A–Z OF TIME MANAGEMENT EDUCATION

A–Z of Time Management

SWAMI NIKHILESWARANANDA

t is no exaggeration to say that we live happened to your time management? and move in time. This goes on from the Similarly, at the end of your life you Itime we are born till the time we die. I am come to discover that whatever you have not talking about rebirth here, because some spent your time on with best of time people may not believe in rebirth, that is to management, actually that is not what you say, in the theory of reincarnation. But wanted. What happens then? So the most generally speaking, often we calculate how important thing is to know what do you want much time is available from the time of birth in life. till the time of our death. The answer we find is that it is relative. It may be seventy, Winning the game of life ninety or hundred years. It may also be just Everyone wants to win the game of life. twenty years. Who knows? The most certain But what is meant by that victory? The first thing in this life is that there will be death. important step is to know what do you And what is the most uncertain thing? The actually want to achieve. Ultimately, from time of death, because nobody can say when that point onward starts this time he will die. management, because we have a limited Se we really do not know how much time available in our life. In this limited time time is left at our disposal. This is a paradox. we have to achieve what we want to achieve. Number one, we do not know how much This is the first thing to remember. time is still available to us, and the second So time is a relative thing. Time is not thing is that we do not know what do we absolute. According to Einstein, time is also want to do during this time. What is the relative and curved. It is not straight. There purpose of life? I do not know. What is the is something called absolute in the Vedanta aim of life? I do not know. So ultimately philosophy also, but that absolute Reality is what is of prime importance in time beyond time, space and causation which is management is to find out the time. Suppose called màyà. We are not going into that you are a college student and are given one philosophy, but this much you must project and you work day and night utilizing remember that time is not constant. Time is your time as best as possible. So you finish not an absolute reality. Time is relative. For the project in eleven days which would have example, when you are sick and you are told otherwise taken fifteen days. How nice! You by the physician that you cannot go out of feel what a great time management you have the house and you cannot take some done! But afterwards when you go to the particular food items for three days, then, Principal, perhaps he tells you that he did three days appear to you like three months! not ask you to do that project. What happens Oh, my God! Three days I have to remain then? You simply faint. So what has confined in the house! Horrible! But when

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you spend your time with your friend, one time which is gone? What is the date today? hour seems like one minute. One hour 27th of May, 2011. And time? 8.30 a.m. already over! you wonder. Or, again, when Will it come back again? No, not today, but you watch a TV serial of your interest, may tomorrow. That will be another date. But be three hours fly in the twinkling of an eye! 27th of May, 2011, 8.30 a.m. is gone for So time is relative, it is not absolute. That is ever. So time is more important than money. one thing to remember. This is what you have to remember. There is a phrase: Yesterday is history, future is Importance of time mystery, and today is the gift. That is why it Now, what is the importance of time? is called present. ‘Yesterday’ is a cancelled Unless and until you know the importance of cheque. ‘Tomorrow’ is a promissory note, time you will not know the importance of and ‘today’ is cash. So utilize it wisely. You time management. You must have heard the have to focus on today. Let us try to use proverb that time and tide wait for none. everyday as the last day of our life. Have you seen an ocean? What happens Many people think that our average life- when you stand near the ocean? A wave span is sixty-five or seventy years. comes and it goes back again. Then another Previously it was thought to be thirty-five. wave comes, and goes. They keep coming But what happens when so many people die and going constantly. Do they stop? No. at the age of five, or, say, six months? It may Similarly, time. It goes. Nobody can stop it. be even one day. And, again, some are dying It is flowing. In fact everyone of you must at ninety years. So the average longevity have noticed that time moves very fast. comes to sixty-five years. But there is no What happens in the month of guarantee that you will live till sixty-five. December? You try to get a new calendar at One social scientist made a survey which has that time and feel that a whole new year is revealed some startling facts. He says, if before you! By the time you start planning, your life-span is seventy years, that does not doing this and that, another new year comes! mean that you will live for full seventy years If you are student, you find the examination because twenty-eight years of your life are comes so quickly. Suppose you have given spent on sleeping. Of the remainder of your the ninth standard examinations, shortly time, you spend ten years for studies, eight thereafter you will find that the tenth years for recreation, six years for combating standard examinations are staring you in the various illness, five years for travelling. face. You thought you will enjoy your days Then, eating consumes four years, and after the examinations were over. But you dressing three. How much time is left for the find you have to prepare yourself for another work then? Six years only! So only six years examination. So life is moving fast. Time is are at your disposal and you thought—you moving fast. This is everybody’s experience. will live for seventy years and so there is Another phrase you must have heard— enough time for you. But from the statistics ‘Time is money’. But time is not really given above you find that useful productive money. Why? Suppose you have invested time is six years. This is the importance of rupees ten lakhs in business. If you lose five time. lakhs this year, you can make up the loss of If you really want to know the five lakhs next year by performing better. importance of time you must ask a student That is possible. But can you get back the about it. If you want to know the importance

