Time Management -- 'That on which you invest time grows'
The greatest complaint in today's world is 'There's just no time to do what I want'. Most of us these days are so busy that we don't know whether we are coming or going. But, are we really using our time efficiently? Find out how you can get more out of life.
With hands steadily holding the handle bar and the feet firmly rested on the pedals, courtesy gravity, the cycle was gliding down the mountain path. There was no effort from the cyclist, whose body was drenched in sweat. Sweat was continuously trickling down like rain drops from his hair, which stopped slightly below his shoulders. Just a few years ago, this cyclist couldn't have imagined running a block, but now he was testing his endurance with mountain-biking. When he had started a year ago, he could hardly pedal up the three of the total 23 bends that led up to the mountain top, but now he was comfortable with the whole terrain. Avyakta had taken it on himself to feel younger with the growing years. As he was about to exit from the mountain path and take the highway that led to his house, he reached for his bottle of water. He poured some over his head and face, drank a little and poured the rest over his head.
A white luxury sedan, which had just crossed Avyakta, came to a screeching halt. The car door opened in a flash and calling Avyakta's name, a fatso came running out of the car. Avyakta was baffled for a moment; he then responded screaming, “Hey, Rabin!” Rabin ran into Avyakta and gave him a tight hug. Avyakta, though initially a little hesitant about being wet, reciprocated by throwing his arms around Rabin. Rabin and Avyakta had started their career together, about two decades ago. After a couple of years, Rabin had left for the United States in search of opportunities, while Avyakta continued to grow in his motherland. Rabin was very famous for his athletic abilities in college, but he hardly looked that person any more. During his younger days, Avyakta never had a liking for sports, but looked very fit and toned now.
Avyakta dropped his cycle to the ground and walked along with Rabin towards the car. Rabin leaned on his car and said, “I have come to India on a business visit. It all happened at the eleventh hour. Intending to surprise you, I barged into your house early this morning. I met your wife and she shocked me by saying that you had gone mountainbiking. She offered me coffee, but the shock of my old friend being up to such antics like mountain-biking was too much for me to digest… I told her that I would be back and came in search of you. Hey, old man… what's all this drama at forty-five?” Avyakta smiled back at Rabin and asked, “Tell me the truth… I don't look forty-five, do I? If anyone has to be called an old man, it is you Rabin…what's all this? You were the one who inspired all of us with your athletic abilities, what's happened to you now? Why are you bulging in all directions? Don't you do anything about your fitness? Too busy making money, huh?” With Avyakta's help, Rabin loaded the cycle in the spacious boot of the sedan and then both of them got into the car. Avyakta pulled out a rubber band from his pocket and tied up his long hair in a ponytail. Rabin extended a box of tissues and Avyakta used a few to pat his face dry. As Rabin began to drive he confessed, “You are right Avyakta… my health is becoming a huge matter of concern to me. I have a lot of complications and I don't like the body I live in any more.”
Then the typical human predicament… the desperate need to justify oneself, took over, and Rabin added, “But where is the time to exercise? Avyakta, for all the things you are doing in life, I wonder how you find time for everything. So much work pressure; the business is so competitive; unavoidable social obligations; it must be so late by the time you retire for the day that you probably just catch some sleep and then you again go through the grind of another day. I really envy guys like you who have picked up some trick to find time for everything that you choose to do.”
Avyakta, by decision, remained mum. A prolonged silence followed. Rabin glanced at Avyakta more than once, feeling a little uneasy with Avyakta's taciturn behaviour. Rabin punched Avyakta on his biceps and with a quarter smile managed, “You must be thinking that I am so stupid - I am doing so much professionally, but I am not managing to find time for my health. You must think that I am absolutely crazy!” Avyakta smiled back at Rabin and nodded in acknowledgement, only to be punched again by Rabin… this time a little harder. Avyakta said, “Not just you Rabin, but for all of us… the starting point of a 'Time Revolution' in our life is to accept and acknowledge that all of us are awfully inefficient in the way we use our time… including those who teach 'Time Management'… and I know that your United States is full of them… we are very inefficient with the way we use our time. Few of us will readily admit that large parts of our day actually get wasted. A tragic amount of time gets wasted everywhere. The starting point to revolutionise the way we use our time is to be honest with ourselves and confess that we are inefficient in the way we use our time.” By then, they had reached Avyakta's house. As they entered the house, Avyakta requested his wife for two glasses of fresh fruit juice and led Rabin to the terrace garden that extended from his dining hall. Rabin sat on the garden bench, while Avyakta squatted on the lawn. Avyakta's wife placed the tray with two glasses of juice on the garden stool and left the place, respecting the privacy of the two friends who were meeting after a very long time.
