THE OMNIPRESENCE OF TIMEAs the origin and construct of “time” are both beyond thescope of this piece, let us agree at the outset, torestrict our understanding of “time” to its ordinary andusual definition – a one-dimensional quantity used tosequence events, to quantify the duration of events andthe intervals between them, or the continuum of experiencein which events pass from the future through the presentto the past.

To all intents and purposes, the manipulation ormanagement of time in everything we do, have done, couldhave done and could still do, including playing games orenjoying holidays and other pastime activities, even inthe labyrinth of our seemingly unending and unstoppable

1

executive tasks, has become an inviolable entity thateveryone and even nations struggle to maximise. Indeed,the “time management” syndrome has invariably become abenchmark for evaluating efficiency and effectiveness invirtually everything we do at anytime and anywhere.Timeliness is often referred to as Godliness and itdepicts orderliness, seriousness, integrity andcommitment. With improved focus, the “real value of time”is now the flagship of measurable indices that determineproductivity at every point, stage and state of humanendeavour. Its relevance therefore cuts acrossindividuals, groups, communities and nations at large.

One glaring manifestation of the quintessence of “timemanagement” that readily comes to mind is the 2010 FIFA

2

World Cup event in South Africa. Imagine, if South Africadid not “manage” her “time” and resources properly since2006 when she won and was awarded the hosting rights byFIFA, there is no gainsaying that the generally adjudgedexcellent showing at the 2010 World Cup tourney would havebeen a different story, altogether – probably areminiscence replete with omissions, commissions andregrets. Thus, the resounding and incontrovertible glorybrought to Africa by South Africa and South Africans wouldhave been an illusion. Incidentally, that fine showing wasagainst the groundswell of negative reportage by somewestern press ahead of the event, regarding the perceivedincapacity of South Africa in spite of the “iconic MADIBAfactor”, to host a successful mundial given her record of

3

security lapses, inadequate infrastructure and xenophobicissues, amongst others.

On the other hand however, reflecting on lack of proper“time management” and in contradistinction to the SouthAfrica’s experience, was the poor and negligent handlingby Nigeria, at her concurrent hosting at Abuja, of ECOWASand OAU (AU) conferences in Nov/Dec 1991, in which theAbuja International Airport road was still underconstruction on the eve of the events. This recollectionis aside other derelict showings at more recent hosting ofsome national and international events. As it is wont ofInternational Agreements on hosting rights to obligereasonable time for preparation by hosting countries,Nigeria had ample time to prepare for the 1991 events just

4

as Brazil from 2010, had four years to prepare for thenext 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil after 64years ofhosting and winning in 1950. Unfazed by the headship ofFIFA that apparently reposes some confidence in Brazil,about one year to the event now, Brazil is currently seento be up and running just to meet her target, willy-nilly.GOAL SETTINGWithout disregarding the portion that our genome or familytrait contributes to our personae, it is apposite toobserve that our lifestyle that also interacts with thisgenetic imprint, essentially determines what we become inlife. Undoubtedly, this lifestyle is greatly influenced byour immediate environment as we traverse life’s landscapethrough its twists, turns and vicissitudes of fortune

5

while in search of greener pastures for the most part ofour lives. Having identified our effective goals and objectives inlife, it is then left to us to select the processes, pathsand ways to achieving them. The truth here is that yourenvironment hence your lifestyle, plays a major role inelecting the methods and means by which you arrive atthose goals. You may choose to emulate a role model(mentor) or structure your idiosyncrasy to align with theunpredictable and unreliable ebb and flow of yourimmediate environment. It’s entirely your choice, that is,living your life your way, as you are in full control ofyour time, your stress and energy levels. Starting with the ideal big picture of what you intend tobecome in life, that is, your dreams and ambitions, you

6

then break them into smaller and clearly defined goals ortargets that are achievable as medium-term mission andshort-term motivation, both chasing the long-term vision.These goals must be Specific, Measurable, Achievable(Attainable), Relevant (Realistic) and Time-bound, thatis, (SMART).It is relevant to mention here that Prof Edwin A Locke ofblessed memory, an American psychologist at the Universityof Maryland and incidentally a proponent of globalcapitalism, originally developed this foregoing goal-setting theory in 1968. And in a joint researchpublication in 1990 by him and Prof Gary P Latham, RothamSchool of Management, University of Toronto, this SMARTtheory was expanded to include other characteristics ofsuccessful goal setting. In a contemporary management

7

insight and outlined in his 1954 book, “The Practice ofManagement” late Prof Peter Ferdinand Drucker, a writer,distinguished management consultant and self-described“social ecologist” at the Claremont Graduate University,in 1990 also employed the SMART theory to check thevalidity of the objectives in his core concept ofManagement By Objectives (MBO), a predecessor to ValueBased Management (VBM). For completeness however, it is relevant to takecognisance of a “lacuna” as posited by Chip and Dan HEATHin their bestseller book (2010), “SWITCH- How to changethings when change is hard” that whilst the specificity ofSMART goals is a great cure for the worst sins of goalsetting – ambiguity and irrelevance, SMART goals arebetter for steady-state situations than for change

