Right from the childhood, I am not used to spending time in front of TV. I hardly get to the middle of a two-hours movie before I cross to the dreamland and deeply asleep. Though this rare idiosyncrasy was rather compelled than learned. And I should be faithful enough to let you know that such a trait came not as a sign of over-seriousness but a sign of impecuniousness, because we usually trek some kilometers away from home before we could finally find a place to watch TV. But it has being highly advantageous anyway. Usually, I am lagging when it comes to talking about the latest or trendy movies. I could remember that throughout my five-years stay in the University, I only struggle to complete just two season films; Merling and Spartacus namely. Like I said before, this trait has helped me in many ways. Giving me more time to spend on many more important things.​

​But early this year, something happened. A movie (Nigerian soap opera) went pandemic. And it was so widely spread that people usually reserve a quantity of fuel in their generator to keep up to date with the movie, even when power supply isn’t always available. Even in the village where I was serving (during my NYSC program), no child want to miss a single episode of it. The movie gained so much popularity that it became too difficult for me to resist the pressure from various friends telling me to try watching it. Then I agreed to give it a trial. And you know what? A trial truly convinced me, as a found JENIFA’S DIARY unputdownable. So I requested for season two. And after, season three, four and five. 

I can’t just afford to miss any of the episodes of Jenifa’s diary, not only because of its funniness, of course, it can make you pee before getting to the toilet. No dispute about that. But it is also highly educative and informative. Full of series of important lessons worthy of emulation. But it is unfortunate that many people only enjoy its hilarity, and pay less or no attention to the bulk of ‘take-home’ lessons embedded inside each episode. In fact, what most people, especially our young ladies, learned from Jenifa’s diary was how to speak bad English. But there’s actually much more to Jenifa’s diary than just ‘watch to laugh.’ It teaches many crucial life lessons which include goal setting, planning for the future, having a good vision and ambition in life. It also teaches morality such as kicking against smoking, alcohol consumption and drug abuse. It also discourages flirting and ‘sugar daddy’ practices among the students in the higher institutions. It teaches a lot about love, relationship and marriage. And these lessons are very important in life.

But there’s one particular serendipitous lesson which many people may not pay much attention to. It is the Jenifa’s diary itself. You will notice that Jenifa always make use of that her big diary. She use it to take record of both what has happened to her and what she intends doing in the future. Many of you may not know why she’s doing that. But I’ve learned a big lessóñ from that. Having a personal diary or jotting note is very important and auspicious. Though I have been using a personal diary/note since few years from now, but Jenifa diary has broadened my understanding about the important of keeping note. And now, I make more and frequent use of my diary/note than I used to do before. In fact, my personal diary now has different categories which include future plans, books to write, chronicle of life, things to buy, skills to learn, and many others. Why is having a personal diary/note so important? Keeping personal note or diary helps to relieve ones brain from carrying unnecessary burden. It gives your brain enough free space to concieve new idea and give you enough free time to do other important things. 

For example, jotting down everything you plan to do the next day inside your diary or a personal note as soon as you remember them will save you from forgetting important ideas. And this will make you more productive. In the case of any forgetfulness, you can easily access your note /diary to find out what and what you’ve planned to do. Sometimes we waste great ideas because we do not care to put them down, and so we forget them. This could be painful and even disastrous. But to avoid wasting ideas, start practicing personal diary/note. And always remember to put down any idea that pop into your mind. Put down your schedule for the next day. Write down your budget and analyze how you will spend your money. Make a list of all the items you need to acquire in their preferential order. What are the things you think you need to learn? jot them down. Which area of your life do you feel that you need to improve on? Kindly put it down so that you won’t forget. Try using a personal diary today and see how helpful it is. Before I drop my pen, I want to commend Funke Akindele (Jenifa), for coming up with such an informative, educative and very funny made in Nigeria soap opera—Jenifa’s diary. Jenifa, ‘I pride in you’, lol.