26 Bulletin of the Ramakrishna Mission Institute of Culture March 2018 A–Z OF TIME MANAGEMENT of one year, ask a student who has failed in already. The carpets have been removed and the exams and lost one academic year. But if the hall is now again locked. The speaker you want to know the importance of one swamiji too has flown back to Bombay. month, then you ask the lady who has given Gradually they came to know that in birth to a baby who was four weeks Ramakrishna Mission you have to reach in premature. If you want to know the time if you want to attend a function. importance of one week, you ask the editor Believe me, it took so many years for me to of a weekly magazine. If you want to know train them. In Baroda also, the Indian the importance of one day, ask the Standard Time remained operational. So, as businessman who lost his contract because a remedy, I devised a plan. I used to give he was late in submitting his tender by one notice that the spiritual retreat will be held day. Again, if you want to know the from 8.30 a.m. to 12.30 p.m. I knew they importance of one hour you ask the person will not come before 9 a.m. So the time for who has been waiting for his/her lover for registration was slated to open at 8.30 and one hour. If you want to know the continue till 9 a.m. So this is how we try to importance of one minute, then you ask the cope with the problem. person who missed the train by one minute. If you want to know the importance of one We do not imitate Western punctuality second, ask the person who survived an We have to learn so many things from accident for a split second. And if you want the West. But you know, our modern-day to know the value of one millisecond, ask youths are blindly imitating the Western the man who lost the Olympic gold medal materialistic culture. Swami Vivekananda just for one millisecond. was against such cheap, indiscriminate Some people think that time imitation. He warned us against becoming a management is synonymous with flock of sheep. Of course, good things we punctuality. But that is not true. It is only must learn—from East and West. We must one part of time management. However, have, Swamiji said, Western science coupled keeping time is also good. But in India if with Vedanta. But good things such as the you are too much punctual and, if you keep punctuality of the Western people we have to the time, you will undergo frustration, not imported. because you know there is something called One of our very revered monks, Swami the ‘Indian Standard Time’. Indian standard Ranganathananda, who happened to be the time means you will be late at least by half President of the Ramakrishna Order, was an hour. I went to Porbander with this fund sort of an Indian cultural ambassador. He of knowledge. I did not know then that there was sent by the Government of India to is another standard time—Porbandar spread the message of Vedanta. He had Standard Time! In the Ramakrishna Mission many friends in various countries. He had a centres, you know, we always start our Japanese friend. When he came to India he function on time. 8.30 means 8.30 and the met the swami and said: Swamiji, I find a programme will start. At one such function very curious phenomena in India. In Japan that was scheduled for 8.30 a.m. some we produce so many watches, but we do not people came at 10.30 a.m. and asked: ‘Why consume them. We sell them outside to earn are you not starting the programme?’ I told foreign exchange. In Japan we have only one them it was one-hour programme. It is over watch per family. But, here in India, I find