8

situations, because the assumptions underlying them arethat the goals are worthwhile at that point or period intime.At the frontier of today’s successful goal settingtechniques are now the Five Golden Rules as enunciated ina report by a Corporate Authority on ‘Time Management’,“Mind Tools Ltd” namely:

Set goals that motivate and attract (gravitational) Set SMART goals Write down goals as a guidance (depicting real andtangible situations)

Make implementable action plans Stay focussed but flexible, as the situationaldynamics dictate

9

Whichever, however and whatever you decide as your goals,“time” and how it is “managed”, that is, “planned”,“organised”, “prioritised”, “scheduled” and “monitored”are of the essence as to how readily your vision can beachieved. Consequently, the application of effective timemanagement skills and tools would avail you theopportunity to do the right thing at the right time and inthe right way, thereby achieving those goals, dreams andambitions as well as keeping stress to a minimum acrossboard.PRIORTISATIONAs there is a preponderance of steps and procedures totake, even for the simplest of targets, the issues of“time” and the “ordering” of events or tasks come to thefore. There are various techniques for setting priorities

10

towards accomplishing your goals. Incidentally, all issuesand tasks are evaluated using the criteria:“Important/Non-Important” and “Urgent/Non-Urgent”, bothgroups forming a discernible matrix or quadrants, that isreferred to as the “Eisenhower Box” that obliges you theopportunity to use or spend your time not just efficientlybut also effectively. This method is said to have beenused by the 34th US President Dwight David “Ike”Eisenhower (Five-Star General) and it is outlined in aquote “What is Important is seldom Urgent and what isUrgent is seldom Important”. Some authorities on ‘TimeManagement’ like “Mind Tools Ltd” however prefer to put itthus: “Frequently, seemingly Urgent tasks aren’t thatImportant. And often, really Important activities (likeworking towards your life goals) just aren’t that Urgent”.

11

Using this principle, tasks in Unimportant/Not Urgentquadrant are dropped as they are time wasters, tasks inImportant/Urgent slot are done immediately and personally,tasks in Unimportant/Urgent slot are delegated and tasksin Important/Not Urgent quadrant get an end date and aredone personally thereafter, but without procrastinating.Just as there are simple ways to prioritise, there arealso many other prioritisation approaches or tools thatsuit special cases which are determined by the type andnumber of contending issues. Chief amongst thesetechniques are the Pareto 80:20 Analysis, PairedComparison Analysis, POSEC method (Abraham Maslow’shierarchy of needs), Ansoff and Boston Matrices, GridAnalysis, Action Priority Matrix and the Nominal GroupTechnique.

12

In essence, the onus in selecting the appropriateprioritisation tool(s) rests solely on: type and structureof task, value, importance, urgency, relevance, time,location, financial investment and other resources, asthey all relate towards achieving your goals. So, withgood prioritisation you can bring order to chaos,conveniently reduce stress, align competing demands,accommodate contingency and effectively take charge ofboth personal and collective responsibilities. TASK INVENTORY In the bid to be really productive and efficient anothertime management tool is the “task inventory” which givesyou the benefit of controlling your work, ensuring thatnothing is forgotten, clearing your mind and saving youenergy and eliminating stress.

13

Commonly referred to as “To-do-list”, a task inventory isa prioritised list of tasks that captures all you need todo in a given period. It consolidates the entire job youhave to do in one place. It serves as an alternative orsupplement to your memory thereby leaving you time toconcentrate on carrying out the actual tasks rather thanhaving to remember the various tasks every time. It istraditional to write down or list tasks on notepads orclipboards and check them out (off) as you move alongthus, progressively giving you a sense of satisfaction.Currently, numerous digital equivalents of notepads areavailable such as Personal Computer (PC), HandheldPersonal Digital Assistant (PDA) and Web-based task listApplication Software many of which are free. Unlike themanual “to-do-list”, a PDA allows you to efficiently

14

access organise, collect, store and process various kindsof information, and work with them on the run. Mark Forster, a British author and authority on ‘TimeManagement’ in his book, “Do It Tomorrow and Other Secretsof Time Management” however posits that the traditional“never-ending” “to-do-list” virtually guarantees that someof your work will be left undone. His new idea is based onoperating a “closed-ended” “to-do-list” that advocatesgetting your work done everyday, and if it is not achievedit helps you diagnose the offset and the necessarycorrective change. Recently, Forster developed the“Autofocus Time Management System” which furthersystematises working a “to-do-list” as a list of closedsub lists and emphasises intuitive choices.

