Solar shares his experience with Lunar, speaking of poor time management, that is one of common problems, that students would probably encounter.
Solar: What is the matter of poor time management? This question is highly concerned by each educator, who witnesses students wasting their time in classroom with poor time management, and who is responsible for their progress.
Lunar concerns the matter of poor time management to students, and wonders these questions: What is the reason to cause poor time management? How much time is left for students to have social life and personal time under looming deadlines? How can students cope with poor time management?
Lunar: You think time is free, don't you?
Solar: Yes.
Lunar: Do you cherish what is free to you?
Solar: Never.
Lunar: Until?
Solar: Until I cannot buy more time, I realize time is more expensive than money.
Lunar: What is the reason to cause poor time management?
Solar: Once I asked the exactly same question to a student, who replied me the exactly same answers. That made me realize the reason to cause their poor time management, it is because they don't realize how precious their study time is.
Lunar: How much time is left for them to have social life and personal time under looming deadlines?
Solar: Their average study hours is 12 hours a day. 24 minus 12 makes 12, 12 minus 8 makes 4, 4 minus 2 makes 2. It takes away 8 hours rest and 2 hours daily routine. What is left for them to have social life and personal time is only as little as 2 hours a day.
Lunar: What are they gonna do with their precious and limited 2 hours free time?
Solar: Some read 2 hours books, some play 2 hours video games, some watch a 2-hour movie, and some take 2 hours part-time job in the internet.
Lunar: What did you recommend to cope with poor time management?
Solar: Time schedule and the 80/20 rule.
Lunar: Time schedule?
Solar: Time schedule is a timetable with delicate deadlines for studying, socializing and rest, that creates a routine. With the timetable, they could be able to focus on their schedule, and get all things done one by one.
Lunar: The 80/20 rule?
Solar: The 80/20 rule, also known as the Pareto Principle, states that for many events, roughly 80% of effects come from 20% of the causes. They should prioritize the critical assignments over the less critical activities.
Lunar: What could possibly help students with poor time management?
Solar: If it wasn't for deadlines, nothing would get done. We encourage them to set a goal with a deadline, because a dream is a goal with a deadline. The clearer the deadline, the sharper the focus. If I assigned them a homework without a deadline, they would probably regard this as the less critical and push it off until the last day. If I assigned them a homework with a deadline, they would probably finish this on time.
Lunar: How did you ensure students to finish their homework before deadline?
Solar: I set the rules about reward and punishment. Reward encourages motivation, and punishment judges the indolent.
Lunar: Hopefully, they could realize how precious their study time is.
Solar: When I stood in front of them at teaching platform, through the windows of eyes, I looked upon them, some getting distracted, some getting absent-minded, asking of how many of you have ever felt the time ticking?
Lunar: How many of them have ever felt the time ticking?
Solar: Wow, all of them.
Lunar: You assigned them an essay, didn't you?
Solar: Yes.
Lunar: What kind of essay was it?
Solar: Imagine yourself getting late for an important event. Ask yourself what kind of event you are getting late for? What reasons might be your excuses for getting late? What is the consequence of getting late for it?
Lunar: May you please tell me some of your students' works?
Solar: I secretly fell in love with a girl, who was as far as if she was the moon in the skies, who was sometimes as close as if she was the moonlight shadow before my eyes, and who had connected with me through a spiritual bond, that ignored time and space. I was gonna go north and look for her, but I was tied by family's obligation for so long, that I was too late for her, when she regarded her feeling to me is just a fading fancy, and started to fall in love with someone else. Now she is happy with someone else, and I am alone, filled with regrets, shall never go to disturb her happiness. Lonely Prince.
Lunar: Lonely Prince is the loneliest one among them, isn't he?
Solar: Yes. It is the time he has wasted for his love, that makes his love so important. He was always stuck in life's valley, but before then, he could move on with a pure love buried in his heart. Now he couldn't move on without.
Lunar: The next essay, please!
Solar: I used to be a novelist. As a novelist, I was required to finish and upload at least one chapter in everyday. If I failed to upload everyday, my work wouldn't be noticed by the audiences like a stone sinking in the sea. If I stuck to upload everyday, my work would be noticed sometimes like a gold being picked up and collected in their libraries. If I have no time to upload with punctuality, I shall have no time to rest. Because I set a goal with a deadline, which is to finish one chapter before bed. Miss Deadline.
Lunar: Miss Deadline?
Solar: Miss Deadline is the most punctual one among them.
Lunar: She can make it.
Solar: Why do you have faith on her, before you know her.
Lunar: Because I believe she can make it with punctuality, perseverance and hard work.
Solar: A dream is a goal with a deadline. A writer's dream is writing one chapter daily. To achieve it, it would take perseverance, hard work and motivation. It is for her dream that she has held on for so long. It is the time she has wasted for her dream, that makes her dream so hard to give up, even though it seemed to be hopeless.