I paid attention to all these people, I peered at
their faces and observed their body language and believe me, it wasn't an
encouraging observation. Nearly everyone looked very tired and unhappy. Though
it was the start of a brand new working week, everyone looked very tired and
overworked. No one appeared excited, motivated, inspired or happy to be on
their way to work. Nearly everyone looked very tired. Some were even asleep in
the cars and the ones awake were lost in thought and had this worried and
distressed expression on their faces.
Lagos, a beautiful contemporary city of style, class
and taste with great aquatic splendour, strong enough to inspire anyone; but
the residents didn't look inspired, motivated or happy to live in such a
wonderful city last Monday morning. Most people looked very tired, stressed and
uninspired.
Tired on a Monday morning? Why? Why are we tired
after a weekend? Hmmn.
This got me thinking and I figured many may perhaps
be tired because they are working very hard, most people are working non-stop,
most people are working round the clock, but the big question is where is the
result of this hard work, where is the evidence?
I think the reason many of us are working so hard
and have nothing impressive to show for it is because we are working hard but
working wrong.
We're using the right energy for the wrong purpose
hence, we lack impressive returns.
You see, beyond our individual lives that may not
reflect results reflecting the enormity of our hard work, our corporate
existence also in terms of structures, processes, institutions, public service,
business management and public administration are also not fantastic
nation-wide. Most companies, institutions, business and infrastructure
management is way behind compared to even some other African countries.
Banking, transportation, immigration, aviation, hospitality, environment,
security and even commerce - there's frustration everywhere. So how come people
are so hardworking yet nothing is working well? Hmm
Truth is, ladies and gentlemen, our hard work
appears to be a futile one and we are mostly working wrong.
Many days ago, I wanted to be sure which was more
tiring, physical work or mental work, so I researched and discovered that
mental work is more tiring than physical work. Mental exertion is more tiring
than physical exertion. And the reason is simple. It is possible to pause, and
rest or completely stop physical exertion and refrain from work when you choose
to. You can decide to stop the physical activity and rest, you can sit for a
while, lie down for a while and take positions that will offer your body the
needed rest. However, when your mind is working; when serious thinking is
on-going, the likelihood that your emotions would connect with your thought is
high because your mind, will and emotions are all located within your soul. So
your emotions mix with your thoughts, when this happens, even when you're
mentally tired, you lack the power or capacity to stop thinking because of the
emotions. No matter how hard you try to stop thinking about an issue, your mind
will still find its way back to it if that matter is very important. This is
the reason why mental work is more tiring than physical work, it's hard to stop
working mentally no matter how tired you are but it's easy to stop physical
work once you've had enough.
Now the reality is, mental work leads to virtual
productivity but it is physical work that brings about physical productivity.
Whatever your mind develops is invisible, unless and until it's physically
applied, created or implemented, it cannot benefit anyone.
In my opinion, many of us are mentally industrious
but lack physical productivity, that's why we're so tired yet there's no
physical evidence of our hard work.
The second important problem is what our mind is
busy working at. Many of us think so hard for a very long time everyday not on
productive matters or creativity tasks or problem solving but on fearful and
depressing situations.
Our minds are working so hard, processing matters of
fear, insecurity, anger, suspicion, regret, self-pity, offence, envy, strife
and uncertainty of the future.
Our minds are so busy with over thinking, over
analysis and over processing of troubles, problems and crisis we fear may occur
in the near future.
Many of us are tired, not because of physical work
but because our minds are loaded with unending worries, our minds are working
non-stop it's so hard to get our physical bodies to do anything useful, hence
we're tired and drained of energy even on a Monday morning yet, have nothing to
show for out fatigue, no productivity. Am I talking to someone this morning?
Analysis paralysis, over thinking, many of us dwell
for hours on these issues and the following thoughts, what will my boss do to
me today, he is so wicked and insensitive, what's my employer planning to do
with me, will he pay salaries this month, what is my client thinking, hope they
won't end the contract based on how the economy is, what's the plan of this my
desperate colleague, what can be his next mischievous move, I need to be a step
ahead of him or her, will I be promoted this year, this my oga may not
recommend me o, ha, I've not sent money to my parents for some time now, I
don't even have enough for myself, they must really be mad at me now, what sort
of child am I, it's not even mid-month yet and my salary is almost finished,
how will I survive till month end, no one will lend me money, I hear they're
planning retrenchment in our office, I pray my name don't make the list o, what
will I do, I'll just die, this my husband that has suddenly pass worded his
phone, what is he up to now, who is that person he's always chatting with and
smiling, is he cheating on me, I must find out, my wife is suddenly fond of her
boss and they're now spending more time together in the name of work, is
anything fishy going on, I must know, Oh, a new session is about to begin, how
will I pay school fees, the rent is about to expire, how will I pay rent, my
car has become very problematic it keeps disgracing me, when will I have the
money to replace it.
Over thinking, worry, worry, worry, we become so
tired and we really can't tell why.
Ask yourself this question and be sincere, how many
things do you really do physically in a day? How really physically productive
are you, are you working physically every hour back to back? So why are you
always very tired? Is it a case of mental exertion on matters that don't
produce nothing? Worry is extreme hard work, you just don't realise, that's why
most of the day you're sitting in one spot yet you're so tired.
Ladies and gentlemen, to convert your mental labour
to productivity, take your mind off what could be, take your mind off
situations and events that are negative and scary, and focus on daily to dos,
not daily to worry.
List the things you want to do every day and go
ahead and do them. Ask yourself, what am I doing today, List them and do them.
When you become physically involved in work, worry is mitigated. Throw yourself
into physical productivity by being deliberate with physical work and your
mental fatigue will cease to be an issue. In fact you will become happier.
Ladies and gentlemen, beyond hard work, become
productive.
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