How to plan and use your time efficiently?

Time is the stuff our life is made of. This treasure is received by each of us in the same measure, but we use it very differently. The efficiency and fulfilment in our life depend on the way how and in what we invest our time. In this article I want to advise how to plan and use the time that God has given to you to live it efficiently in this life. I have been motivated to write about this subject to answer to the question I was asked by the students from the Pedagogical College “Alexei Mateevici” from Chisinau, that wanted to know how to organize their time, to manage will all their homework and to learn well. So, how to plan and to use your time efficiently?

Set time aside for planning

The best time to do this is in the morning, when you get up. Reserve daily half an hour only to stay and to think how to use your time from that day efficiently and put it all down on a paper. The time used to think over your activities from that day will spare you of many unuseful or repeated efforts, etc. and it will make you be productive. Here is what the wise king Solomon said regarding to this:

The plans of the diligent lead surely to advantage, but everyone who is hasty comes surely to poverty. (Proverbs of Solomon 21:5)(NASB)

According to the above verse, the diligent man plans his work and activities, that’s why he has advantage and success. The one that doesn’t plan his time, observes that for many times he does things he shouldn’t have done and he does them in a permanent rush, under the pressure of urgency and he fails for many times. More than this, Solomon says that he “comes surely to poverty”.

Put priorities on the important things

There are things that we like to do and there are difficult things, that we don’t like so much to do, but we must do them. If you want to manage all things, put priority on the important things and don’t let them to be done in the end.

Start with the most difficult things

How I have recently said, we like to do some things and usually these things are easy to do. Let us say that you are a student in school. You have some subjects that you like to get ready for them and that’s why, you always start with these subjects. Those that you assimilate harder are let to be done later, but for many times you even don’t manage to get ready for them. Don’t do this. Start with the most difficult task at first and don’t go to another one unless you finish the first one well. This will bring fulfilment and certitude to you that you can manage with the most difficult tasks. So, let us say that Maths is the most complicated subject for you. When you come at home, start with Maths and until you are not up with all tasks you have received, don’t start another subject. If you do this daily, you will not even notice how in a short time those subjects that were difficult and unpleasant to you, will be assimilated easily by you. After you are up with the most complicated task, go to the next less complicated task. You will be very surprised to see how quickly you will manage to do all these tasks and you receive fulfilment from this.

Use every moment to its highest quality

If you work, do your utmost to work qualitatively. If you rest, rest qualitatively and if you spend time with people, spend this time qualitatively, to build nice relations. There are people that are always in their families, but they have never spent or spend time with those whom they love. Maybe you are one of this persons? Analyze the way you use your time.

Put priority on the relation with God

Most people run after trifling matters, put priority on these things and that’t why they live their lives without a sense or fulfilment. Don’t be one of them. Listen to the advice that the Lord Jesus has given:

Seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things (clothes, food, etc.) will be added to you. So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. (the Gospel of Matthew 6:33–34)(NASB)

In conclusion, I want to put down the steps you have to follow up daily for a good planning and an efficient use of the time:

1. Plan your activities of the day on a paper.

2. Begin with most important task

3. Go to the next task, that is less important only after you are up with the previous one.

4. Do all things to the highest quality.

5. Seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness by studying and living the truth of the Holy Scriptures.

May God help you to live your life qualitatively. Come again tomorrow to find out how you can build and maintain a nice relation with your parents.

Translated by Djugostran Felicia