Ca and time management - a reality

CA Sourabh Agarwal (Chartered Accountant) (4240 Points)

11 September 2011  

 

Generally for students the most important thing to understand is that our time management revolves around our studies. This doesn’t mean that we should leave everything apart and just keep on reading and reading.

 

The main problem which think is generally we don’t start until we are on fire and when we have just few months left with us, following consequences occur :-

 

1.      First of all we are uncertain from where to start, as everything has to be done and time is not proportionately available.

 

2.      Then some of us go for making a time schedule or detailed plan, but here also problem arises, syllabus length does not match with time period available.

 

3.      Then the best option available with us is do selective studies. We utilize our precious time to select major topics for the exam and start preparing those. In the midway, we realize that WE ARE IN CA FINAL, not in other graduate courses. A finalist itself knows about the level of exams and what consequences shall follow if we hang upon selective studies.

 

4.      Then the final option comes, that is CRAM UP. Not all of us can cram things up but those who can apply this option, and believing on their luck that no conceptual question would be asked, go on to exams.

 

5.      The result will automatically be in 2 digits and even most of those passed by cramming will either be rejected in campus placements or they would be unable to start their own practice.

 

6.      Then arises the requirement of other courses on opinion that more the degrees, greater the chances of placements.

 

Many of us give excuses like that we couldn’t have sufficient time because of Articleship and coaching.  Now we have to understand that this is not a personal problem, it is global phenomena in our field.

 

While at Articleship we ignore all practical work for purpose of gaining knowledge and developing skill. We take our work as our target to finish it anyhow, irrespective of any incremental gain of work exposure.

 

The best way to learn is apply our own knowledge on any aspect and then compare with the senior way to work. This way we can gain knowledge. Paper like DT and Audit can be understood only by doing it practically.

 

While at coaching we try to finish the work given and keep filing our copies in neat and clean writing on assumption that we will understand at time of exams which will never come. We never try to understand concepts there only and postpone our work to later point of time. All those accumulated work becomes so hefty that ultimately we had to cram it up.

 

Kabir ji ne kaha hai…

Kaal kare so aaj kar, aaj kare so ab, pal me parlay hoygi, pher karego kab.

 

Although in today’s world I acknowledge this fact that no one can do all his/her work at once. We always require postponing our tasks to future dates. But the matter to be understood is what and till when.

 

We all read so many books and articles for time management which resides in this one liner quotation. What I have learned is no book can make us punctual and make us habitual to work all our work at time. Time management arises from practice and only we alone can learn it from our experiments.

 

Books like time management and self motivation, etc. are good enough to make realize their importance, but their effect remains for 20-30 days only, and again we are on original platform. And there is nothing bad in it because it is our natural character to learn by experience.

 

We all can understand above by looking into our daily life examples. Like while solving practical questions, we understood and learn only when we try it on our own. Here some people might say that they have passed by just reading over. I am not talking about those as they itself know how much they understood and retain the concept after exams also.

 

While conclusion of my article I just want to say is till you are in CA final, time your work from inception. This way you will have equivalent time available for all your work and also it will never become a necessity to cram up thing.

 

Nothing is tough in our course; all it needs is high level of practice, time and concentration. More the practice, greater will be the quality of results. There is nothing as such which should be crammed up.

 

Saurabh Agarwal

beingchartered @ gmail.com

“Being Chartered” Campaign – It’s not tough, it is just different.