DR KEVWE'S BLOG

There’s hardly anyone who hasn’t had a taste of stress in this present chaotic and ever busy world. Because the myriad of our daily activities are time-bound, chances are, you’d always feel there’s never enough time to do the things you wanted to –we become overwhelmed. Hence, stress is so often the result of feeling ‘stuck’ in a particular time-frame. This state of feeling ‘not having enough time’ to carry out all your tasks in a given time-frame is caused by POOR TIME MANAGEMENT cum Time Wasters!

Time Wasters in Our Daily Life

There are activities –Time Wasters that seem harmless but are mercilessly ruthless in stealing your precious time, sap your energy,and plunge you into chaos. Some of such Time Wasters are Misplaced Priorities, Procrastination, Unproductive Telephone Conversations, Excessive TV Watching, Excessive Pleasure-seeking, Social media Addiction, and so on.

Let’s briefly discuss the three common and dangerous ones and how they trigger stress in your life.

Procrastination

Procrastination is the most subtle and dangerous Time Waster of all time. This is because procrastination will make you feel relaxed, and you tell yourself, “There’s plenty of time, after all. One of these days I’ll do the task.” But you never did! When you postpone what need to be done today till tomorrow, you’re only postponing the evil days!How? Because you’ll pile up task upon task until they form Mount Everest that’d be too much for you to handle. Of course, stress will take a heavy toll on you…you’ll break down! 

Excessive TV Watching

Television is a very powerful tool through which we learn about lands and people we may never see or visit. But when you stay glued to your TV set on a daily basis like a sticky postage stamp –you’re not only killing time and your productivity, but also short-changing your life! How? Research has shown that on average, people watch TV for four hours per day. So, the most important things in your life –producing, creating, family time, and so on you ‘suspended’ for 4hours will definitely multiply like the binary fission of bacteria.Before you realize it, you’ll suffer Time Suffocation and get stressed out.

Social Media Addiction

The social media and the new technologies have connected people together who have been separated by distance.  But sadly, mostpeople, especially youngsters, are now enslaved to it –they can stay glued to their mobile phones…chatting on social media for long hours.  This is a wrong use of their time at the expense of the most important things in their lives –learning, creating, recreation, and so forth. 

Consequently, LESS and LESS is get done by them…and MORE and MORE important things are deferred to be done later –often under self-inflicted stress. Someone captured it well when he said, “One of the very worst uses of time is to do something very well that need NOT to be done at all.” 

How to Beat Stress with Better Time Management

You can kiss your chaotic life of stress goodbye, and welcome a CALM and peaceful life by mastering Time Management skills. Here are two powerful, tested, and proven strategies you can apply to beat stress…hands down.

Focus on Your Priority Areas

Your Priority Areas are the MOST IMPORTANT THINGS in your life. It could be in your personal life, career or business, education –if you’re a student. Before you carry out any activity, you need to put the most IMPORTANT things first before others.  What is of priority to you is determined by the four ways in which we spend our time. Your time could be spent on activities that are:

Both Urgent and Important: These are activities that deal with SIGNIFICANT RESULTS and require immediate attention. In other words, they are activities/tasks that if you don’t carry them out, they’ll present dire consequences. Such activities are crises, emergencies, pressing problems, deadline-driven projects.

Urgent but Not Important: These are activities that are urgent, and are assumed to be also important, but in reality, they are urgent matters that are often based on the expectations of others. Examples are some… calls, mails, unnecessary meetings, delegated jobs, social activities, and so on.

Important but Not Urgent: These are HIGH-VALUE activities in your life, career, and even to others. They are Preventive Activities – you know you need to do, but not under pressure to do them. Such activities are reading, writing, planning, relationship building, exercise, attending seminars, and so forth. Yes, the priority you place on your priorities determines your superiority over your time and stress levels.

Neither Urgent nor Important: These are LOW-VALUE activitiesthat are mostly pleasure-driven with no consequences at all. Examples of such activities are partying, unnecessary phone calls, unguided TVwatching and social media chatting, gambling, and so on. You can ONLY do them when you choose to relax, but not at the expense of your most important things.

Learn to Say No!

One of the most powerful words in Time/Stress Management is…‘NO’. Saying no is the BEST TIME SAVER in the world! It saves you your valuable time, energy, resources, and helps you beat stress. Listen, say NO! to anything that’s low-value. Say it early and say it often, when the situation demands. Don’t allow the ‘attractiveness’ of low-value activities –excessive TV watching, social media chatting to plunge you into the sea of chaos! Learn to say NO! to get more done in less time, and transit from chaos to calm.

If you apply those two surefire time management strategieseffectively, I guarantee that not only will you become more productive, organized and focused, but also beat stress hands down…and enjoy a calm and peaceful life you never thought possible.

Remember, you can beat stress only by changing the way you INVEST your TIME, and deal with the never-ending stream of responsibilities that flow over you each day.

By Shadrach Boussa

Shadrach Boussa is an Inspirational Writer, Speaker, Teacher (Academic), a Youth Development Advocate, and a Health Enthusiast (certified in Occupational Safety & Health (OSHA).  

