Founding Rector of Üsküdar University, Psychiatrist Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan, participated as a speaker at the event titled 'Being a Conscious Young Person in Time Management,' organized by the Uludağ University Academic Development Community. Prof. Dr. Tarhan made remarkable evaluations and recommendations about the value of time and time management. Stating, 'Every day is 24 gold coins given to us,' Tarhan highlighted that life is a capital given to us and emphasized the importance of leading a planned life, conveying that each day is as precious as 24 gold coins.
'The only rival of search engines is the time people spend sleeping'
Tarhan stated that the concept of time is more valuable than many other things, even money, and pointed out that the only rival of search engines is the time people spend sleeping. Tarhan said: 'The basic rules of resource management apply to time management. In resource management, there are two concepts: importance and priority. You will create a time pyramid based on the concepts of importance and priority. Time management is similar; that is, when a person accumulates a resource, before the resource itself, it can be a financial resource, a time resource, a psychological resource, or social capital. All of these are resources, and all are managed using the amplitude modulation method. If a person loses money, they can regain it, but when they lose time, it doesn't come back; therefore, time is more important. Time is more important than money. Search engine advertising companies have established persuasion laboratories, where they say their biggest rival is sleep. That is, they aim to conduct their business by taking away people's sleep. They have set up persuasion laboratories to figure out how to do this, and they use two areas here. First, let's change these individuals' priorities, which is easy. For example, they look at what a person's interest is. This person's interest might be humor, for instance; another's might be biology; another's, psychology. They send visuals and keywords related to these interests and write a personalized AI-powered program for you, customized. It does this automatically, and we are not aware of it. Afterwards, we say, 'the same topics always come up, how nice that they're ready-made,' but they are actually changing our priorities.'
'This era has disrupted humankind's sense of control'
Tarhan stated that the sense of control in humans resides in the frontal lobe, the anterior part of the brain, and pointed out that this era has disrupted the control mechanism. Tarhan said: ' First, we need to determine our priorities methodically, and then we will establish an order of importance in time management. When you create an order of importance, if you say 'this is very important to me' and it's a matter within your strategic goal, you will dedicate more time to it and delve into more detail. If you don't have a goal, and you get into details that are not aligned with your purpose, your time will be wasted. In this case, you will unwittingly squander your time capital. A person has a goal, gets stuck somewhere on the way, hours pass there, and they miss their goal. Therefore, all of this is related to a person's sense of control. This era has disrupted the human, humankind's sense of control. The sense of control is in our frontal lobe, the front part of our brain. The frontal lobe is the brain's command bridge. This era has disrupted the command bridge. Because we are so intertwined with technologies, we cannot control our own lives; others manage us. That is why the world is heading towards a digital dictatorship. If we do not determine our own importance and priorities, we need to decide whether we will be users of technology or used by technology.'
'Modernism has pushed humanity towards short-term thinking'
Tarhan emphasized that modernism has led people to short-term thinking and pointed out that as a person's level of development increases, they begin to think long-term. Tarhan said: 'This era has pushed people towards short-term thinking. Children think short-term. As the brain matures, it thinks medium to long-term. This is related to the level of development. A person can think long-term depending on their level of development. Now, when you forget to think long-term, you make the biggest mistake of your life. A person has embarked on a life journey, and there is only one undeniable truth: the truth of death. In this world, there are deeds but no judgment, but after death, there is judgment but no deeds. So, what does a wise person do? They try to increase their accumulations. This is the most important personal priority and importance. But after that, they work and strive for the people they live with to reach their goals in a healthy way. People who think about the big picture, who think macro, use their minds in this way. But short-term thinkers say, 'let today pass, whatever happens.' For this, we determine this entirely with our free will, and we must bear the responsibility for it.
