The Importance of Time Management

I still remember when I was eight years old and my mother said that I should write down my wonderful moments, as I would not remember each detail when I was older. To me, that sounded absurd: the memory was so fresh! Why and how could it ever fade?

And here I am now several years later, wondering what that particular memory was, and where the time went. How many years passed by, with my constant worry about my education, my career and where I‘d end up in life. The thought of paying attention to how to become a better Muslim, how to better myself to please my Creator slipped through the folds of my everlasting thoughts of wanting to do well in this world. Where were the thoughts of the Hereafter?

Time is an amazing factor in life. Time; a moment that you may have loved, a moment that you may regret losing, and a future that is inevitable. Yet, every one of us has to go through our own journey.

As I sit here, I wonder what I did in the past fifteen minutes. Just think - fifteen minutes;one quarter of an hour; 900 seconds.  A lot of time, isn’t it? But, what did I do with it? Did I think about being thankful? Did I ever bother asking for forgiveness from my Creator who has blessed me with so much?

As mentioned in Surah Al-Asr:

وَالْعَصْرِ-1

إِنَّ الْإِنسَانَ لَفِي خُسْرٍ-2

إِلَّا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا وَعَمِلُوا الصَّالِحَاتِ وَتَوَاصَوْا بِالْحَقِّ وَتَوَاصَوْا بِالصَّبْرِ -3

“By the time. Indeed, mankind is in loss. Except for those who have believed and done righteous deeds and advised each other to truth and advised each other to patience.”
[Al-Qur'an-Surah Al-Asr (The Declining Day) 103: 1-3]

Time: a treasure chest of seconds, minutes and hours… if only we knew how to use it and what to do with it. Often, we find ourselves with plenty of time, and wondering what can be done. Have we ever realized that it is a blessing from Allah (سبحانه و تعالى)? We as humans are at a loss if we don’t use our time wisely.

Allah (سبحانه و تعالى) has blessed us with 24 hours every day. Yes, if we sleep for an average of 8, we have 16 hours left. We should think about the entire day: where does it all go? Many of us are mothers, sisters, workers, and we have jobs, but have we ever really taken out and put aside time for Allah (سبحانه و تعالى)? How many of us take out time to pray the moment we hear the call of prayer? Instead, we pray at the last minute, like chickens asthey peck at their food, rushing into sujood, so we can get back to our worldly matters as quickly as possible. Little do we know that the time in this world is so short, and that theHereafter is more important to work on.

As an individual, I am not perfect. I know I have spent days just wondering what to do with my time, drinking tea, and enjoying not having to study. But yet, I wonder. 

Time is such a blessing. It should really be utilized – each and every moment to do what can serve as a means of bettering our Akhira:

I plan to … Insha’Allah do the following to make better use of my time:

• To overcome my worldly desires and get on that prayer mat and really pray to Allah (سبحانه و تعالى)… and on occasions where I cannot pray, then to do lots of dhikr - as that is one thing that will keep me remembering Allah (سبحانه و تعالى).
• To sleep early at night, so I can wake up early for Fajr; maybe even try to praytahajjud (night prayer), and be closer to my Lord.
• To remember to read the Qur’an and to understand it…
• To make sure I make time for prayer, as my day progresses. To make sure I incorporate my schedule around prayer, and not try to fit prayer into my schedule as a last minute item on the agenda.

I am not perfect, but from past experience, I know how much barakah (blessing) my day has when I wake up at dawn to pray Fajr, and use that time wisely: studying my Qur’an, and then studying what I have to do for the rest of the day. That itself will make us realize how wonderful it is to use our time wisely.

وَاذْكُر رَّبَّكَ فِي نَفْسِكَ تَضَرُّعاً وَخِيفَةً وَدُونَ الْجَهْرِ مِنَ الْقَوْلِ بِالْغُدُوِّ وَالآصَالِ وَلاَ تَكُن مِّنَ الْغَافِلِينَ- 7:205

“And remember your Lord within yourself in humility and in fear without being apparent in speech - in the mornings and the evenings. And do not be among the heedless.”
[Al-Qur'an - Surah Al-A'raaf (The Heights) - 7:205]

5 S of Management

5S is a set of 5 Japanese terminologies; each one of them states a very practical and important golden principle. Almost all Japanese firms follow these principles in order to achieve maximum amount of efficiency in their work.

