Surviving the rigors of profitable enterprise in an economy where the quest for fiscal dominance takes preeminence over the immediate welfare of most people is often a tough job even for the industrious.
With television, social media and demanding clients frequently competing for the attention of employers and their workforce alike, it’s not unusual to find many adults constantly living on the brink of exhaustion.
While some insist that this capacity to constantly function precariously – existing as though one’s lifespan has an ad infinitum time structure – is as a product of diligence; a few more who understand the importance of strategically maximizing every second engaging in viable ventures argue to the contrary.
From statistics released by Mckinsey &Company, a global management consulting firm, after carrying out a survey on over 1500 executives across the globe it showed that less than one in every group of ten people were actually satisfied with how the time allotted them was used. Interestingly, more than half of the people examined agreed that the way they spent their time aided their organizations in reaching the primary objectives.
Also based on the report by Harvard Business Review, more than 90 per cent of busy managers flitter away their time on flippant activities rather being
This invariably is a reflection of the propensity for individuals to view time as an unlimited resource rather than the scarce asset that it really is.
Addressing some of the reasons why time management is still a big challenge for many, Yemisi Joel-Osebor an executive in charge of World Bank and Department For International Development (DFID) regional projects expressed, “When many people have competing demands they often find it difficult to merge all their roles together in a manner where there is synergy at play. Most of the time it is all as a result of the poor management of their external impulses.”
For Enife Atobiloye, the Managing Partner at TRANSEACRH International, a global executive search and Talent management organization, it generally boils down to the inability to properly manage heavy schedules especially without professional support.
She posited, “One of the significant pillars of good time management is how you manage your schedules and with the liberties and mobility that automation offers, there are no longer barriers in scheduling or changing appointments. Normally this would have been [a good thing] but it becomes a challenge when the executive is required to map all schedule changes by themselves.”
As the pressures imposed by profound economic uncertainties as well as growing corporate complexities erode the lines of privacy separating work and personal life cycles, the resulting low productivity of these organizations is inevitable.
Some other unconscious repercussions of ambitious attempts by the modern-day executive is found in the tendency to be saddled with information overdrive – a situation where there is the quest to crave more data than is necessary for optimal performance.
According to experts this overload leaves them and the team they work with feeling disgruntled with little or no muscle-power to propel even the most minute yet deeply satisfying task.
While the challenges associated with poor time management abound, some human capacity development experts have begun seeking out ways to check this downward spiral.
Proffering some solutions aimed at long-term efficiency, Habiba Balogun, a director at Accion Microfinance Bank and principal consultant at her human capacity development consultancy stated at a recent Women In Successful Careers (WISCAR) training that it is important to “organize yourself by making a list of things that you want to do for a week.”
She also advised that by properly scheduling all work and non-work related activities and picking out only the necessary tasks along with activities that are most satisfying, the tendency to get caught in a state of endless panic will drastically diminish.
Further shedding light on strategic ways a deep understanding of how one’s strengths and weaknesses with respect to self-mastery can be of great benefit in putting each second to good use, Seyi Osheshanu a human resource consultant at Human Leadership Resources, expressed, “If you manage yourself, well your duties will be properly prioritized and you will have some extra time for important activities.
“As an executive, [you] must be able to delegate well and give the appropriate authority to the person that task is being handed to. This,” he says, “will ensure that the energy is not expended living a rat race.”
Others ways in which time can be efficiently utilized to achieve organizational goals and objectives include cutting down the amount of attention given to social media websites and setting personal deadlines for assigned tasks as this is likely to increase productivity.
Rita Ohai
