Time is a strange thing. We never seem to have enough, yet we sometimes just kill it. Time can drag or fly by, but we cannot have our time again. As medics, we often feel that we never have enough hours in the day to do all there is to do. When this recurs relentlessly, we become permanently tired, stressed and overwhelmed.

Definitions of Time

One dictionary defines time as 'a non-spatial continuum in which events occur in apparently irreversible succession from the past through the present to the future.'[1] Whilst it is difficult to argue with the technical accuracy of this, it leaves us feeling somewhat hopeless. Are we destined to journey through an irreversible succession of events until we have no future, and die? If we are the random products of an evolutionary process, then we are. And if we live in a world with a cruel, forgetful or nonexistent God then this is our destiny too.

The Bible tells us that reality is different. We live not on a runaway cosmic roller coaster, but on a planet made by a loving personal creator who is continually sustaining it.[2]

A different dictionary defines time as, 'Time is God's creation and God's gift'.[3] Each day we receive is a most excellent gift from God. Every day we will have the opportunity to enjoy the good things in creation, to bring his kingdom closer and to enjoy him. Psalm 139 tells us that 'all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be'.[4] Therefore, we should consciously thank him for each day and seek to make the best use of our time.

Practical Realities

Working as a doctor and spending our time in hospitals soon dispels society's myth that only the old die. Very few of our peers will have considered their own mortality. They blithely assume that they have many more decades left. We need to avoid falling into the same trap for two reasons; it is both untrue and unhelpful. It is untrue because none of us know how many years we are allotted, neither do we know when Jesus will return. If we assume we have countless days left to us, we will fail to appreciate the gift of today. It is therefore unsurprising that some of the most vibrant people in hospitals are those with terminal illnesses. They try to appreciate each day, to squeeze out all the goodness from it.

We so often rush from one thing to the next, that we never pause to think about how we use our time. Time is a precious and irreplaceable gift, therefore we should make sure we use it well. The advice of the time management experts may help, but as Christians we have a perfect role model. When Jesus came to earth, he lived under the constraints of time perfectly. We can do well to see how he arranged his diary.

Jesus' Use of Time

Jesus made his quiet times a priority and knew the Scriptures well: 'And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself.' 5 Even when there were many valid demands on his time, he withdrew to commune with his father.6 People put effort into things that they value. Jesus put his effort into his quiet times, 'Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed.'[7]

The phrase 'I have come' occurs repeatedly in the gospels.[8] Jesus did not wander around aimlessly wondering what to do. He knew where he came from, and where he was going: 'For I have come down from heaven not to do my will but to do the will of him who sent me'.[9] Jesus knew what his goal was, and pursued it. By quiet times, prayer, church meetings and fellowship with other Christians we will learn more of God and what he will have us do. Like Jesus, we need to know our eternal goals and pursue them.

Despite our own sinfulness, God chose to save us. The fact that Jesus died on the cross for us shows how important we are to him. We also see this priority in the amount of time Jesus spent healing and teaching. Jesus took time to talk to individuals, be they Samaritan women,[10] tax collectors [11] or Pharisees.[12] In a similar way, we should prioritise people as they are of eternal significance. This is not to say that we should not use or value material items, but your TV isn't going to heaven. Rather we should use the good things God has given us as means to an end; such as hobbies for relaxation rather than an end in themselves.

Jesus used a team to do some of his work. Many of the things we do at church, university or in our hospitals will be as part of a team. Teams offer a lot of advantages. They combine different talents, making a large task manageable and providing support for one another. Jesus equipped,[13] taught [14] and sent out his disciples,[15] whilst he was there to support them.

Principles

Organising our time appears easy in theory, but in the middle of a busy day it can get rather difficult. Everybody organises their time in different ways; there is not one method that is perfect for everyone. However, the following are a few general points:

1. Start the day with a quiet time.

The morning is not a holier time than any other part of the day; we just need to ensure we have some time set aside every day. However, it may be a good idea to take some time out before beginning the day to recognise that it belongs to God and to bring our concerns to him in prayer.

