IN a serious workplace it is common to hear statements like “You are wasting time or what have you done” All of these statements show that development is the desire of the founder of that workplace.

It is not something meaningful to let people stay somewhere doing nothing. This is because development is the result of doing something in relation to time.

As supervisors or administrators are time and priority conscious they are normally keen to see what is being done in a certain time period in relation to the priorities of the institution or organization. We cannot do all things at once. However all things may require to be done but in different time periods. Because all things cannot be done at once it becomes necessary to set priorities.

Setting of priorities may be driven by passion, advice or determination that someone may embrace. With all the priorities the matter that remains unsolved is the amount of time to be allocated to a certain activity. Priorities may not change easily but the time is moving very fast. This situation brings a lot of considerations when a certain task is not accomplished within a certain time limit.

Some individuals think of whether the time allocated was not enough for the task while others may argue that seriousness and commitment was not there and as a result the task is not completed on time. All of the claims may be correct if there will be conducted an investigation. Due to lack of investigation or failure to learn from others some individuals decide to quit jobs. They fail to contain the pressure from administrators which demand certain results.

Some critics argue that low level of performance in institutions sometimes is attributed to poor time management. Someone may think they are doing enough but when examined in relation to performance of others they are seen to perform below the required standards. Some individuals believe that capacities for individuals are not the same. Therefore this suggests that not all individual can do a certain task. This is why there is training before someone can be given certain responsibilities.

As training cannot cover each and everything concerning a certain work it becomes necessary for an individual to develop a habit of learning new skills and knowledge every day. A learning habit makes it easy for someone to accept new realities and changes which are necessary for development of a workplace or institution. For the battle between time management and setting of priorities to be abated, the following should be taken into account.

Setting objectives; the presence of objectives enables an individual not to waste time. The desire to accomplish those objectives makes an individual time conscious. Human beings are supposed to live with a purpose so as to avoid waste of time. There must be efforts to convert time into development. If someone is lacking objectives they may do anything whose value is sometimes uncertain. Life is a kind of interaction which involves exchange of values. Having objectives enables a person to be stable as they are determined of where to go and what to do.

Having evidence of performance; time is like a creditor who after sometimes demands interest. When in conversation with individuals who promote development they would like to know what did an individual do in a certain time period. Before they embark on the quality of what was done they first need to know if something was done. They believe that there must be a step forward at a time. The first thing in a workplace that can convince the administrator or supervisor that individuals are serious and committed is hardworking. We consider those working hard as the ones who know the value of time.

Time allocation in relation to the magnitude of work; when planning a certain task’s performance it is important for someone to consider the time they have and the magnitude of that particular task. The knowledge in doing this kind of assessment may be due to already established standards, experience or training that someone has gone through. The objectives to be realized must be in line with time allocation.

Considering possibilities; when planning to do something, an individual should consider the feasibility of what they want to do. They should not think of something that has never been done unless they are conducting a research. For any activity that is done people wait for results. This reality calls for seriousness and commitment in doing our activities. We should prepare to account for the use of each second that has been given to us.

Any kind of tremendous achievement which did not cause sufferings or confusion must had been directed or influenced by someone who could balance these two aspects of development which are time management and priority setting. There is always a struggle between the employer and employee in owning time. The solution to this struggle may either be promotion or the employee deciding to quit the job. Therefore we need to be time conscious but also making sure that our thinking and acting leaves a legacy. What have we achieved in a certain time limit?

The author is a teacher based in Moshi. He can be reached at [email protected]