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everybody is wearing a watch—even a programme and exactly at 7.10 the organizer rickshawala. However, the strangest thing is whispered, ‘Swamiji, at 7.10 you must give that nobody keeps time! back the mike to me. I shall give the vote of In Japan, there was a train driver who thanks. By 7.15 the audience must leave the was penalized as the train was late by three hall because most of them have some other minutes. Why? Because there were 5,000 appointments.’ passengers in the train. Five thousand people From UK, I went to Holland, Germany, multiplied by three minutes meant a loss of France and then Switzerland. When Swamiji 15,000 minutes. That was the charge against was ill, his Western friends took him to him. But here in India, if the train is late by Switzerland. There is a church of Mother half an hour, it is considered normal. If it is Mary where Swamiji felt very much three-four hours late, then you start asking inspired. Naturally I wanted to see the holy what has happened. Sometimes a bystander place. So I took a bus and went to that place. finds that a long-distance train arrives right But to reach the church you have to walk. So on time. But after enquiry he comes to know I walked and went to the church. When the that the train is actually late by twenty-four visit was over, I came back to the bus stop. I hours! knew when the bus that would take me to I went to Europe in 2004. In London the railway station will come. The scheduled there is a beautiful Vivekananda centre. time was 3.35. So I ran and reached the bus When I went to that centre, the swami-in- stop around 3.35 and waited, waited, and charge asked me to address a youth group. waited for ten minutes. I thought the bus The programme was supposed to start at must be late. Another person was standing 6.15 pm. And, you know, you can’t trust nearby. I asked him why the bus was not English weather. Suddenly there was a storm coming. ‘Is it running late?’, I asked. He and heavy downpour. I had started quite said, ‘What do you mean? The bus came early to be on time and reached the place exactly at 3.35. It stops only for 30 seconds about 6 o’clock. When I went there I found because very few get up and get down here’. the hall empty. What usually happens in Then he drew my attention that my watch India in such a situation? The programme is was going slow by one minute. That was cancelled. So I took it for granted that the how I missed the bus! programme was cancelled due to inclement weather. I went to the office and was offered Punctuality and time management tea. At 6.13, the organizer said, ‘Swamiji, I But one thing you must remember— think you are getting late’. ‘What! The punctuality is not time management. You programme is not cancelled?’, I asked in know Gandhiji was very punctual. He had wonder. ‘Who told you that the programme given time to a top British official who was is cancelled?’ I said, ‘Such a heavy rain and supposed to meet him at 3.40 p.m. The I saw the hall empty!’ ‘Who says that the person came about two minutes late. So he hall is empty? The hall is full. Just see’, he was told to wait, and after ten minutes he said. Immediately I left the tea and rushed was allowed to meet Gandhiji. The official and I saw within five minutes, by 6.10, they then complained: Gandhiji, I heard that you started coming. They put their raincoats on are very punctual. But you made me wait for the hangers provided and by 6.15 all were ten minutes. seated. The hall was full. It was one-hour Gandhiji said: What was the time? 3.40,

