This might sound absurd, but everything depends on your perspective. What is more important in a man’s life—work or time? Obviously, it’s time. Without time, there can be no work. Yet, even if you don’t have work, you will always have time. If you were asked to choose between work and health, what would you choose? Clearly, most people would choose health. Now let’s observe how society has corrupted us.

In reality, you are giving away your time for free to work, while degrading your body—the temple of your health—for activities that do not contribute to your social elevation. Instead of impoverishing yourself through endless labor, you could first develop a better strategy to make the most of your time. A better time management approach allows you to make work serve you—not the other way around.

Strategy enriches because it doesn’t consume time once it’s launched.
The only time it requires is during its conception. Once it is in place, work starts serving you, and it attracts to you the people it was destined to reach.

A well-thought-out strategy is worth more than 1,000 years of work.

It was only recently that I began working on strategic and operational plans. Since I started applying this in my organization, I’ve gained time, money, and resources. I was able to accomplish in less than three months what would have previously taken me at least a year. Without a strategic plan and an operational plan for your own life, you risk wandering aimlessly throughout your time on earth.

On Fridays, when I’m not engaged in ministry, I work with my partners on the strategy of our organizations. What strategic plan will you implement for your business project over a three-year period? What will your priorities be? And how do you plan to mobilize your resources? We also offer support in developing strategic and operational plans.

Work without strategy is an illusion.

Many will tell me they don’t need a strategy to move forward, and that developing one could take just as much time as working itself. I would say that everything depends on the type of business you’re in, as well as its size and maturity. I led my organization for nearly a decade without real managerial skills. But after returning from a project management training, the impact of my leadership became immeasurable.

Yet we were still missing something: How do we become self-sufficient? How can a civil society organization avoid depending on external funding? What can we do to mobilize people and resources across all ten regions of the country in record time—without spending our own money? I asked myself the right questions. And a series of the right questions led to the opening of alternative schools.

We plan to open alternative schools in all ten regions of the country, each with its own educational director, within a maximum of five years. As soon as possible, we will export this model to every African country. For that, we need partners willing to grow with us.

So where did this strategy suddenly come from? I didn’t read it in a book. I simply tried to solve a problem by asking the right questions. Then I made a decision. That’s exactly what I’m inviting you to do: don’t waste time—make a decision, make the right decision for your life, for your destiny. No one else will make it for you…

This text is an excerpt from the book “Succeed at All Costs: The 5 Fingers of Success” written by Jean-Paul Marie (Pastor Samuel Binyou).

We invite you to read the next article: “FIVE INVESTMENTS IN YOURSELF”.