Breaking the Bonds of Time

Breaking the Bonds of Time

1988 5 May 21-22 Breaking the Bonds of Time (476) The constraints of time can easily be overcome by keenness and drive, but that where these elements are lacking, even the least time-bound of ventures are likely to fail.

I once knew a part-time employee in a busy institution who was also a sub-editor of an English newspaper. Keen and well educated, he managed to carry out both sets of responsibilities with the utmost efficiency. When asked how he found the time to do so much work, he replied, “Time is nothing but a function of interest.”

Performance ratings, based on time and motion studies, have definitely shown that the successful completion of any given task is dependent not so much on the time factor as on interest. Quite simply, it is a man’s keenness which is the spur to higher achievement, the time taken to complete a task being actually shortened by the performer’s enthusiasm and dedication. If, however, the element of interest is lacking, even the most generous time allowance can prove to be insufficient.

A friend of mine once received an offer of employment from abroad, which meant his leaving India in three weeks’ time. Nowadays, foreign travel involves cutting through a great deal of red tape, which can take weeks, or even months. It, therefore, seemed unlikely that he would be able to leave on time, particularly since he did not even have a passport. Yet, in spite of all kinds of obstacles, he managed to complete the required formalities, and boarded his plane as per schedule.

Another friend, who had two whole months before he left on a foreign assignment, wrote from his village to a relative in town, requesting him to make his travel arrangements and to attend to any other formalities. Having despatched a sum of money to cover all likely expenses, he was content to wait in his village while his relative did the needful. He was quite complacent about the whole affair because two months seemed quite long enough for the completion of all formalities. It was this complacency on his part which caused him to miss his chance of going abroad. While he imagined that his relative was taking all the necessary steps, nothing of the sort was happening. Had he subsequently written to him to emphasize the urgency of the situation, had troubled to go to town himself to take some personal interest in his own affairs, he would have been able to leave on time. As it was, he missed one of the great opportunities of his life, because at the crucial moment he showed a lack of interest and enthusiasm.

It is clear from the contrast in the attitude of these two individuals that the constraints of time can easily be overcome by keenness and drive, but that where these elements are lacking, even the least time-bound of ventures are likely to fail.