28 Bulletin of the Ramakrishna Mission Institute of Culture March 2018 A–Z OF TIME MANAGEMENT isn’t it? and I waited for you till 3.41. Since that body consciousness and forgot how I you did not come on time I took over my looked like. But that was Swami next work. My next assignment was to take Vivekananda! Needless to say, we are not snacks. So as an exception I am giving you like him. So let us come down to our level. time after finishing my work because you Some time before Dr Kalam became the are such a senior officer. I don’t want to President of India, I thought I would invite waste more than one minute. him to Porbander to speak to the youth and The British official understood his fault to inaugurate one of the school buildings. I for which he apologized. telephoned him and he himself answered to You must have heard about George say that he was very busy and he will come Washington. He was also very punctual. One later on. Then I heard one day that he was day he asked his secretary: Why are you coming to Rajkot in December, 2001 to late? He said: My watch is not giving the attend a function at the Christ College. right time. So Washington said: Okay, now Porbander is very near Rajkot. So I went to you have two alternatives—either you Rajkot myself. It is a three-hour drive. Then change the watch or I change the secretary. I sent a message to him and said: Dr Kalam, I had been to America. There also I want to extend my personal invitation to people are very punctual. Swamiji was in you to come to Porbander. So I want to meet America. Once he had to catch a train. But you personally. Please tell me where should he was late. His friends were telling— I meet you? At the airport, or at the place Swamiji run, run, the train is coming, you where you are staying? will miss it. Then Swamiji very calmly said, He sent a message immediately: will there be no next train? ‘Swamiji, you are a monk. I should come to One day he was very late for lecture. meet you’. The lady who had organized that saw You see, he was such a humble person! something which she had not seen earlier. Then I told the head of our Rajkot centre She noticed Swamiji was going to the that Dr Kalam was coming to meet us. ‘How drawing-room before a big mirror and saw can he come? We have not invited him himself again and again. As you know, formally!’ he wondered. I said: But he is Swamiji was very careless about his coming today after one hour on his way to appearance. But that day he appeared to be a the airport. different person. He was going to the mirror And really he came without invitation at again and again. The lady was surprised at 6 o’clock. Then, first we took him to the such behaviour and she wondered why exhibition and after that we were hesitant Swamiji was going back to the mirror each whether we should tell him to go to the time he tried to enter the lecture hall. temple. We just asked him if he would like Later Swamiji explained to her: You to go there. He said: ‘Yes, yes, I would like see, my mind was in such a high state that I to go’. At that time evening prayer was in did not feel my body. I thought I am beyond progress. But as soon as he entered the body, and I am beyond time. So I wanted to temple, he said: ‘Swamiji, can I sit down remind myself that, no, you have a body. So with the students there?’ Some students were I had to see in the mirror again and again sitting in the front. We entered from the and tell myself that this is your body. But as back side. So he walked to the front side and soon as I came away from the mirror I lost sat down with the students who were

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singing. His mind was so pure that as soon more work than what you do in less time. as he sat down, his mind got absorbed in Second, your efficiency increases. Third, deep meditation. His entourage got anxious your productivity increases and when your about the delay, for he had to go to the productivity increases, your output also airport. Then our swamiji said: ‘Dr Kalam, increases and then naturally you get more you are getting late’. But he was then in money out of it. Not only that, with proper another world. Afterwards, when he was time management your physical and mental given a tap on his shoulder, he got up and health improve. Your stress and strain almost ran to the main gate. His shoes were decreases. there at the bottom of the stairs. He did not The Readers’ Digest published a few wear them. He took them in hands and ran years ago an article that informed readers of towards his car and then wore his shoes. a peculiar bank which credits you with some Then we asked him: ‘Dr Kalam, what money every morning, but on condition that happened?’ He said, ‘Swamiji, the music you must utilize that money by the end of was divine. Through ears, it entered into my the day. If you do not utilize the money it mind, then into my heart, and then into my cannot be carried forward. Next day again soul and I was lost.’ you will get the same amount of money. I told him that he must come to This bank is called ‘Time Deposit’. Porbander once and he came on 13 Everyday twenty-four hours were deposited February, 2002. There is a room where in this bank, whatever seconds, minutes you Swami Vivekananda used to meditate and utilized properly were yours, and the rest we have preserved it as a meditation room. were gone forever. Next day again you get a There he sat in meditation which was so new deposit of 86,400 seconds. And now deep that we had to drag him out literally as you see how many hours are taken by it was getting late. For this reason, when he sleeping, eating, and school, and other came to Baroda on 30 March, 2008, I did not entertainments including internet cheating make him sit because once he sits down he and chatting. Nowadays, cheating-chatting does not get up. So, for two or three minutes are going simultaneously. he stood still and then came down. He wrote I tell you an incident. A girl in in his book, Ignited Minds: At Porbander Ahmedabad came to me and said that she and Rajkot, sitting in that room of wants to commit suicide. She was having meditation, I lost myself. Later, at a function ‘internet chatting’ with some friend and in Calcutta he told the audience that while ultimately it grew into love. She said to the meditating at Rajkot and Porbander he was boy, ‘I want to marry’. He said, ‘Yes, yes, I lost in meditation and for the first time had will marry you’. The girl said, ‘Okay my the first-hand experience that time becomes parents should see you’. So the boy came to indeterminate. Ahmedabad and met her parents. The parents were not so happy because he was Benefits of time management from some other caste. But finally they gave So we have to learn the importance of their consent. Now, the girl said to the boy, time, both for ourselves and for others whom ‘You should show me your parents’. He we keep waiting. Now let us consider the said, ‘My parents are not well nowadays. I benefits of time management. The first shall show them afterwards. But the boy benefit is that if you practise it you can do kept on postponing the meeting.

