Seventh Hongkonger to conquer Mount Everest says he never wastes a minute

Elton Ng Chun Ting, who became the seventh Hongkonger to conquer Mount Everest (8,448 metres) in May, never wastes a minute. Even during the seven weeks that he was stuck at base camp – at an altitude of 5,334m – waiting for the weather to improve so he could begin the final ascent to Everest’s summit, he made sure he put his time to good use.

While extreme weather let rip outside, Ng was able to finish the office work he had brought with him, and to complete the write-up of his latest book about his previous adventures.

The 38-year-old graduated from Polytechnic University in 2000 and then worked as a physiotherapist in a hospital. Despite the long hours, he also worked part time in the evenings to save money towards realising his dream of having his own clinic. He also managed to find time to train for orienteering and adventure races on Sundays.

In 2006, the physiotherapist opened his clinic, the Centre of Rehabilitation and Exercising Specialist (CORES), which over the past decade has grown into one of city’s largest private physiotherapy clinics, in 3,500 square metres of space.

Ng – who usually only sleeps for about four hours a night – attributes his successes in his career and on his Mount Everest expedition to good time management and preparation. “I have never wasted my time on meaningless things,” he says. “I spend most of my spare time reading to enrich my working knowledge, and I have designed a highly efficient workflow for me and my clinic so that we can see more patients in a day.”