There are 24 hours in a day; the challenge Marlize de Bruin set herself is to make each one count, wasting a mere minute to her is a sin. 

The constant focus on not wasting time is why 2019 turned out to be a standout year for the former Tuks netball captain. She got to accomplish near every goal she set herself. It was not only on the netball court she excelled. 

De Bruin completed her postgraduate studies (B.ed Hons Professional Development and Teacher Education) last year. To do so turned out at times to be quite tricky. Especially as she had a fantastic season on the netball courts. She was in the thick of things during all the major local tournaments. 

It started with her captaining the Jaguars to win the Telkom League. After that, she helped Tshwane to win the National Championships.  

The "cherry" on top was being part of the Tuks team that won the Varsity Tournament. They made local netball history by being the first team not to lose one game during a Varsity Competition. It was also De Bruin's swansong as a Tuks netball player. 

All of this meant that from April to October last year De Bruin had to fine-tune her juggling act between finding time to study, train and coach. That is why proper time management was vital to her. She believes nothing is impossible if one is capable of sticking to a strict schedule. 

De Bruin is quick to add that the support she received from her lectures at the University of Pretoria and the TuksNetball management team made it for her at crucial times easier to do what needed to be done.

As far as 2020 is concerned, De Bruin had set herself quite a few goals. The most important was to help the Jaguars retain the Telkom title. In the process, she hoped to stake her claim to playing for the Proteas. To establish a winning culture as coach at Pretoria Girls High School was another important goal. Unfortunately, the coronavirus pandemic has put an end to everything. 

Being in lockdown does not mean De Bruin is more relaxed about time. She still strives to make the most of every hour. Most days she is out training twice a day in her driveway. 

It is not always easy to complete an exercise because she is not anymore the lone boss of her time. Her housemate, Klaas, has definite ideas as to what she should be doing and when she should do so. If he is not happy, he has no hesitation about disrupting a training regime or what else she might be doing.

De Bruin is not too fazed as Klaas a four-month-old Boston terrier is the love of her life. His wish is her command.