Both of them helped themselves to a glass and Avyakta continued. “Rabin, it is a timeless wisdom… 'That on which you invest time grows'. If your business has been doing well, it is because you have been investing time on it. In business, if your North American market is doing well, it is because you have been investing time on it. If your social circle is expanding, it is because you have been investing time on it. If your family life is deteriorating, it is because you have not been investing time on your family. If your relationship with a friend is not what it used to be, it is because you have not been investing time on that relationship. If your health has been deteriorating, it is because you have not been investing time on it. The opposite is also true… 'That which is starved of time, shrinks'.” Rabin also moved to the lawn and Avyakta continued. “You are asking me how I have time for everything. I want a happy family… so I must invest time on my family. I enjoy parenting… so I must invest time on parenting. I have started enjoying this game of money making… so I must invest time on organisation building. I have always been spiritually aligned… so I must invest time on my spiritual growth. I have now developed this new passion for fitness… so I am investing time on my body. Of course, I love my friends… and as you can see, I am right now investing time on you.”
Rabin, who had been wanting to get a word in all this while, finally managed to interrupt the flow of Avyakta's communication, said , “ That I can understand, but from where do you find so much time reserve? There are just 24 hours, but 48 things that need our time.”
Avyakta said, “Rabin, like you, I was also victim to this madness of believing that there wasn't enough time. I also kept blabbering as insanely that I know these things are important in life, but I don't have the time for it… till I asked myself, “Can I afford not to have time for what is important in life? What then will the consequences be?” This question made me ponder and I realised that my time was being stolen by the 'trivial many', which had little or no consequence on the overall effectiveness of my life. I decided to channel that time on the 'vital few', which would have a direct effect on the overall purpose of my life.”
Rabin was now completely attuned to Avyakta. Avyakta added, “Before you can invest the money, you first need to have the money. Before you can invest time on what is important to you, you must first have the time. To find time, I realised that I have to first identify those time stealers and stop giving them any more of my time. Rabin, there is this age old metaphor; I am sure you've heard it before: If I fill a bucket with rocks first, then follow it up with pebbles so that they can go into the gaps between the rocks, then fill it up with sand and finally pour water… I will be able to put more stuff into the bucket. On the contrary, if I fill the bucket with water first, then there will be no space for anything else to get in. Life, for most of us, is like that… the 'trivial many' that I was referring to is like the water and the sand, which first fills up our routines, leaving little or no time for the 'vital few', which are like the pebbles and the rocks. The main secret to finding time is to identify the time stealers and get rid of them.”
With a glow of achievement in his eyes, Avyakta said, “Rabin, you know what I did… contrary to what conventional 'Time Management Gurus' teach us, I sat down and compiled a 'Not To Do List'… a 'nono' to ritualistic television watching… watching TV was becoming compulsive… I turned it into a choice… a 'no-no' to at the door, then the gate, and finally near the car gossip… a 'no-no' to reading every piece of crap in the newspaper, from obituaries to tender notices, just because it is printed… a 'no-no' to becoming a member of every association and then attending those weekly meetings just because I have a social obligation to do so… now I ask myself, why do I have to join this association and what will be its implication on my life five years from now… Before I give anything my time, I ask whether it is worth my time … a 'no-no' to every other invitation… I am not afraid of saying 'no' to some invitations… a 'no-no' to I should do everything by myself… what can be done by others, even to 90% efficiency, is now delegated… a 'no-no' to visiting the same set of people day after day, week after week, month after month, and arguing about the same things, just because we enjoy each other's idiosyncrasies… a 'nono' to late night parties which invariably affect my efficiency the next morning… I am no more guilty of not being a night bird… after all, I wasn't born to be nocturnal… there's so much more. I can just keep adding to the list. I compiled a 'Not To Do List', enlisted all the redundant roles of my life that were robbing me of my precious resource - time, and vouched not to give those any of my time any more.”