'Male and female brains apply time management differently'
Tarhan stated that male and female brains apply time management differently: 'The difference between women and men in time management is as follows. The female left brain is the masculine brain. The male right brain is the feminine brain. The prefrontal cortex ensures balance between the two. Now, what does the right brain, the feminine brain, do? It thinks holistically, is emotional, and has aesthetics. Music, art, aesthetics, and empathy are predominantly right-brain functions. Left-brain functions include mathematical thinking, logic, reasoning, analysis, and speech, among others. In fact, when computers first came out, there was a debate about whether computers were male or female. Those who argued that computers are male claimed that computers are indeed male because they frequently give errors. So, what did those who claimed computers are female say? They said, 'Yes, computers are female because their accessories are more expensive than themselves.' This all signifies that male and female behaviors are different; biologically, men and women are not equal, though they should be equal in rights and opportunities, but biologically, they are created differently. In time management, for example, after marriage, a woman's priority becomes her child; she dedicates all her focus and emotions to her child. Afterward, an emotional distance develops with her spouse, and the spouse drifts away. In men, after having a child, they devote themselves to their work. After dedicating themselves to work, they also drift away from home, and this emotional distance often leads to arguments. If both parties are smart, in such situations, by saying 'we are in the same boat' and acting while considering their goals, this is minimized. It is reduced to a minimum. In fact, our ancestors did not call marriage 'eş' (spouse) or 'çift' (couple). The term 'couple' is a Western term. We said 'refik refika'. What does 'refik refika' mean? It means life partner, travel companion. You have embarked on a journey in life and are companions to each other as you go towards a common goal. Is there a more beautiful perspective that summarizes marriage than this? Modernism has changed our vision of marriage. That is why we are paying a heavy price for modernism.'
'Free time needs to be planned separately'
Tarhan, emphasizing the importance of planning free time, said: 'We prefer to say 'free time' instead of 'empty time.' 'Free time' is important in this respect: a person has a routine, structured job, and beyond that, they are given a different time slot, which they will replan. What will happen? They can devote themselves to relaxation, entertainment, or travel. The person can engage with music, or do similar things in this situation. This actually requires the individual to plan it separately. In fact, there is a rule regarding this, especially in innovation and entrepreneurship. We say that if a person has 10 hours, they should dedicate 1.5 hours to thinking about the work they are doing, and to thinking about their thoughts. In such situations, because they look at their work from a different perspective, they discover new things, apply the rule, and can see what no one else can; this is a method of evaluating free time. However, some people might spend this free time with their family, or prefer to travel. It's a good thing for a person to allocate a 'free time rule' for themselves during the day, similar to that rule. This is also very compatible with our brain's working model.'
'Life is a capital'
Tarhan, making striking statements about the value of time, likened progressing on the right path by making smart decisions in our current era to swimming against the current. Tarhan said: 'We have 24 gold coins in a day. Everyone should make good use of this gold capital. Life is capital. Every day is 24 gold coins given to us. You can squander it now, or you can use it wisely. This is about being able to manage the capital of time, the capital of life given to us, and the many blessings given to you, well. Here, time leads us astray because it changes our priorities, but you must be vigilant. In such situations, a person should make more careful choices. Normally, everyone says that the most important thing is to be able to swim even in a storm. We are in a stormy era; if you know how to swim in this time, if you can swim without drowning, then you are a master swimmer; everyone swims in a lake. This era is like swimming in a stormy sea, against the current. Therefore, we will learn to swim this way in this era, we will learn to stay afloat this way, we will embrace challenges. We will determine our goal and then pursue it. And there is a Hadith Qudsi, 'If you have good intentions and earnest effort, I am your completer,' says the Almighty God. God promises. Can such an opportunity be missed? Those who use their minds will win. God has given us a scale for decisions, like intellect. If we use it correctly, we will reach our goal. If we cannot use it, we will be stranded halfway. People who are open to self-improvement, who are not selfish, find the truth by asking questions. Here, the biggest enemy is egocentricity; it makes a person make mistakes, it causes reality blindness. You don't see the truths, and because you don't see them, you make wrong decisions and hit a wall. Therefore, we advise people to start changing the world by starting with themselves,' he concluded.