Time Management Hacks

We scramble to live our lives against an unforgiving parade of seconds, this is what I initially thought what race against time means. Each tick of the clock leads us inevitably... invariably...closer to our life’s finish line. Time does not ask for permission. It marches on. It does not ask if we did all that we could. It just arrives and it vanishes.

            This article will argue that we can stand up against time. We must dare to face time, though it may test our will, we have the potential to turn back the clock and appreciate each moment that is given to me. First, I will demonstrate the need to change our relationship with time. This will require a complete paradigm shift. Followed by a strategy to multiply time.

We are only gifted so many minutes in a day, and I chose not to waste any of these minutes.  When others dread running out of time and complain about about lack of time, I smile back at it. Challenge accepted I say. My race against time motivates me to do everything and yes, sometimes even nothing. Brevity of time coaxes me to have high expectations and also to relax, have fun and day-dream. 

First, I propose that in order to really value time, we must change our relationship with time. We need to stop competing against it and accept that time is something that cannot be controlled or even managed. I argue that there is no such thing as time-management.

Allah’s Messenger (peace be upon him) relates to us that Allah says: “The children of Adam offends Me when they curses time, for I am Time. In My hand is the affair. I alternate the night and the day.” [Sahîh al-Bukhârî (4826) and Sahîh Muslim (2246)]

This hadith means that Allah has created time and the physical manifestation of time is the 24-hour clock.  Allah has given us 12 hours during the day and 12 hours during the night. So whatever happens between these 24 hours, we must accept it as qadr Allah, decision and planning of Allah.

For this reason, al-Shâfi`î said: The Arabs before Islam, when they were stricken with difficulty, or adversity, they used curse time. Similarly, we sometimes say, I hate this day, this was the worst year of my life. We blame seasons, we get upset with temperatures. When in truth, Allah brings about these situations as teachable events.  

Sometimes it is the missed opportunities that help us become resilient. Sometimes the wasted days teach us the value of being responsible and considerate. Pressing deadlines and rushing due dates keep us constantly on our toes, helping us achieve our dreams and plans in a due manner. Time also comes with uncertainty about what the next year, or the next minute, will bring.  We crave novelty and time keeps us on the edge, forever surprised and entertained.

Secondly, in order to improve our relationship with time, we must view it as a trade-off. We must give up some of my chill time or my sleeping time to achieve something big. No sleeping in late on the weekends and Yes to 95 on the test on Monday. No to being a couch potato and Yes to taking a long walk by the beach. Whatever we choose to do in life, it will cost us time. We must be willing to pay for our dreams and goals with our precious time. 

Finally, in order to multiply time and make good use of it, we must eliminate all possible time wasters around in our lives, which do not lead us to anything the next day. Such as watching all possible existing series of a TV show or catching every single pokemon. Only when we have freed up  our time from things which are not urgent nor important, can we have more time to focus on our ambitions.