15

In reality, the “to-do-list” whether open-ended or closedis just a first level or a one-dimensional manifestationof stating and prioritising the tasks to be carried outfor a simple project. As tasks become more complex likehaving two or more simultaneous but different jobs orprojects a “to-do-list” develops into an “Action Program”.At the outset an “action program” is a compilation of allsorts of tasks including personal issues. This is thenpruned down to real and tangible entities that areactionable and relevant. The inventory is now organised,prioritised and formatted into a three-tier arrangement,that is, “next action list”, “delegated actions list” andthe “Project Catalogue”. With these arrangementsmultitasks are simply and effectively managed

16

simultaneously on a three-tier basis as if they weresingle tasks that actionable “to-do-lists” are of effect.TIME SCHEDULINGOnce your goal has been set and “to do list” created, itis now apposite to define a “schedule” that will allow youto start and complete all the important tasks within agiven period of time, including leaving room forunintended interruptions. Whilst setting goals, prioritising and to-do-list areaspirations, “time scheduling” is the point where thoseaspirations meet reality as it is the process by which youdevelop a systematic time frame that would enhance thebest use of your time. Both your “to-do-list” and “timeschedule” work together, constantly monitoring each otherfrom start to completion of any project. It is difficult

17

to have one without the other and time scheduling is bestdone on a regular basis for example, at the beginning ofevery week for any project. To achieve this, a schedulingsystem or device is of the essence and the choice amongstthe various types is dependent on your circumstance, thatis, task, taste, budget, or style. Essentially the devicesare: Diary, Calendar, Paper-based Organiser, PersonalDigital Assistant (PDA) or a Software Package likeMicrosoft (MS) Outlook. “Mind tools Ltd” counsels that with the following steps,an effective scheduling that maximises effectiveness andreduces stress can be guaranteed.

Identify available time. Block in the most important tasks for survival that is,job related issues

18

Schedule high-priority urgent tasks Slot in appropriate contingency time to handle possibleinterruptions

The remaining time can be used for other priorities andpersonal issues

ACTIVITY LOGJust as your “time schedule” monitors the “to-do-list” andvice-versa, an activity log is a record of what you haveactually spent your time on each day. It shows you whenand where you performed at your best and also indicateshow much time you have wasted on trivial. An analysis of your daily activity log would summarise theebb and flow of your performance over time, indicatingyour energy and stress levels at their various times. Such

19

a statistical data could be used to improve youreffectiveness at work by ensuring that your most importantand urgent tasks are done when you are most alert, thatis, when your energy level is highest. Consequently, sometime saving is achieved since such jobs would be donefaster thus eliminating work overload and stress. It alsoprovides more room for treating other priority issues andcontingency or unexpected interruptions. PROCRASTINATIONOften referred to as the “thief of time”, Procrastinationrefers to the counterproductive deferment of actions ortasks to a later time. It invariably results in stress,sense of guilt and crisis, loss of personal productivityas well as social disapproval for not meetingresponsibilities or commitments. Unfortunately, these

20

feelings combined may promote further procrastination.Bernard Meltzer, a US radio host, very well captures theessence of procrastination in the quote: “Hard work isoften the easy work you did not do at the proper time”.According to Prof. Clarry Lay, a psychologist and expertin procrastination, procrastination occurs when there is atemporal gap between intended behaviour and enactedbehaviour, that is, it manifests when there is asignificant time period between when people intend to do ajob and when they actually do it.To have a good chance of conquering procrastination, “MindTools Ltd” posits that you need to first ascertain thatyou procrastinate, identify why and then apply appropriatesteps to overcome the menace. Such steps include self-motivation for jobs promptly completed - should the

21

“unsavoury” nature of some particular jobs be thealbatross or encumbrance for procrastinating; get re-organised by having time-bound goals, prioritising andadhering strictly to “to-do-lists” - if “disorderliness”is the cause of your procrastination. Also timely re-examination of your action plans is the antidote to thetype of procrastination that the “overwhelming” nature ofsome particular tasks causes.

CONCLUSIONAs conceptualised by human beings, “Time” is a one-dimensional quantity used to sequence events, to quantifythe duration of events and the intervals between them butits effective “Management” i.e. “Time Management” orindeed “Self Management”, determines how to declutter your

22

life by recording, monitoring and improving your use oftime. It helps you to cut down stress and anxiety, achieveyour goals, improve your performance at work and free moretime for personal needs and even have enough built-inflexibility for contingencies, that is, surprises oremergencies and also accommodate new opportunities andchallenges. Thus, you could therefore play the beautifulgolf game, lawn tennis or participate in any sport forthat matter.Time Management refers to a range of skills, tools andtechniques used to “manage” time when accomplishingspecific tasks, projects and goals. This set of toolsencompasses a wide scope of activities, and these includeplanning, allocating, setting goals, prioritising,

23

delegating, analysis of time spent, monitoring, organisingand scheduling.Consequently, the application of effective time managementskills and tools would avail you the opportunity to do theright thing at the right time and in the right way,thereby achieving those goals, dreams and ambitions aswell as keeping stress and anxiety to a minimum acrossboard. KUNLE BELLO TELECOMS CONSULTANTkbimn@me.com+234 703 459 6007(SMS ONLY)September 07, 2013

24

25