God created humans on this planet for a specific mission and vision, providing each one with a distinct timeframe for their work. No one was created without purpose. It is through effective and productive management of that timeframe that people can carry out their missions in order to actualize their respective visions. No mission is achieved without effective time management; likewise, no vision is reached without effective time management. Each person on this earth has his or her unique assignment and role to play, and no other person has the capacity to accomplish this role other than them. Your unique vision, my unique vision, and the unique visions of others create our shared vision. This is the secret to our existence on this earth.
Time management, in essence, is about controlling time through planning. It is about effectively using time to achieve your goals. It is about productive usage of time to achieve your mission and vision. Time management is the process of planning and consciously controlling time spent on specific activities to increase efficiency, productivity, and effectiveness. It involves organizing tasks, setting priorities, and allocating time wisely to achieve goals while reducing stress and improving work-life balance.
Sudan is the only country in the world that has its own unique and specific definition for time management. Sudanese people have nothing to do with time management. Time management is associated with visions, missions, purposes, and strategic goals; Sudanese people have had no mission, vision, or strategic plan since they gained their political independence in 1956. Had they had a mission, vision, and strategic plan, their situation would have improved. In Sudan, time has no value. It is a wasted resource; Sudanese people often spend it on trivial, and nonproductive activities, such as political skirmishes, TV rhetorical speeches, and futile wars. One can only imagine the vast amount of time that Sudanese people have spent on wars and senseless hate speech since gaining their political independence. Such a vast amount of time could have been dedicated to productive activities that might have made a real difference and a breakthrough for them.
In Sudan, working hours in government institutions are from 8:00 am to 4:00 pm. However, due to a lack of clear visions, missions, and strategic plans, as well as poor salaries, personnel in these government institutions go to work very late and leave offices very early. Time mismanagement is the order of the day in Sudan. God has given each one and every one of us 24 hours a day. No one of us has been given more or less time than others. We are all equal. Nevertheless, some of us are using their 24 hours more productively and effectively while others are using their less productively and effectively. The unproductivity of our time is the sad tragedy of our homeland, Sudan.
Countries around the world, particularly the developed ones, recognize the value of time; regrettably, Sudan is not among these fortunate nations. Instead, Sudan is still occupied or busy with its own nonsensicalities, trivialities, and absurdities. Rural Sudanese people, particularly farmers and pastoralists, know well how to manage their time because they have clear missions, visions, and goals related to their livestock and farms. As livestock and farm owners, they possess their own respective strategic plans; while they may not call them ‘strategic plans,’ that is effectively what they are. These rural communities effortlessly prioritize and strategize their lives because they are committed and focused. Central politicians are the ones who disrupt the lives of rural communities. If reforms are needed, they should be targeted at the central politicians and elites, as they are the ones creating all this chaotic situation of time mismanagement.
. If any reforms are needed, they should be targeted at the central politicians, religious sects, and elites, as they are the ones creating all these chaotic situations. Time management is a pre-requisite for any genuine reformation and transformation, without which a country cannot achieve its vision. When a country develops its strategic plan, the most important factor ensuring implementation is effective time management. The primary challenge facing all Sudanese government institutions is time management. It is necessary to adopt robust programming and sound interventions in this area.
As I previously said, time management is an integral and significant part of a strategic plan without which it will not effectively and efficiently be able to achieve its vision. Therefore, I advocate for incorporating a culture of time management into the educational curriculum and syllabus, starting from kindergarten up to the university level. The current generations are the generations of time mismanagement; they are too deformed to be reformed. It is the coming generations that will shoulder the burden of change by adopting the culture or mentality of time management.
I conclude by saying that life’s dynamic nature allows no one sufficient space for the time management component of planning. The Sudan Founding Alliance (TASIS) has to bear in mind that time is running short while there is a lot to do. Time management programming and initiative must be the first intervention that TASIS has to begin with. The two important documents of TASIS, namely, the Constitution and the Charter, are highly dependent on time management. Time is an important factor in the lives of vulnerable people – the internally displaced persons (IDPs) and the refugees of the ongoing brutal war. They are eagerly craning their necks in anticipation of any good news. The Sudan Founding Alliance’s (TASIS) programming and interventions should be time-sensitive, swiftly responding to the pressing demands of the concerned IDPs and refugees. It is this sensitivity that distinguishes TASIS from the old Sudan of 1956. But if the same old wine came in the same old bottle, the Sudanese vulnerable masses would doubtlessly challenge the Change Project.
No to War, Yes to Sustainable and Equitable Peace
Mahjoub Saleem
Kampala – Uganda