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So, one day the girl telephoned to the examinations are over, you can study Swami boy. But from the other side another lady Vivekananda. They say, ‘Oh, Swamiji, you answered. She said, ‘Who are you?’ The girl don’t understand. Only one examination is asked, ‘Who are you? Why are you taking over. Now we have to give the entrance up the phone?’ The other person replied, ‘I examination’. I say, okay, after that you am the wife of that person’. Then she come and then I will give you a book on discovered that her Internet friend had Swami Vivekananda. When they come after married someone six months back, although some time I tell them again, now your he kept telling her that ‘I will marry you’. engineering examination is over. They say, She asked, ‘Why didn’t you tell me?’ He ‘No, I have to give medical examination replied, ‘I thought your heart will break. I also’. So they have not decided whether they did not want to displease you’. Naturally, the should study engineering or medical science. girl was very much shocked and became a They will accept whatever clicks. Therefore, psychiatric patient. However, she is more or as they want to appear for hundreds of tests, less ok now. So, such things are happening they can’t prepare well for any test. They are these days. under full of stress. They do what everybody So you must analyse how much time tells them to do. Consequently, they remain you have at your disposal and then set your undecided and end up carrying the donkey short and long-term priorities accordingly. on their shoulders instead of riding on its All you write down and review them from back. So bite as much as you can chew. First time to time. The first letter of the alphabet find out your aptitude and then act is ‘A’. In time management it means analyse accordingly. Don’t listen to all what other your priorities. Next comes ‘B’, which people say. Follow your own law of being means bite as much as you can chew. and don’t become a flock of sheep. There is a beautiful book by Stephen R. One teacher was giving lessons in Covey—The Seven Habits of Highly mathematics. He told students that ten sheep Effective People : Sharpening the Saw. were going along the road and five went into There is a story in the book which says that the ditch. He asked: How many were left? there was a woodcutter who fell down They answered ‘five’. The teacher said exhausted after cutting some trees. One man ‘yes’. Meanwhile, a boy suddenly stood up came by and made him take a little rest and and said: ‘No Sir, the answer is wrong’. The asked him to sharpen the saw which was teacher said: ‘You fool, you don’t know this blunt. The woodcutter said as we do: What simple mathematics!’ ‘Sir’, replied the boy, you say is correct but where is the time? ‘you are mathematics teacher, yet you don’t When I ask students to read Swami know the mathematics of sheep! Sheep has Vivekananda at least for five minutes a day got such a nature that if one of them goes to and to do some meditation, this is what they ditch, then the second will go, the third will say—‘Where is the time?’ I tell them that if go, the fourth will also go, and the tenth will they do meditation they will get better also go. So ten minus five is equal to zero— concentration and would be able to do more this is the mathematics of sheep’. work in less time; also they will be able to That is the story. Indeed, sheep want to study better. But we don’t understand that. imitate. So I tell them to be original, to be This is happening because you don’t analyse like a lion. If you want to be a doctor, be a you priorities in life. doctor. If you do not get admission to I tell students: Now that your class XII MBBS, why do you not study Ayurveda or

