IT WAS AROUND 10:30 at night when my
phone buzzed. A college student I know
had texted: “Sir, can I call?”
When I called her back, her voice was
low and slightly rushed. In the background,
I could hear hostel life moving as
usual—someone laughing, a door closing,
a bike passing outside.
She said, “Sir, I’m tired. I’m trying, but I
have no time. Everything is pending.”
I’ve heard that sentence in the working
world too. “No time.” It’s one of the most
common reasons people give when they
face a new action.
I didn’t try to motivate her. I asked one
gentle question I ask adults as well: “What
are you busy with?”
LET’S REDUCE THE FOG
The question is not to judge. It is to reduce
the fog.
Because “busy” is rarely one thing. It is
usually a mix: tasks you are forced to do,
things you should do versus want to do,
and tasks you never planned. Nowadays
we have even linked busyness with social
importance. We feel good saying ‘I’m busy.’
But many times it only means we are not in
control.
As she listed her day—classes, assignments,
group work, messages, family calls,
and scrolling. I could feel the pressure
become more specific. Not lighter. Just
clearer.
Then I shared one
thought: time is
limited; money is not. With
time, we can
create money.
But with money,
we cannot
buy even one
minute back.
Most students
already know this line. But knowing
and living are different.
The real issue is not always time.
The real issue is control. I’ve noticed
that highly successful people do many
things in a day and still don’t keep complaining
about time. Before doing what
they want to do, they take control of
their time.
This is where my “Win Your Days”
idea comes in.
Winning your life comes from
winning your years.
Winning your years comes from
winning your months.
Winning your months comes from
winning your weeks.
Winning your weeks comes from
winning your days.
The day is the real unit. Not because
it is perfect, because it is small enough
to plan and control better.<./p>
That night, instead of giving her a plan
or tools, I suggested something simpler:
to notice her day and week. She tried
tracking her days for a week and reviewing
it on the 7th day—so she could move
from guessing to seeing.
When she reviewed it, the discovery
was quiet. Time wasn’t disappearing
in dramatic ways. It was disappearing
in small leaks. And once she saw those
leaks, she saw something else too: small
pockets she could reclaim.
After a week, she didn’t say, “Sir, now
I’m a time management expert.”
She said, “Sir, I can see my day now.”
That sentence mattered to me more
than any perfect schedule. Because
when you can see your day clearly, you
begin choosing with more intentionally
and honesty. And that is usually where
winning begins not loudly, not in one
shot, but one day at a time.
Remember –
With Awareness
+ Small actions,
you can achieve
many things in
this world.
- When you feel
“no time,”
pause for one
minute and
write what you
are actually
busy with.
- Track your time
for one week,
simply, so you
stop guessing
and start
seeing.
- Pick one
important but-
not-urgent
thing and give it
just 20 minutes
every day for 7
days.