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Time Management::
Everybody has the difficulty of doing a number of tasks everyday within the
limited number of hours available. Therefore time management has become a very
important skill for executives and others alike. Pujya Swami Chinmayanandji
said "Plan out your work, work out your plan." This summarizes the basis of
achievements. Value of Time : People give us 'time pieces' as gifts. Does anyone
ever give 'time' as a gift? We must become conscious of how valuable a resource
time is. An old Sanskrit verse says "one should earn scholarship and wealth
by being careful about every moment and every rupee. If moments are lost, one
cannot learn much. If rupees are lost one cannot earn much." Thus every moment
is precious. The rich and the poor should know the value of money. Similarly
top level managers and ordinary workers should know the value of time equally.
A writing on a sun-dial at the Wellesley College in USA has much to teach us
on the value of every moment, especially the present moment.
The shadow of my finger cast
Divides the future from the past
Behind its unreturning line
The vanished hour, no longer thine.
Before it lies the unknown hour,
In darkness and beyond thine power.
One hour alone is in thine hands,
The now on which the shadow stands.
Plan Out : We may envisage three aspects to proper planning of all our work.
First, we should have a vision that does justice to the whole of life. Our professional
responsibilities, domestic work and contributions to the society should all
be balanced. Moreover we must take full care of our own physical and emotional
health. Secondly, we must plan two to three hours of undisturbed nature daily.
That is the way to prevent our inbox to exceed our capacity for disposal. Thirdly,
right at the planning stage we must identify the right sequence of tasks. Important
things must be marked A while less important ones must be marked B and so on
in our task list itself. Work out : In the implementation stage again, we can
visualize three important aspects. First, we ought to adhere to priority. Unless
there is some unavoidable circumstance, A must be attended to before B. there
should be no compromise in the matter of priority. Secondly, we must learn to
do every job with full attention. When we are able to concentrate on the work
at hand, we can save significant amounts of time. Thirdly, every one of us must
learn to work as a team. The word 'team' in its very spelling indicates "Together
Everyone Achieves More". In all these matters, our ability to say no to distractions
is very important. Interestingly, distractions take place not only from others
but also from ourselves. There are people who interrupt us with some demands
or proposals. We have to be careful in accepting them. Then our own restless
mind proposes different things at different times. We need to have a wholesome
discipline without being too hard on ourselves. Flexibility is necessary but
one must know the dividing line between flexibility and waywardness. Right sequence
ensures that our foundation is good and "there is a place for everything and
everything is in its place". In the Valmiki Ramayana (2:100:19) Lord Sri Rama
says to Bharatha, "I hope you identify high priority works and attend to them
before all others in you administration of Ayodhya". One thing at a time and
that done well - is a nice guideline for efficient working. Pujya Swamiji adviced,
"Let your mind be where your hands are." When we work with concentration, and
have a team to attend to different aspects of big job, it is like adding clocks
and multiplying time. Slow and steady wins the race. Wish you all the best.
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