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alternative medicine? I remember, once I stress. So we should learn to trust in the went to a house and saw a girl weeping ability of others. because she could not get admission to the The fifth important thing is ‘E’ or MBBS course. I told her to study Ayurveda. elimination. There are so many items which She get angry to hear this and said many take lot of your time, but they can be easily harsh words to me. I told her that I know the eliminated from your schedule. How? Take trend. Already ten years back many up activities which will benefit you. Then, Americans were going for alternative the next thing is to stay focused on the job at medicines and not allopathy. Five years from hand. When Dronàchàrya asked Arjuna: ‘Do now the same change will come to India. But you see the bird on the tree?’ Arjuna said she was not convinced. Finally, she could ‘No—I only see the eye of the bird’, for he not get anywhere and so she reluctantly took had to hit the eye of the bird which was a up Ayurveda. Five years ago I met her in part of his training in archery. So stay Bombay and she said: ‘Swamiji, I am sorry completely focused on the activity you are for the words I said that day. But today I am engaged. ‘F’ stands for being focused. so thankful to you for your suggestion’. Now ‘G’ and ‘H’. ‘G’ stands for Today she has married a fellow Ayurvedic gossiping which has to be reduced if one practitioner and opened their own clinic and wants to have more time for good work. And earning money, while, she said, her friends ‘H’ is harmony. We have to bring harmony had not got jobs as yet, they were still between work and worship, between office spending money in doing specialization. work and home work. Balancing is very The third major thing in time important. You see how efficiently working management is ‘C’, ie to combine the women balance their time—attending both activities. There are so many activities which to office and household chores responsibly. can be combined. Find out for yourself what ‘I’ is interference which affects multitasking activity you are able to do concentration of the mind. Suppose, I take within the set time like some housewives. up an activity with all earnestness but They are so efficient that while the cooker is suddenly there is an SMS from my friend. on, they will knead the dough and prepare The mind immediately goes to that SMS, chapattis. Likewise while you take tea or etc. So you have to take measures to coffee you can go through your charts and minimize such interruptions. graphs. ‘J’ stands for judging—judging yourself. Now the fourth important thing is ‘D’— Judging yourself is self-evaluation in terms to ‘delegate’. Some students are very clever. of time management. They delegate their homeworks to their ‘K’ is keeping to the time. That is, we friends. No, that is not delegating. You need have to be punctual. There may be so many to delegate work which can be performed by uncertainties. But we must be prepared for others without meaning any loss to you. For them, especially while travelling to keep an example, mothers delegate some work to the appointment to attend an important meeting. maid-servant. But students should try to do I tell you an incident from the life of Swami their work themselves. Self-help is the best Gambhiranandaji Maharaj, the 11th help. Delegate right work to the right person President of our Order. I had the privilege to to increase efficiency of work. And one serve him when I was a brahmacharin. shouldn’t always try to be a perfectionist, Before joining the Order he was in the Army and do all the work oneself. It will lead to serving its accounts department. So he