“Rabin, trust me,” Avyakta said, “that changed it all. I freed so much of my time by withdrawing from the 'trivial many' that I now have time for every important aspect of my life and I still have more time at my disposal to add more important things to my life. Today, I can tell you that I am doing a lot lesser in life, but yet producing a lot more. Of course, I still set time aside each day to review the way I use my time, and I keep finding scope for improvement all the time.” Avyakta said, “Rabin, in essence, I have understood that time management isn't clock management. It is the ability to say 'yes' to what is important, and more importantly, the discipline to say 'no' to 'you don't have to do' aspects of life. I know where I want to be tomorrow and I know I can get there only if I invest my time today in the direction of my tomorrow. Rabin, you might as well invest time on your health today than spend time on your diseases tomorrow… you might as well invest time with a spiritual teacher today than spend time with a psychiatrist tomorrow… you might as well invest time with the family today than spend time in a old age home tomorrow… Rabin, money is beautiful only when it helps you to enjoy everything around you. To enjoy everything around you, you first need time and only then, perhaps, your money. Let us not cheat ourselves any more by screaming busy-busy-busy… Should we add that to our 'Not To Do List' - the mindless screaming of busy-busy-busy? There is a lot more time than we can use, if we begin to use it wisely.”
Rabin got up to leave… of course, without expecting Avyakta to escort him to the door, then the gate, and then the car… His parting words, “I will see you next time with a body that feels younger… thank you for your time, pal… it was timely.” Avyakta bid farewell and said, “Rabin, you are, and will always be, one among my 'vital few'. I cherish my relationship with you… don't we know… 'That on which you invest time grows'... There for you any time.”
With hands steadily holding the handle bar and the feet firmly rested on the pedals, courtesy gravity, the cycle was gliding down the mountain path. There was no effort from the cyclist, whose body was drenched in sweat. Sweat was continuously trickling down like rain drops from his hair, which stopped slightly below his shoulders. Just a few years ago, this cyclist couldn't have imagined running a block, but now he was testing his endurance with mountain-biking. When he had started a year ago, he could hardly pedal up the three of the total 23 bends that led up to the mountain top, but now he was comfortable with the whole terrain. Avyakta had taken it on himself to feel younger with the growing years. As he was about to exit from the mountain path and take the highway that led to his house, he reached for his bottle of water. He poured some over his head and face, drank a little and poured the rest over his head.
A white luxury sedan, which had just crossed Avyakta, came to a screeching halt. The car door opened in a flash and calling Avyakta's name, a fatso came running out of the car. Avyakta was baffled for a moment; he then responded screaming, “Hey, Rabin!” Rabin ran into Avyakta and gave him a tight hug. Avyakta, though initially a little hesitant about being wet, reciprocated by throwing his arms around Rabin. Rabin and Avyakta had started their career together, about two decades ago. After a couple of years, Rabin had left for the United States in search of opportunities, while Avyakta continued to grow in his motherland. Rabin was very famous for his athletic abilities in college, but he hardly looked that person any more. During his younger days, Avyakta never had a liking for sports, but looked very fit and toned now.