2. Do not waste time.

We all waste time in different ways. If we know what these ways are for us, we are on the way to avoiding them. It is important to be clear on what is, and what is not, wasted time. 'Wasted time' is time that fails to produce any real benefit. It is the kind of situation where you come to with a start, and ask yourself where the last three hours went. It's not the same as relaxing; this is when time is used for our enjoyment and for unwinding. We do not only waste time on classics such as 'trashy TV'. I have a tendency to start working on a job as soon as it appears, forgetting I may be already be halfway through another more important job.

3. Know your aims.

If we do not know what we are aiming for, we will never hit it, and never realise that we have missed. The answer is to set 'SMART' goals. This is an acronym for Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, and Time-related. A goal has to be specific, or it is unclear what we are trying to do. If it is measurable we will know how near to completing it we are. Our aim has to be attainable and realistic. If it is neither, we will just waste the time we spend on it, and become dejected. If it's not time-related we will never get on and do it.

4. Use time to its best effect.

There are many things we could be getting on with at any time, but the question we need to ask ourselves is 'what's the best use of my time now?' This seems a simple question, but it is not an easy one to answer. One protocol that may help is this:-  If it is urgent and important, do it now. However, if it is urgent, but not important, it can be delegated. It could be important, but not urgent, in which case the answer is to schedule it. If it's neither urgent, nor important, forget it.

5. Plan ahead.

We can manage all our ideals if we plan things well. We can do more in less time, with less stress. There are as many different ways to get organised as there are people. You should find the best system for you. This is particularly important when as a house officer you are responsible for your firm's administration. The key is to think what information, forms or other items you need to have to hand in order to be efficient. A house officer may carry a file that includes a list of patients, relevant hospital phone numbers, a list of jobs to do, and a supply of forms. With this you have all the essentials to hand, thus allowing coffee to be drunk in the mess whilst filling out the blood cards for tomorrow. Diaries, filofaxes and palmtop computers can all be helpful in the quest to get organised. If I have something important to remember, I write it on a bit of paper then place it on the floor where I have to walk over it. It makes the house messy, but it works, so I am sticking with it. Ideally any system should be flexible.

Time is often wasted trying to contact others. Therefore, ensure you keep up to date contact details for others. We need to ensure that we ourselves are contactable; e-mail and mobile phones are great for this. Contact becomes more important as a doctor when medical school friends are cast to the four corners of the earth, and without good communication friendships falter.

6. Act decisively.

One thing that Jesus did not have to deal with is paper. It often seems that paper was designed to stop us from doing any work. It is far easier to let paper sit around or accumulate in files, than actually to deal with it. This results in a mess and the inability to find the bit of paper we need, when we need it. For this reason I think paper belongs in the bin, unless it has a good reason not to be. It is easy to put paper in a file, but this should only happen if it will be needed again. Filing paper is not an excuse for dealing with it. It is easy to paper shuffle, the act of moving paper from one pile to another without actually dealing with it. The antidote is 'one touch paper handling'; pick up a piece of paper and deal with it. If it needs a reply, reply. If it needs filing, file it. It is harder than paper shuffling but it achieves something.

7. Know when to relax.

We are not designed to work 100% flat out day after day. Initially we become stressed, joyless, moody and low. Sooner or later, however, we will come to a grinding halt. Our maker knows this, and so issued the fourth commandment; 'Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God.'[16] This commandment can be hard to keep. We feel busy doing many seemingly important things that need to be done now, surrounded by many others in the same situation. Relaxing appears unimportant when everything else is pressing. God told us to ensure we have our rest time. This may even mean booking it in our diaries. In relaxing we can enjoy those things God has given us, and recharge our bodies to be more efficient when we do go back to work.

Time is a good gift from our heavenly father, it is for us to enjoy and to serve him with. We can do this by regularly meeting with him and making his goals our goals. We should use time wisely and efficiently, until our time on earth is done.