adminhave been stretched so that I could have enough time to fish.
In the morning I do not put a lot of urgency into fishing. However, towards the end of day I will be very desperate to catch up with others if I am beaten.
Even if I am not competing with anyone at times I always feel pressured to catch towards the end of day so that I can take some fish home. At least I have to justify my presence in the dam for a whole day.
It is interesting to note how most fishermen mismanage their fishing time.
Others arrive at the dam late due to one reason or another.
Others mismanage their fishing lines, which results in serious down time due to entanglements.
Others put urgency into fishing in the morning and then lose momentum in the afternoon.
Others lack urgency in the morning and only realise the need for urgency late into the afternoon.
The common factor among fishermen is that they find it difficult to leave the dam after mismanaging their time.
People who start building their rural homes with their pension funds always amuse me.
This is also a clear sign of mismanagement of time. Ideally pension funds are supposed to cushion people with money to cover living expenses and mounting medical bills that come with old age.
It is not money for new investments such as buying new businesses or real estate investments.
A lot of people start thinking entrepreneurship at a time when their energy levels are relatively lower.
Most people do not put urgency into their activities now because they think time will come when they will implement, say in three years.
In most cases three years passes by without anything happening. What people fail to realise is that the quality of the result after three years is directly related to the quality your daily routines.
What is time?
According to Cassell popular English Dictionary, “Time relates to a clock setting in a particular time zone, a portion of time allotted to one or to a specified purpose, the time available at one’s disposal, an opportunity . . .”
This definition brings out two important aspects of time being the chronological aspect and Kiros aspect of time.
A chronometer (i.e. a watch) measures time. This time is normally defined by periods, and defined in terms of early late, on time, time of the day in a specific time zone etc.
Time can also be defined in terms of making time. This is known as the Kiros aspect of time. Kiros is a Greek word, which means to find an opportunity.
People sometimes refer to this as opportune time. Time that is ceased when opportunities arise.
In most cases new opportunities seized create other new opportunities.
But for one to experience other opportunities he/she must first utilise the first opportunity presented. Kiros moments open other opportunities.
The opportune time can also be found in the bible. Luke 4v13 says, “When the devil finished tempting, he left for a while until the opportune time”.
The Devil thought he would be availed a time again which is full of other opportunities though it never came.
At times people have poor judgements that they fail to seize the current opportunity hoping that future opportunities will arise again not realising that the current opportunity would have created future opportunities.
Most people are poor today because they think futuristic.
They don’t think positively about opportunities presented today, they are thinking of future opportunities, which they have no ideas of how they will come about.
How do we waste our time?
Laziness is the greatest consumer of our time.
To a great extent all people are lazy and are not in control of their time. However the extent of laziness is different which differentiates successful people from failures.
Laziness can be analysed using a three dimensional diagnosis. The three dimensional diagnosis is extracted from the book of Genesis and Proverbs in the bible.
Three dimensions of laziness
i) Having a desire (craving) but not willing to work hard to fulfil the your desires.
Proverbs 13v4 says, “The sluggard craves and gets nothing but the desires of the diligent are fully satisfied”.
This verse brings out the issue of craving for something you are not having.
You have a desire to but it never comes to pass because you are not willing to work hard to achieve your dreams and wants.
You crave but have nothing. This points to the fact that you are not doing what you are supposed to be doing.
ii) Your daily routines are not purposely gravitating towards the desires of your heart.
Laziness starts manifesting itself in the way you procrastinate your activities. The activities, which are supposed to be carried out today, are postponed continuously.
In the end you start coming up with excuses on why you cannot achieve what you crave for.
The drive to implement the desired goal suffers a serious knock. In most cases you start shifting implementation responsibilities to your siblings in future.
iii)Your hope is that your children will be in a better position to manage their time.
Unfortunately it is rare for our children to share the same craves with us. This will probably be the final nail in the craving’s coffin.
The more you wait, the stronger the cycles become vicious and the harder it is to come out of it or to break it.
The longer you stay in the cycle, the harder it is to come out of the cycle.
If your mind conceives something, your body is guaranteed to deliver. Failure by your body to support what your mind conceived is laziness.
l The writer is a managing consultant at CLC Training International.
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