Avyakta dropped his cycle to the ground and walked along with Rabin towards the car. Rabin leaned on his car and said, “I have come to India on a business visit. It all happened at the eleventh hour. Intending to surprise you, I barged into your house early this morning. I met your wife and she shocked me by saying that you had gone mountainbiking. She offered me coffee, but the shock of my old friend being up to such antics like mountain-biking was too much for me to digest… I told her that I would be back and came in search of you. Hey, old man… what's all this drama at forty-five?” Avyakta smiled back at Rabin and asked, “Tell me the truth… I don't look forty-five, do I? If anyone has to be called an old man, it is you Rabin…what's all this? You were the one who inspired all of us with your athletic abilities, what's happened to you now? Why are you bulging in all directions? Don't you do anything about your fitness? Too busy making money, huh?” With Avyakta's help, Rabin loaded the cycle in the spacious boot of the sedan and then both of them got into the car. Avyakta pulled out a rubber band from his pocket and tied up his long hair in a ponytail. Rabin extended a box of tissues and Avyakta used a few to pat his face dry. As Rabin began to drive he confessed, “You are right Avyakta… my health is becoming a huge matter of concern to me. I have a lot of complications and I don't like the body I live in any more.”
Then the typical human predicament… the desperate need to justify oneself, took over, and Rabin added, “But where is the time to exercise? Avyakta, for all the things you are doing in life, I wonder how you find time for everything. So much work pressure; the business is so competitive; unavoidable social obligations; it must be so late by the time you retire for the day that you probably just catch some sleep and then you again go through the grind of another day. I really envy guys like you who have picked up some trick to find time for everything that you choose to do.”
Avyakta, by decision, remained mum. A prolonged silence followed. Rabin glanced at Avyakta more than once, feeling a little uneasy with Avyakta's taciturn behaviour. Rabin punched Avyakta on his biceps and with a quarter smile managed, “You must be thinking that I am so stupid - I am doing so much professionally, but I am not managing to find time for my health. You must think that I am absolutely crazy!” Avyakta smiled back at Rabin and nodded in acknowledgement, only to be punched again by Rabin… this time a little harder. Avyakta said, “Not just you Rabin, but for all of us… the starting point of a 'Time Revolution' in our life is to accept and acknowledge that all of us are awfully inefficient in the way we use our time… including those who teach 'Time Management'… and I know that your United States is full of them… we are very inefficient with the way we use our time. Few of us will readily admit that large parts of our day actually get wasted. A tragic amount of time gets wasted everywhere. The starting point to revolutionise the way we use our time is to be honest with ourselves and confess that we are inefficient in the way we use our time.” By then, they had reached Avyakta's house. As they entered the house, Avyakta requested his wife for two glasses of fresh fruit juice and led Rabin to the terrace garden that extended from his dining hall. Rabin sat on the garden bench, while Avyakta squatted on the lawn. Avyakta's wife placed the tray with two glasses of juice on the garden stool and left the place, respecting the privacy of the two friends who were meeting after a very long time.
Both of them helped themselves to a glass and Avyakta continued. “Rabin, it is a timeless wisdom… 'That on which you invest time grows'. If your business has been doing well, it is because you have been investing time on it. In business, if your North American market is doing well, it is because you have been investing time on it. If your social circle is expanding, it is because you have been investing time on it. If your family life is deteriorating, it is because you have not been investing time on your family. If your relationship with a friend is not what it used to be, it is because you have not been investing time on that relationship. If your health has been deteriorating, it is because you have not been investing time on it. The opposite is also true… 'That which is starved of time, shrinks'.” Rabin also moved to the lawn and Avyakta continued. “You are asking me how I have time for everything. I want a happy family… so I must invest time on my family. I enjoy parenting… so I must invest time on parenting. I have started enjoying this game of money making… so I must invest time on organisation building. I have always been spiritually aligned… so I must invest time on my spiritual growth. I have now developed this new passion for fitness… so I am investing time on my body. Of course, I love my friends… and as you can see, I am right now investing time on you.”
Rabin, who had been wanting to get a word in all this while, finally managed to interrupt the flow of Avyakta's communication, said , “ That I can understand, but from where do you find so much time reserve? There are just 24 hours, but 48 things that need our time.”
Avyakta said, “Rabin, like you, I was also victim to this madness of believing that there wasn't enough time. I also kept blabbering as insanely that I know these things are important in life, but I don't have the time for it… till I asked myself, “Can I afford not to have time for what is important in life? What then will the consequences be?” This question made me ponder and I realised that my time was being stolen by the 'trivial many', which had little or no consequence on the overall effectiveness of my life. I decided to channel that time on the 'vital few', which would have a direct effect on the overall purpose of my life.”
