Do You Have the Time?

Today, it seems that one does not have enough time for all the things one wants to do. Twenty-four hours a day is simply inadequate for school/college, study, sleep, time with family and friends, play and exercise, TV, WhatsApp/Facebook/Instagram — and, of course, one needs to set aside a little time for daydreaming, too. There is only one way out: we must plan ahead, decide our priorities, and make a time schedule in which we include all important activities. We must prioritize the important task over the trivial, and balance immediate fun activities against those that are less interesting but beneficial in the long run.
What Is Time Management?
This is ultimately about making intelligent decisions about what are our most important priorities, and then using our will-power to do those activities first. When we are short of time, we may need to ignore activities that are less important, no matter how interesting and enjoyable they are.
a. Activities that are both Urgent and Important: Activities like preparing for the next day’s exam, should receive first priority.
b. Activities that are Urgent but Not Important: Yes, it’s good fun to spend a lot of time reading humorous forwards on WhatsApp. We get frequent notifications of our friends’ Facebook and Instagram posts. We receive phone calls while we are studying or even sleeping. Though most of these calls, messages and notifications are inconsequential, we feel compelled to read them and respond immediately, due to FOMO (Fear Of Missing Out). The truth is that these are major distractions. We should silence notifications, but keep aside a little time every evening for WhatsApp and social media. This is the only way we will find time for the next set of activities.

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Dr Newton Luiz is a pediatrician and a nationally-acknowledged expert in adolescent care and counselling. He conducts life guidance classes and writes articles for and about teenagers.