaking against procrastination says "Say not unto thy neighbor, Go, and come again, and tomorrow I will give, when thou hast it by thee." (Pro. 3:27-28). Don't shift your task else you'll end up drifting into a rift. In the school of time management only those who destroy procrastination and act promptly come out tops. Every second counts.
7. Tick as you do: Make a copy of your to-do-list and tick every successfully completed task at the point of completion. This arouses a sense of accomplishment within you and serves as motivation for you to do more. Ticking off items may look an ordinary task, but it has a subtle way of inspiring you to pursue the agenda till the end. Accomplishment may seem ordinary but it is food for the soul, it strengthens the mind and moves it toward the ultimate reward - FULFILMENT. After David cut off Goliath's neck, the accomplishment strenghten the minds of the men of Israel and Judah so much so that they chased down the Philistines and finalized the victory.(1Sam. 17:49-51). Ticking out a completed task infuses you mind with the strength required to finalize you victory.
8. Review: After the whole day's activities, sit down and review your performance. Commend yourself for successfully accomplished goals and promise yourself that you'll do better tomorrow. Outline the reason why you were unable to complete some tasks and see how you can improve for better performance next time. Highlight the distractions you encountered and strategize on how to subdue them in case you encounter them next time. This is important because it helps you to clear your head in preparation for the next day. Don't leave any stone unturned, at this point, you may want to pick up the phone and apologize to people you failed or disappointed. Clear out every negative energy and make sure you go to bed with a clean slate. Celebrate because you have successfully overcome the evil of the day.(Matt. 6:34).
9. Set goals for the next day: The journey into tomorrow begins from today. Don't wait until the next day before you highlight your daily goals. Remember the plumber, he does not turn on the switch before setting the pipes and perfecting the plumbing system rather its the other way round. Setting goals is providing an already established framework for the flow of your time. If a pipe is broken the switch must be turned off before the pipe can be repaired, after which the switch is turned back on and the water supply is restored. Unfortunately, in this case time cannot be stopped, whether you are prepared for it or not, it keeps moving. This why you must keep on planning and strategizing to see how best to deploy your time each day. Don't let complacency override you, after commending yourself and reviewing your stance, pick up a pen and plan for the next day.
10. Rest: This cannot be overemphasized because the quality of the rest you enjoy has a way of influencing your productivity for the next day. Don't play the hero by staying up all night, as soon as you conclude your preparations for the next day jump on your cozy bed and enjoy a good nights rest. If you rest well today you'll deliver your best tomorrow. Time can be very beautiful and profitable if you know how to manage it but can be the source of frustration if you don't know how to appreciate, manage and maximize it.

Well, there you have it again. I'm too certain that if you carefully apply yourself to these principles, you'll come out with beautiful stories of how you tamed the beast called time. Please do well to share some of those stories with me.