Rabin was now completely attuned to Avyakta. Avyakta added, “Before you can invest the money, you first need to have the money. Before you can invest time on what is important to you, you must first have the time. To find time, I realised that I have to first identify those time stealers and stop giving them any more of my time. Rabin, there is this age old metaphor; I am sure you've heard it before: If I fill a bucket with rocks first, then follow it up with pebbles so that they can go into the gaps between the rocks, then fill it up with sand and finally pour water… I will be able to put more stuff into the bucket. On the contrary, if I fill the bucket with water first, then there will be no space for anything else to get in. Life, for most of us, is like that… the 'trivial many' that I was referring to is like the water and the sand, which first fills up our routines, leaving little or no time for the 'vital few', which are like the pebbles and the rocks. The main secret to finding time is to identify the time stealers and get rid of them.”
With a glow of achievement in his eyes, Avyakta said, “Rabin, you know what I did… contrary to what conventional 'Time Management Gurus' teach us, I sat down and compiled a 'Not To Do List'… a 'nono' to ritualistic television watching… watching TV was becoming compulsive… I turned it into a choice… a 'no-no' to at the door, then the gate, and finally near the car gossip… a 'no-no' to reading every piece of crap in the newspaper, from obituaries to tender notices, just because it is printed… a 'no-no' to becoming a member of every association and then attending those weekly meetings just because I have a social obligation to do so… now I ask myself, why do I have to join this association and what will be its implication on my life five years from now… Before I give anything my time, I ask whether it is worth my time … a 'no-no' to every other invitation… I am not afraid of saying 'no' to some invitations… a 'no-no' to I should do everything by myself… what can be done by others, even to 90% efficiency, is now delegated… a 'no-no' to visiting the same set of people day after day, week after week, month after month, and arguing about the same things, just because we enjoy each other's idiosyncrasies… a 'nono' to late night parties which invariably affect my efficiency the next morning… I am no more guilty of not being a night bird… after all, I wasn't born to be nocturnal… there's so much more. I can just keep adding to the list. I compiled a 'Not To Do List', enlisted all the redundant roles of my life that were robbing me of my precious resource - time, and vouched not to give those any of my time any more.”
“Rabin, trust me,” Avyakta said, “that changed it all. I freed so much of my time by withdrawing from the 'trivial many' that I now have time for every important aspect of my life and I still have more time at my disposal to add more important things to my life. Today, I can tell you that I am doing a lot lesser in life, but yet producing a lot more. Of course, I still set time aside each day to review the way I use my time, and I keep finding scope for improvement all the time.” Avyakta said, “Rabin, in essence, I have understood that time management isn't clock management. It is the ability to say 'yes' to what is important, and more importantly, the discipline to say 'no' to 'you don't have to do' aspects of life. I know where I want to be tomorrow and I know I can get there only if I invest my time today in the direction of my tomorrow. Rabin, you might as well invest time on your health today than spend time on your diseases tomorrow… you might as well invest time with a spiritual teacher today than spend time with a psychiatrist tomorrow… you might as well invest time with the family today than spend time in a old age home tomorrow… Rabin, money is beautiful only when it helps you to enjoy everything around you. To enjoy everything around you, you first need time and only then, perhaps, your money. Let us not cheat ourselves any more by screaming busy-busy-busy… Should we add that to our 'Not To Do List' - the mindless screaming of busy-busy-busy? There is a lot more time than we can use, if we begin to use it wisely.”
Rabin got up to leave… of course, without expecting Avyakta to escort him to the door, then the gate, and then the car… His parting words, “I will see you next time with a body that feels younger… thank you for your time, pal… it was timely.” Avyakta bid farewell and said, “Rabin, you are, and will always be, one among my 'vital few'. I cherish my relationship with you… don't we know… 'That on which you invest time grows'... There for you any time.”
posted by Mega at 5:50 PM
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