By Indagiju Dzarma
Time is said to be God’s gift to man. It is a great virtue that once missed or misused a person will never get it back. That justifies the saying that opportunity once lost can never be regained. Time is that particular moment or hour in which a person use to engage himself in doing something. Time is the period between a person’s decision to achieve success and when to actualize set goals. This period is determined by individuals and the duration totally depends on a person’s effort. That is why; the use of time is mostly based on individual difference in line with individual set objectives.
Time management is a key to achieving success. It is therefore necessary to utilize and make appropriate use of time to meet or target success goals. Time can be managed through proper utilization. If you utilize the little time you have wisely, you can achieve the goals you have set in academics, because time management gives direction on how you will spend every moment of your life as a student; through planning and scheduling the activities you have for each day. To manage time wisely, as a student so as to cope and balance your academics, social and spiritual life, you have to be able to make plans according to the student schedules and giving priority to the most important thing at a particular time. Hence bring to bear the saying, there is time for everything. Making a plan is easy but achieving the objective of the plans is mostly difficult to attain.
This is because planning is a sketch of desired goals not the effort you put to achieve the desired goals. Planning is just a step to achieving success that requires an individual to map out what he wants to achieve and at what time. Realizing those goals is a journey that is accompanied by appropriate time management and utilization.
Another reason why time management is very important in achieving success is that, time is a scale that measures whether your effort is enough or not. Time tells a student whether to put more effort into what he is doing or to slow down when he rushes through his goals. Students who make judicious use of their time are always successful not only in their academics but in social and moral aspects of their lives. The essence of managing time will be defeated if students devote time to studies only during exams. But when it becomes daily habit and practice; it will lead to great success. Hard work they say is the key to success.
In academics like in business, time is very vital. The saying, “time waits for no one” plays a crucial role in agitating the students to pursue their academic activities with vigour at the rightful time. It does not help to wait to burn the mid night candle, but to always strategize on how to go about the studies. Studies go with age. The brain is fresh and assimilating when someone is still young. As one ages, memories diminish, hence learning or pursuing academic activities becomes a problem.
Another saying that tells us more about the importance of time management in student’s academics activities and success is “make hay when the sun shines”. The seriousness with which a student goes about his academic pursuit matters greatly in ensuring the students success. Proper utilization of time can be seen in student’s punctuality to class, promptness in completing and submitting class works or assignments and readiness to handle any given task at the right time.
A student who is serious about his studies gives no room to slothfulness.
If time is not managed and properly utilized, there is every tendency that a person is trading on a path of failure because he doesn’t have direction which he needs to follow. Students who procrastinate doing what they are supposed to do at the right time always find problems with their academics. It is to avert such problems that the saying “do not procrastinate till tomorrow what you can do today. Procrastination amounts to misuse of time which leads to piling up of work. When work piles up, it is done haphazardly, and any anything done haphazardly does not succeed. It is the time one expends in doing something that proves the worth of what he does.
It is generally say that, time is money and should not be wasted. The prudent use of time is a great profit while misuse of time, will lead to failure.
Therefore students should utilize their time wisely so as to enjoy the joy of managing time. The fact cannot be contested that we all have been given time. The use of this invaluable gift can affect our academic life either positively or negatively. If time is used positively and purposefully, it can take one to higher levels of achievement. On the contrary, if time is used negatively and aimlessly, one achieves little or nothing in life.
The clarion call to all students at whatever level of academic pursued is, use time wisely and purposefully while the opportunity is still there before it is too late. For, a stitch in time saves nine. Your time is in your hands and it is up to you to decide how you use it. Don’t wait to cry over spilt milk. Use your time wisely.
Dzarma writes in from Maiduguri.
