Ji Xianlin, a world famous literate, has been praised as ‘rare talent’, ‘public model’ by premier Wen Jiabao. One of the most important reasons for the success of Ji is that he takes the best advantage of time.

‘Bad’ habit of doing multi works at one time.

Ji works on his first desk for the first working section after a simply washing face at 4 am before daybreak. He will finish his first ‘exercise’ on this desk. After breakfast, in the second working section, another ‘exercise’ will be finished on the second desk. He used to work on the third desk after supper. Ji said he has a ‘bad’ habit of doing multi works at one time, he used to do a translation project while writing an academic disquisition. The actual advantage of doing like this is that you change to another work when you are tired on one. And so the mind will be always sharp and fresh as a new sword, inspirations will jump out frequently.

Things often come in pairs. It’s said that the translator of ‘the New Testament’ James Mophead had 3 desks in his study room too. Manuscript of the being translated Bible on the 1st desk, manuscript of an article on the 2nd desk, a half-finished whodunit was put on the 3rd desk. The method of rest for Mophead is move from one desk to another, working on. This is an important method of time arranging—Mophead resting method.

‘Intercrop and cross cultivation’ is a common used agriculture method. People find in practice that growing the same crop for seasons will obviously debase the fertilization of the soil. As the same crop often needs the same kind of soil nutrient, growing the same crop again and again will let the soil lean.

The same to man brain and body, continued long time on a same work let the same place of pallium or muscle be strain and tired and this pull down their activities. If we change to another work at this time, especially to a new type of work, a new preponderant excited area will arise, and the previous area will be restrained. Thus relieves the brain and body efficiently, and the depressed efficiency on one work will be improved on another.

Rack brains to make use of time scraps

Ji often has no constant time block to work due to frequent sociality doings, meetings and visits, so he rack his brains to make use of ‘time scraps’. He admitted ‘time scraps’ is a strange saying he himself created. Time is invisible, insensible, but it’s an integral whole, how can scraps come up? This is only a visualized trope. If all time is at your disposal, no ‘time scraps’ will come up.

For many invaluable meetings which had to attend, Ji used to conceive or write articles before, after or even between them. Some speakers said gassy words and transferred litter valuable information. Ji usually opened one ear or even a half to them and got all the information. The rest one or one and a half ears were closed, and his spirit was focused on conceiving. Once and again, he came to be elated and full of inspiration in mind when sat in meeting room, and an essay will be completed soon, no missing of handclap. If no meeting for a long time, he even felt all inspiration is going to die away and so longed for a meeting. He said this is ‘really funny and annoying’.

Besides, Ji is always keep thinking when on airplane, train and in car, or when riding bicycle and walking. Occasionally, a wonderful essay was got when thinking on bus or bus station, and it will be written on a piece of paper from pocket of a cigarette case from the ground.

By this method, Ji gain many time more than others. It’s nearly 10 million words of his works has been published after decades of hardworking writing.

There is an important concept in time management, ‘make good use of scattered time’. Alies Boray wrote in ‘How to Spend 24 Hours of a day’: “24 hours of a day is like a big traveling case. You can load 2 times of things in it if you take the right loading method. You should begin to fill things from sides without interspace, especially the four corners should be filled first. If you make good use of time corners, your time of a day will be doubled.” The litterateur of Song Dynasty OuYang Xiu who had left us a great many of beautiful articles said: “Most of my articles were made on ‘three on’: on horseback, on pillow, on closestool’.” Dong Yu who lived in Three Kingdoms period had a ‘three rest’ method of reading: “winter is the rest of a year, night is the rest of a day, rainy days are rest of sunny ones”. He meant he would make good use of chill winter, deep night and rainy days to learn more when others were resting. Dong considered: “‘three rest’ enlarge one’s knowledge, hundred of battles improves one’s stratagem ability”. Just like the old saying says: Mountain Tai don’t reject even a tiny dirt, so it can be so eminence; river accept every drop, so it can be so deep.