She used to be the apple of her parents’ eyes, not just because she was the last born, but also because of her diligence and dedication to both her studies and chores assigned to her. Whenever she was given a task to do, for instance, unlike her siblings, she never procrastinated but got it done promptly. Even after she got admitted into the university, she continued with these great habits. Sadly , all that changed during her transition from 300 level to her final year!

To this end, some of her friends, especially her best friend, Jenny, noticed the gradual decline of her good habits and said: “Ella [as she is fondly called], you’re no longer the serious-minded Ella I know. You now procrastinate on school work. What’s happening?” But she just shrugged, and said, “Don’t worry, Jenny! I’m still that your girl.” Even some of her lecturers were disappointed at her changed attitude, and berated her for being nonchalant about her studies, and her low grades in their courses. Also, her parents complained about the ‘abnormality’ they noticed –unserious attitude towards her studies and personal life.  Consequently, during the first semester holiday, they grounded her: they seized her cell phone so she could focus on her studies, and not chatting on social media 

Meanwhile, Ella was undone with three major courses –a Term Paper, her Project, and Final paper revision. During one of their classes, a Term Paper was assigned to her, a month before the due date for submission. She swiftly stored the submission date on her phone’s notepad. “There’s plenty of time for the assignment. I don’t have to worry about it,” she said to her friends. But her best friend, Jenny shook her head (in disappointment) and said, “remember , Ella, we have class tests to prepare for Professor Wami’s 5-unit course assignment.” But Ella sighed and said, “Don’t worry! We have plenty of time to do our group assignment. Besides, this ‘5-unit course assignment’ is due in two weeks! That’s plenty of time!” “Don’t underestimate the time limit, Ella. It waits for no man,” Jenny cautioned.

A week before the Term Paper was due, the two friends met in class. Ella looked over at one of her friend’s test scripts to see an ‘A’, and asked in amazement, “Jenny, how come your grades are always high?” “Because I never procrastinate. I invest my time wisely, unlike you…” Jenny replied swiftly. Meanwhile, Ella also had two carry-over courses to contend with.

Fast forward, “Babe, you’ll work with me in the library,” Ella told Jenny. In the library, Jenny gazed at Ella’s Term Paper. “You’ve not done anything. Look, Ella, you’ve got to do it urgently. Or, you may not meet up the submission date.” But Ella replied with her usual mantra implanted in her by her ‘deceptive friend’– Procrastination: “Jenny, don’t worry, I have PLENTY of TIME to do this paper.”

Two days before the due date, Jenny again asked Ella if she had finished her paper. Suddenly, reality  dawned on Ella! Her friend had finished her own paper a week ago. Expectedly, despite her self-imposed intense stress by keeping vigil for two nights, she COULDN’T MEET THE DEADLINE. She went on her knees (with tears), pleading with her lecturer to extend the period to submit the paper, but he refused. Because she had ALL the TIME in the world to do so. And, your guess is as good as mine…she got straight ‘F’!

Again, Ella procrastinated to revise her final paper for a month. On the eve of the paper, she promised herself, “I’ll start my revision at 1: 00 A.M.” As she lay in bed, the soothing fingers of her bedspread began to caress her skin. The pillows also began to whisper, “Ella, come lay with me.” Anyway, the alarm blared... “7:00 A.M!” She jetted out the bed to the bathroom. She arrived the exam hall late and totally disorganized! The consequence? Of course, she FAILED it! What about her Project? It was shabbily done of which they ‘dashed’ her an ‘E’!

The Day of Reckoning: When the news of their graduation date dropped on their WhatsApp Group the previous night, Ella dashed into the campus that fateful morning to check the graduation list. Guess what? Her name was conspicuously MISSING from it! Ella wept uncontrollably as she stared at the notice board. Sadly, she spent EXTRA YEAR in the university, and eventually graduated with a miserable THIRD CLASS! Yes, Ella fell into the deep pit of woes dug by her Deceptive Friend, Procrastination! He continually assured her. “Don’t worry! You have plenty of time.”

You see, ‘Old Man Procrastination’ is never anyone’s friend. For instance, if you tell yourself, “One of these days I’ll do so and so”, and you never did. Then, one of these days will turn out to be NONE of these days! In other words, you may not accomplish anything significant in life, if procrastination is your ‘friend’!‘Old Man Procrastination’ stands within the shadow of every human being, waiting his opportunity to spoil your chances of success in life…as he did to Ella!   

Listen, sometimes what may be HOLDING YOU BACK in your life’s endeavours may not be your perceived ‘enemies’, but your Deceptive Friend –Procrastination! John Mason nailed it when he asserted, “Procrastination is the grave where ALL opportunities are BURIED!

By Shadrach Boussa

Shadrach Boussa is an Inspirational Writer, Speaker, Teacher (Academic), a Youth Development Advocate, and a Health Enthusiast (certified in Occupational Safety & Health (OSHA).