Last edition we discussed how you can manage your time. We talked about the categories of people with regards to time and also the importance of time. Now, we take a look at what we generally refer to as "spare time". What is spare time? Is it just a time that is allowed to pass by without putting it to a good use? Or is it time that should be, well spared from use? Some people call it spare time or leisure time while some others even use a more derogatory term for it such as "lost time". Spare time is defined as time not spent working or attending to other day-to-day responsibilities.
But do you know that this so-called spare time can be used to do something very beneficial such as writing a book, memorizing the Quran and hadith, or learn a skill that may in the future benefit you. Such spare time may be as short as a few minutes or may even be as long as some hours while you travel from one place to another by plane, bus or train. Spare time as we call it may eventually become the most important time or the most regrettable time in our lives depending on how we use it. By calculation, let us assume that we have at the least 15 minutes of those spare times in a day. This will be equal to 11 days in a year and 30 minutes in a day will be equal to 22 days in a year.
Surely, none of us will accept that our monies be stolen by anybody while we know, yet we allow that something that is more precious than money (our time) be stolen from us! You can get a lot of things done in this so-called spare time. You can; If Memorize many parts of the Quran or the hadith. If learn speed reading techniques. If acquire some specific skills. If learn a foreign language. If write a book. If pick a degree or diploma. If strengthen family ties. If make yourself some extra money. But the way time flies by - taken up as it is by a thousand minor events, most of which do not contribute to our success or fulfillment - we just have to schedule it and then stick with the schedule. And it is not easy. Regret for time wasted can become a power for good in the time that remains.
This article was culled from the publications of Deen Communication Limited