If only we could turn back time

Time is one of the most important elements in our lives. It is a precious commodity that is entirely free to manage as we see fit. Scientists will tell us that it is constant and the only way to get more out of the same time is to do other things within our control faster. We cannot manipulate time; we cannot allocate more of it to ourselves, we cannot reduce or even steal it from others and we all have it in equal measure.  Despite the massive leaps in technology, we are unable to add even an extra second to a single day, whatever happens, it continues to tick away silently irrespective of whether we take advantage of its presence or not. 

When we are young, we take time for granted, but as we get older, we sometimes reminiscent about time lost or opportunities missed. The song by Cher “if I could turn back time" is a vivid reminder that this free but precious commodity has the tendency to slip away from us silently.

We are constantly under pressure to deliver things to deadlines and how many times have we come so close to missing deadlines just because of many competing priorities. As we start a new academic year or a new class or new session, we need to be aware of the best way to arrange our priorities so that we can joggle our competing priorities and still get the best result.

Image courtesy of Azybazy

How many times have you said if only I had more time I could have done things differently, unfortunately, time is one thing that cannot be increased or expanded. We all have the same amount; it is what we do with it that really matters. The opportunity cost of going to the bar or watching the X factor may manifest itself in having to rush to finish the assignment or miss a deadline.

Time is therefore a friend and a foe. The people who can manipulate it are the ones with the ability to get the best out of it either by doing the work better or getting others to help them on their journey. 

We may not be able to increase the number of minutes in a day, but people who can multi-task will swear to being able to do two or more things at the same time. But now that we can do more within the same period, the expectations to do more within a limited amount of time have also increased. Less than 30 years ago, it was difficult for students to submit their assignments any other way than to write them long hand, these days, students are expected to submit more assignments online with no time allowance for typing. It is now a given that all assignments are submitted on line.

Are you managing this incredibly precious commodity as best as you can?

About the Author: Ade Otukoya

Ade Otukoya is a Senior Lecturer in Accounting and Finance. He is an author on e-books on Finance.