One of my two columns on page 35 of the Nation newspaper today. Also reproduced here: Addressing time abuse to boost productivity By Goke Ilesanmi Let me start by expressing gratitude to Governor Rauf Aregbesola of Osun State who promptly responded to the invitation email I sent to him to attend the inauguration of our foundation (Thinkright Foundation) on Sunday, February 23, at the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry. Even though he could not come, this right-thinking, humble and visionary professor of empowerment told his son, Mr. Kabiru to grace the occasion. I was highly impressed that the first person to call me in the morning of the day to make an inquiry about the event was Mr. Kabiru. He is a stickler for time and also a humble, brilliant and right-thinking man like the father. We empowered participants with a free seminar christened “Achieving Greatness through Right-thinking”. I was the keynote speaker. We decided to choose the theme because most of the major challenges we are facing in Nigeria and beyond today can be attributed to lack of right-thinking. Source Lack of right-thinking makes people engage in different social vices or criminal activities like armed robbery, kidnapping, terrorism, cultism, etc. It also accounts for why people waste time because time, they say, is money. At times, we are working longer hours, sleeping less, yet achieving decreased productivity in the process. This situation has made the issue of how people use or misuse time worthy of attention. People are categorised in many ways. Some like to distinguish between extroverts and introverts. Others prefer to look at how people are willing to take risks. It is only in rare occasions that people are categorised according to their effective use or abuse of time, which is critical to accomplishment of success. Failure to categorise people this way is surprising given the impact that effective use of time or its abuse has on the productivity and profitability of an organisation. Distinction It is noteworthy that time abuse is very different from the common problem of time management. Steven Berglas, a clinical psychologist and author of “Reclaiming the Fire: How Successful People Overcome Burnout” says while the vast majority of people can benefit from practical insights on how to organise their lives better, lessons in time management will have little impact on time abusers. This is because real time abuse results from psychological conflict that neither a workshop nor a manager’s cajoling can easily cure. The time abuser’s quarrel is not even with time but rather with self-esteem and an unconscious fear of being evaluated and found wanting. That is why you should focus your efforts on what makes a time abuser anxious rather than teach him or her how to organise his or her tasks. Segmentation Those who are not right-thinkers see time as elastic and are quite comfortable leaving their options open. Four types of time-abusers have been identified. These are the and the “procrastinators” who make constant excuses to mask a fear of being found inadequate in their jobs; “perfectionists” who because of their psychological problem of perfectionism are naturally unable to meet deadlines; the “people pleasers” who commit to far too much work because they find it impossible to (politely) reject any work given them; and the “pre-emptives” who compulsively beat the clock and finish assignments far earlier than they need to, making themselves unpopular and unavailable in the process. The pre-emptives are those who submit their answer scripts one hour before time, only to discover outside the examination hall that they have not written their names or answered all the questions. The clock Dan Bobinski, co-author of “Living Toad Free: Overcoming Resistance to Motivation” educates that the clock is essential in business and measuring time is fundamental for a great deal of trade and commerce, but misusing the clock is a common workplace ill which is all too commonly tolerated. Bobinski says those who ignore the clock are often procrastinators, perfectionists or workaholics. In his words, “Some procrastinators carry the trait naturally. Other procrastinators may find an assigned duty extremely uncomfortable or they may be unsure of how to perform a task, so they keep putting it off. Or they may have fear of failure. Whatever the cause, their delays can bring other people’s work to a standstill.” High standards Perfectionists, for instance, often hold high standards and wish to prevent criticism of their work. They are known to spend much time double- and even triple-checking each nuance of every project while other aspects of the work start piling up. Bobinski educates that workaholics often overstuff their day with activities, believing that long hours translates into higher production, which increases their value to a company. Research shows that at the heart of the issue is either poor time management or lack of enough delegation, which actually creates the opposite effect: Lower levels of productivity. According to Berglas, “Managing these types of people can be challenging, because time abusers respond differently from most people to criticism and approval.” Contradiction Contrary to Berglas’ submission that solutions to time abusers’ situation are psychological rather than focusing on time management strategies, Bobinski says, procrastinators, perfectionists and workaholics can all benefit from learning to plan and prioritise better. He adds that it seems counter-intuitive, but taking time to plan and prioritise actually saves time during the workday. Parting shot You can stop time abuse by planning your day wisely while still maintaining a flexible, productivity-focused mindset. Success is defined in many ways. But time abusers often erroneously claim success by how much or how little time they devote to their work. Do not waste time, but do not let the clock run your life, either. Effective clock use is common sense. Therefore, be responsible and reasonable. But also be real. Time abusers equally need proper meditation or right-thinking to overcome the psychological problems largely responsible for their abuse of time. PS: For those making inquiries about our Public Speaking, Business Presentation and Professional Writing Skills programme, please visit the website indicated on this page for details. Till we meet on Wednesday. GOKE ILESANMI, Managing Consultant/CEO of Gokmar Communication Consulting, is an International Platinum Columnist, Certified Public Speaker/MC, Communication Specialist, Motivational Speaker and Career Management Coach. He is also a Book Reviewer, Biographer and Editorial Consultant. Tel: 08055068773; 08187499425 Email: gokeiles2010@gmail Website: gokeilesanmi
Posted on: Mon, 10 Mar 2014 12:27:53 +0000
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