32 Bulletin of the Ramakrishna Mission Institute of Culture March 2018 A–Z OF TIME MANAGEMENT worked like a disciplined soldier. In fact, in opened his room and I went inside with a the Ramakrishna Math and Ramakrishna book. He asked me to sit down and I did and Mission, everything goes on the dot. But he started reading out. Exactly at 2.15, he said, was extra-military. He followed his ‘Okay you can go’. For three days this timetable so rigorously that you could time routine went on very nicely. Now on the your watch by seeing what he was doing. fourth day I became a little relaxed. I took a Every morning at 6.15 he would go for little nap. When I woke up I found it was morning walk; at 7 he would take his already 2 o’clock. So I washed my face and breakfast; at 7.30 he will take Upanishad ran immediately. Already it was five minutes class; at 8 he would take bath; at 8.30 he will past two. So the door was open. I felt so be writing commentary on Shankaràchàrya, sorry. When I went inside, he asked me to sit or whatever it is. Everything was fixed. You down and I just prostrated. As soon as I sat could correct your watch by seeing his down he did not tell me a single word, but movement. there was a clock which he turned toward Before joining Belur Math, I was a me. Now imagine my condition! From next management consultant. So I had some ego. day onward I gave up the nap and kept on I was not afraid. I was very free though I sitting on the bench immediately after lunch. was the juniormost member of the Order. That was a great lesson. This punctuality And he was then the General Secretary—a helps a lot. sort of chief executive of the whole world Now ‘L’, which means learn to say ‘no’. organization. Of course the head is the Sometimes we want to oblige everybody. President, but he does not get involved in But you must have the courage to say ‘no’. executive work. So the General Secretary is Your friend says, I am playing cricket, so like the CEO—topmost person of the Order, you must come and watch me play. But next and I was the juniormost. Gambhiranandaji’s day you have an important assignment. But eyes were weak. So somebody would read you tell your friend, ‘Yes, yes, I will come’. out and he will listen. So that was his Another friend tells you something else and routine. I heard that everyday after lunch he you say ‘yes’ to that. But you have to decide took some rest and at 2 o’clock he listened what is to be your priority. So, at times you to some books that were newly published. have to say ‘no’ and say that with politeness Somebody will read out from such books for but firmly. fifteen minutes. So one day I went and said, ‘M’ is managing your physical health. ‘Maharaj, may I have the privilege of For that you must do regular exercise, follow reading out to you everyday at 2 o’clock?’ I your routine, take care of your dress, food had just joined. I did not know that the etc. swami was considered to be very grave and ‘N’ signifies ‘now or never’. Do not nobody had the courage to go and talk to procrastinate the work in hand because him. But I was very free; so I said like that. tomorrow may not come. This dilatory He said, ‘Okay, you come from tomorrow’. behaviour is an expression of tamoguna, or Next morning I heard that he was very tamas. particular about time. So I did not take any ‘O’—Then organize your work. That is chance. ‘O’. You must have a proper filing system, From 12 o’clock itself I was full of and maintain a notebook. Sri Ramakrishna tension and sat down on the bench just was so methodical. He had only one almirah opposite his room. Exactly at 2 o’clock he and he knew where each item was kept. The

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tenth President of our Order was Swami with decides your future. So whatever comes Vireswarananda. I had the privilege to serve in your way of personality development, him. His eyes were very weak but he would character development, progress, or in your tell that so many items have arrived. One way of study—quit that. You have to be very day one swami said that a particular shawl firm and steadfast in this matter. was not there. But he said the shawl was ‘R’ signifies a fixed routine. That means there, open the third drawer from the ninth there should be a timetable for twenty-four number—that shawl has come from such hours. Suppose, you set your alarm clock for and such person on such and such day. So 5 o’clock. On the first day it is possible that you see, organising things saves our time. you get up, put the button off, and sleep for ‘P’ here denotes planning which again is another hour. Does not matter, it happens, very important. If you cannot plan you but set the alarm again for the next day. This cannot have time management. In America time keep it away so that you have to get up one big industrialist told a management to stop the alarm. Then immediately put consultant that if he could teach the former some water on your face and do a little only one technique of time management and exercise. After this you won’t be able to it proved useful, he will give the consultant sleep again. For some day, following the $ 25,000. The management consultant gave routine may seem monotonous. You don’t the industrialist one pad of blank papers and mind going to school because that is an old said: Every night you write down what you routine you have been following since are going to do next day in order of priority. childhood. But new routines are somewhat After a month the industrialist sent him difficult to follow. Nevertheless you must do the cheque: So planning is essential to it. You also should reserve some time for achieve your long and short-term goals. meditation and prayers. This will deepen ‘Q’ tells us to quit. In 1942, there was concentration and develop efficiency in the Quit India Movement and the British had work. Now the mind is not in our control. to quit India. But now you have to quit long We are under the control of our mind. How hours of television viewing. In America it is to control our mind? By controlling our life. the third generation of TV viewers. In 1964 How to control our life? By regulating our TV had come to the market. They carried life. How to regulate our life? By following out a research and found that children, a routine. After a certain time the mind gets whose parents and grandparents were seeing accustomed to that routine. But don’t make more than six hours of TV, are born with a this routine too much idealistic because in special faculty—they have very strong that case you may find it too tough to follow optical nerves. They can now see TV for ten and soon give up. So prepare a routine that hours. But analytical nerves are altogether you can follow. absent in them. There is no analysis, and no ‘S’ means saving—saving time minute imagination. In the name of entertainment by minute. Drops of water form a pond. the ‘idiot box’ is just spoiling our minds and When you cannot save hours, save some brain. Therefore you quit that which you minutes at least. For example, you take one find is not beneficial to you. Suppose, you hour to eat. Can you reduce the one hour to come to know that one of your friends is a fifty minutes. drug addict. Everyday he comes and tells ‘T’ tells us to tame the monkey. The you to join him. What should you do? Quit monkey is inside our mind. Swami that friend. The type of people you associate Vivekananda said:

