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Oya Plan Ya Time

Here is an interesting topic we treated in my Church Service Group (the Press Unit). I think it is a piece everyone should read, given the fact that Time is among the most wasted resources.

Effective Time Management Habits

A habit is a combination of how to do a thing (skills), what to do (knowledge) and why you do it (attitude). New knowledge becomes habits by consistent application.

The Habits

Proactivity: More than taking initiative, it is taking responsibility. Being proactive means not blaming conditions or other people for what happens to you. As a believer you are not your own anymore but a child of God through Christ. Therefore you judge things through the already assured outcome of faith.   Being proactive means not just having faith but acting on faith for every situation in your life.

Vision and Goals: This is what you see the end looking like. Basically, at the end of a set period examples are the end of a semester, or your stay in FUT Minna or even the end of your life, what would be the achievement you want to see accomplished. They could be a vibrant communion with God, graduating with a first-class, relating with your family better, being recognized as a writer.

Assigning Priority: Its putting first things first. You manage time by gaining control of the activities and events in your life. You must prioritize according to your mission statement. Categorizing activities according to URGENCY and IMPORTANCE.

IMPORTANCE: These are activities that help in realizing your vision.
URGENCY: These are pressing matters that require your immediate attention.

Based on these two dimensions, there are four divisions of priority for your time;

URGENT AND IMPORTANT: crises, critical problems examples; meetings, exams, tests, a loved one in an emergency, an assignment or project with a deadline.

IMPORTANT BUT NOT URGENT: That are critical to your vision. These do not have a sense of urgency attached to them but are essential to the vision you have.

URGENT BUT NOT IMPORTANT: are pressing needs that do not tie to your vision and the goals you have set to accomplish. They are mostly important to other people.

NOT URGENT AND NOT IMPORTANT: Proper time wasters; idle talk. Have no bearing on your goals and vision and don’t have the quality of need.

Imbibing these techniques into habits leads to better quality of life and better productivity.

Recommended Text: "Plan Your Life Now" by Imman Galley available on Amazon Kindle bookstore.
It's a manual on time management though on a much grander scale.

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