Japanese Term                                    English Equivalent

Seiri                                                    Tidiness

Seiton                                                  Orderliness

Seiso                                                   Cleanliness                                                    

Seiketsu                                              Standardization

Shitsuki                                               Discipline

A brief detail of each follows:

1. SEIRI

The first step of the ‘5-S’ process, Seiri, refers to the act of discarding all unwanted, unnecessary, and unrelated materials from any place of concern. It could be the workplace or home or even a town.

This principle should be ingrained in the mindset of a true Muslim. The Holy Quran mentions this in 17:27 and 7:31

·       The Holy Quran Instructs: [2:219] “They ask thee how much they are to spend in the way of Allah; Say: ‘What is beyond your needs.’

2. SEITON

            ‘Seiton,’ means orderliness, which is all about efficiency. This golden principle relates with putting everything in an assigned place so that it can be accessed or retrieved quickly, as well as returned to that same place without delays.

3. SEISO

Seiso consists of cleaning up the workplace and giving it a ‘shine.’ Cleaning must be done by everyone in the organization, from operators to managers. Seiso cannot be achieved without having mutual respect for everyone and an atmosphere of brotherhood. Furthermore, it also requires an intrinsic desire and motivation for cleanliness.

The Holy Quran understands the importance of cleanliness and instructs its believers to keep themselves clean at all times.

·       The entire system of Salat (Prayer) is a perfect example and an exercise to ensure that Muslims obey and follow this golden rule at least five times a day, every day, throughout their lives. A Muslim offers his Salat in a Masjid behind an Imam. He first performs ablution which not only purifies him physically but also spiritually. He then stands shoulder-to- shoulder with his brothers irrespective of any social and economic status behind an Imam, and follows his instructions.

·       Similar should be the scenario in a workplace as well where everyone should feel responsible to work passionately (worship in Salat), respect each other (stand shoulder-to-shoulder), keep his surroundings clean (ablution and cleanliness of Masjid), and follow the instructions of their superiors (Imam) without any resistance or laziness. Needless to say, it is a perfect system.

4. SEIKETSU

The fourth step of 5-S is Seiketsu which more or less translates into ‘standardized cleanup.’ Seiketsu encompasses both personal and environmental cleanliness. People must practice Seiketsu starting with their personal tidiness to keep themselves motivated and mentally fresh. Visual management is an important ingredient of Seiketsu.

·       The Holy Quran also provides us with a standardized yet very comprehensive set of rules to obtain and maintain cleanliness at all physical, emotional, intellectual, and spiritual levels. One such standard is the five-time obligatory Salat which is also considered as the Pillar of Islam. Another is ablution, the standards of which are clearly stated in Islamic Fiqh.

5. SHITSUKU

The last step of 5-S is Shitsuke which literally means ‘Discipline.’

This golden rule denotes commitment to maintain orderliness and to practice the first 4 S’s as a way of life. The emphasis of Shitsuku is on the elimination of bad habits and constant practice of good ones. Once a person achieves the state of Shitsuke, cleanliness and orderliness is then voluntarily and at times subconsciously observed at all time, without the need of reminders or motivation. Shitsuke is the most evolved state of mind that incorporates all the previous golden rules. It is too obvious for any rational mind to conclude how natural it should be for a true Muslim to have this state of mind.

CONCLUSION:

Success and prosperity of an Organization or a Man is the outcome of commitment to certain golden principles of life that are readily available to us in the Holy Quran. These principles are independent, universal of and primarily aim at building a “whole” man capable of achieving his true potential in the purpose of his life. The Holy Quran; the most comprehensive divine book of the world has the solution to every problem and what remains is the practical implementation of these principles in our socio-economic and political lives.

Islam offers sound management principles that are timeless. Taken from the Noble Quran and the practical example of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), these principles have been applied for over a thousand years. 

In the era of globalization where managers often find themselves managing a diverse blend of people across continents, there is a need for universal principles for management. Islam offers such principles and best practices that any manager can adopt for successful management. For every practitioner of management, from aspiring team leader to the seasoned CEO, these principles will prove to be invaluable as they are suitable for people of all faiths and cultures.