34 Bulletin of the Ramakrishna Mission Institute of Culture March 2018 A–Z OF TIME MANAGEMENT

How hard it is to control the mind! Well has unnecessary troubles. it been compared to the maddened monkey. ‘Y’ indicates yes—telling yourself ‘yes’, There was a monkey, restless by his own that you will be able to do it. That nature, as all monkeys are. As if that were confidence should be there. Yes, I can do it. not enough, some one made him drink freely Maybe, a little, but I shall. Little by little you of wine, so that he became still more restless. Then a scorpion stung him. When a will be able to do the whole work and man is stung by a scorpion, he jumps about complete your task. Implement positive for a whole day; so the poor monkey found changes in yourself and see yourself his condition worse than ever. To complete transformed into a person of confidence. his misery a demon entered into him. What ‘Z’ stands for zoom. Have a nice sleep at language can describe the uncontrollable night. If you have a nice sleep at night in the restlessness of that monkey? The human morning you will feel fresh, and with new mind is like that monkey, incessantly active energy you will be able to complete all your by its own nature; then it becomes drunk work in time. The Bhagavadgità says: with the wine of desire, thus increasing its turbulence. After desire takes possession Yukt’àhàra-vihàrasya comes the sting of the scorpion of jealousy yukta-ceshtasya karmasu / at the success of others, and last of all the Yukta-svapn’àvabodhasya demon of pride enters the mind, making it think itself of all importance. How hard to yago bhavati duhkha-hà //6.17// control such a mind! —‘For one who is temperate in food and But if you do not tame this monkey you recreation, who is detached and self- cannot have time management because you restrained in work, who is regulated in sleep must have self-discipline. and in vigil—Yoga brings about the ‘U’ is utilizing the time management cessation of the travail of samsàra. tools. What are the tools? Alarm clock, And now how to get concentration of planning calendar, note pad etc. mind. Remember C is directly proportionate ‘V’ is to verify. You want to meet to P, where C is equal to concentration and P somebody. Okay, go. Then you find that that is equal to purity of mind. Purer the mind, person is not there. What a loss of time and greater is the concentration. And if you are energy! So before setting out you should not able to do time management properly, verify whether the person will be there at the you will have lot of stress, and if you are not appointed time. able to manage your stress properly you will Now ‘W’. There is something called not have time management. Both are inter- wastage of time and we all know where we dependant. Swami Vivekananda said: The waste our time. So write down what calmer we are and the less disturbed our productive activities you are doing and cut nerves, the more shall we love and the better out the unproductive ones. will our work be. So if you are stress-free, ‘X’—xerox your schedule and let others you will be able to perform better. All are know your plans and engagements so that it related—efficiency, proficiency, dexterity, saves your time as well as their time and concentration of mind, stress and time thus protect you from unwanted and management.

* This article is based on a lecture delivered by Swami Nikhileswarananda on 27 May 2011. The swami is Secretary, Ramakrishna Mission Vivekananda Memorial, Vadodara.

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