Time is such a precious resource that no amount of effort made to salvage it can be considered too much. Therefore, I am always thinking of how I can save every minute of mine from danger of loss, because once it is lost, it can never be recovered. I try to mop up bits and pieces of time with thinking, reading, and writing. I avoid having what can be described as useless time. A so-called useless hour in a day amounts to seven useless hours in a week and 30 useless hours in a month of 30 days. This is equivalent to nearly four working days of eight hours a day.
In the car, you can make good use of your time, especially during traffic hold-ups, by listening to tapes of music, talks, and messages. If you are chauffeur-driven, you can have a wonderful opportunity to read. What do you do in the mechanic’s workshop while waiting for your car to be fixed? Don’t waste that precious time. Read some materials, and if necessary, write instead of chatting and distracting the mechanics doing their work.
What do some people do at office reception while waiting to see an executive? I believe that’s the best time to think and plan for what to discuss with the client. Don’t look bored, tired, and dejected, attracting the sympathy of people. Breakfast time is for me a nice time for planning my day. My writing materials and plates compete for space on the breakfast table. The list of things to do, phone calls to be made, letters to be written, places to go, and so on is composed while having my breakfast.
Don’t neglect reading in the toilet. The toilet is a secluded place to have meditation and reflection. Have a small shelf for books to read. Don’t allow your mind to be blank at any time you are conscious. How do people spend time at the airport waiting lounge and bus stations? Stop looking around aimlessly. Make the time productive. I must have with me one or two books and pens to make myself ever ready to read and write. Ideas and inspirations come at odd moments and I don’t
allow them to vaporize. I jot them down immediately. Wherever I am, even worshipping in the church, and a good idea flashes across my mind, I instantly jot it down. It is admirable to develop a reading habit or culture. Apart from these instances of mopping up exercises, create quality time for reading and study.
Read with a purpose or goal and not just for the sake of reading. Maybe you want to know more about a subject or to be current with certain issues. I am motivated to read when I need to gather materials or writing some materials. Make use of what you read. Tell others or write for others to read, too. By hoping to tell others or write, you read with the desire to comprehend the subject.
What you know is useless if it is not used to help others. I believe that someone who wants to devote time to reading and writing may not invest time on TV. Watching TV definitely steals valuable reading time. TV should be watched selectively.
You need to allocate time for special programme. Don’t be a TV addict. Some people read books from cover to cover, but that’s not my own style. I first read about the author to know his credentials, the preface to know what the book intends to achieve, and then the table of contents, and then go straight to the topic or chapter that interests me. Topics that do not interest me today may be useful in future.
It is therefore necessary to know where to get information when desired. The ultimate purpose of reading must be to develop one’s mind so as to be a better person. Therefore, there’s need to be selective in the materials you read. Don’t read junk that can destroy your mind. The type of materials you read have a great influence on your attitudes and desires. Therefore, be careful with what goes into your mind. Garbage in, garbage out. Good materials will nourish your mind as nutritious food nourishes the body. My advice is that you use Philippians 4:8 to test your reading materials.
