Time Is Gold

~ Sometimes the biggest challenge is not getting things done – but to start. ~

“Time is gold” is simple yet a striking metaphor but one could argue and say, “It’s a cliché,” but even the best of us has to be reminded of the value of time sometimes.

I for one have been feeling incredibly overwhelmed by my responsibilities that lately I couldn’t muster up the motivation to do almost anything.  I’d be sitting and listing out all the things I have to do and then staring at that daunting list thinking how much time and energy it would take to check each item off of it. I’d develop a headache out of frustration and reluctantly choose to put these tasks off for the next day.

“I’ll get them done tomorrow,” I say as I shut my eyes for a quick nap at 9 pm. Normally, I’d catch a wink after dinner and wake up around midnight to study because there’s just so much stuff to go over. By the time I’ve caught up with my homework, it would be around 4 or 5 am and I’d be left with a couple of hours to sleep before my early 8-am classes. Staying up into the break of dawn is a bad habit (one that I have yet to improve) because even though I’m able to stay ahead of my studies, I’m exhausted before the day even begins. And after a long day of switching between classes and my extracurricular activities, I’d cycle back to the same habit of putting off my work (which was slowing piling up) for the next day.

Eventually “I’ll get them done tomorrow” became an empty promise because every tomorrow felt like yesterday. I felt like I was saying that just to trick myself out of guilt – the guilt of procrastination. My workload wasn’t getting any lighter and I had grown to detest every little thing I have to do. And if I’m being completely honest, I had no desire to get anything done because frankly I didn’t want to. The weight of my studies, teaching Peer Assisted Learning classes, committing to the Society of Petroleum Engineers and Institute of Chemical Engineers, writing articles for my scholarship, and organizing and hosting events were crushing me daily and I had learned to think irrationally: call me foolish but I had started to hope that someone would come along and free me of my burdens – no matter how tough and grueling they may be. Though what I’m hoping for sounds like a miracle, it doesn’t mean that I haven’t been offered help. Because whenever I feel like I’m carrying the weight of the world on my shoulders, I’ve got two gentlemen who choose to lend their strength and support: my two best friends, Mohsen and Noman.

Just the other day my best friends and I were at a café which we’ve been frequenting for the past couple of semesters. I had initially planned to study with them, but I was observably worn out and we ended up having a conversation for an hour. I had expressed that I was sick of my life, how there hadn’t been any change in my routine for the past three years, how I’ve been cycling in and out of this depressive state of mind where I’m unable to accomplish all the tasks that have been laid out for me. And even as I talked to them, I harboured a hatred for myself; I’m a bright individual but I’ve been so entangled in the chaotic happenings of my life that I had lost the ability to discuss anything else other than how stressed I am and how much work there’s to be done. I almost feel like it’s unfair to them because they’re both excellent listeners and I’m not doing the slightest thing to change.

Mohsen is like a brother to me and gives great advice but I have not acted on most of them. He tells me to incorporate an activity in my daily routine to freshen up my mind; he suggested hitting the gym for twice a week but I couldn’t help feeling insecure about how my rake-thin body would look in front of the bulked-up gym goers whom I knew in one way or another. Half an hour into the conversation and I started ranting about another growing concern: my scholarship articles. Don’t get me wrong, I love to write but it’s hard to create when your mind is holding you back; even as I type this I can almost hear a whisper in my head telling me to give up because I’m a horrible writer anyway. “This has to be perfect,” says the voice in my head knowing for certain that I’m a perfectionist and I wouldn’t be able to pass anything else up as a mediocre piece of work.

“You’ve got to start, Ko Ko,” motivated Mohsen, “Tell us what we can do to help you write.”

In spite of Mohsen’s efforts to constantly prove that he is willing to do what it takes to solve my problems I was at a lost for words and thoughts on what to ask him. Despite wanting to be helped, I was also struggling with the feeling that I’m imposing too much of my problems onto my friends; it felt almost unfair to ask more from such good people.

Towards the end of the conversation, I had mentioned that I wanted to write an article on my struggle with time and procrastination but I was clueless on how to start.

“Time is gold,” said Noman as he proceeded to scribble on a white tissue paper.

Though he might not realize what he was leading me to think at that time, I couldn’t help but appreciate how common but relevant the metaphor sounded: the value of time compared to a precious commodity that man desires to possess for its monetary worth and beauty. I am blessed with twenty four hours a day but it’s a shame that I’m not utilizing my time effectively and efficiently. I am extremely grateful that my best friends were able to remind me of the time I was losing each day. I spend more time worrying about a task instead of taking the first step to overcome it. I spend more time stressing out on how to perfectly execute my work rather than simply improving it along the way. I spend more time hoping that someone would help me with my responsibilities when I’m able to help myself. I’ve always taken pride in managing my time but somewhere along the way I had given in to the downward spiral of my mind. I had integrated my issues with my life instead of solving them as they occur and not really fixating my attention on them twenty-four seven. But now, realizing that I have the greatest resource on my side, i.e. the time to change, to be a better version of myself, I feel like my responsibilities have reduced in their intensity and that I can satisfyingly check them off my list, one tick at a time.

In conclusion, I’d like to give you some advice on time management. As evident by my article, I’m no expert on time management but if you related to my story then these tips might help you get things done:

1. Don’t be afraid to start: I was afraid to start writing my articles because I feared they wouldn’t be perfect. Let me tell you a secret: it doesn’t have to be perfect – it just has to be true and honest.
2. Give yourself a break: Just focus on getting one thing done per day. Once you’ve ticked something off your dreaded list (which I’m assuming you have), reward yourself with something nice (I personally enjoy eating out after finishing a hard task).
3. Surround yourself with great people: I’m not sure if you’ll agree on this but you are a product of your environment and you can be motivated (or demotivated) by the people around you. And if you’ve got best friends like mine, you’re already off to a fantastic start.