Temporal Sovereignty in Chaos: The Nigerian Executive's Guide to Radical Time Management

Standard productivity advice assumes a vacuum—a world where trains run on time, power is constant, and the internet never falters. That world is not ours. To be productive in Nigeria is to battle Entropy: the natural tendency of our environment to descend into disorder.

The Theory of Temporal Friction:
In London, a 1-hour task takes 1 hour. In Lagos, a 1-hour task takes 1 hour + Friction. Friction is the traffic jam caused by a broken tanker; it is the generator refusing to start; it is the sudden "network downtime" at the bank.

The Strategy: You must factor a "Friction Coefficient" of 1.5x into every deadline. If you think it will take 2 hours, block out 3. If you finish early, you have gained a gift; if chaos strikes, you are prepared.

Traffic is not just a nuisance; it is a vampire of time. The average Lagosian spends 30 hours a week in traffic. That is a part-time job.

The "Mobile Command Center":
Stop treating your commute as "dead time." With a laptop privacy screen, a noise-canceling headset, and a reliable MiFi, the backseat of an Uber becomes your most focused office.

• The Audio Learning Protocol: If you are driving, you cannot work, but you can learn. Replace Afrobeats with Audiobooks. Listen to industry podcasts. Turn your car into a university on wheels.
• The 4 AM Start: Radical but effective. Leaving the mainland at 5 AM instead of 6 AM can save you 2 hours of commute time. Use that early arrival for Deep Work before the office buzz begins.

In the West, they work 9-to-5. Here, we work "When There Is Light."

The "Charge-and-Sprint" Method:
Your biological clock is secondary to the grid. When NEPA/PHCN restores power, drop everything trivial. Charge your devices. Run your heavy computations. Do the work that requires high-bandwidth internet.

The Generator Gap: Use the silence between power cuts for creative thinking. When the inverter is humming and the noise is low, draft your proposals. When the diesel generator is roaring, do your administrative tasks. Match your cognitive load to your environmental noise.

We live in a culture that treats time as a suggestion rather than a rule. Weddings start 3 hours late. Meetings begin when the "Oga" arrives.

The "Soft Landing" Buffer:
If a meeting is set for 10 AM, you know it will start at 10:30 AM. Do not arrive at 10:30 AM; arrive at 10 AM, but bring work. Use that 30 minutes of waiting time to clear your email inbox. You remain professional/punctual, but you do not lose productivity.

The Respect Metric:
Be the person who starts on time. It is a power move. When you respect your own time, others learn to respect it too.

Nigerians are hyper-social. We have a WhatsApp group for everything: The Old Boys Association, The Church Unit, The Estate Residents, The Wedding Committee.

The "Archive" Protocol:
Archive every group chat that does not directly contribute to your income or immediate family well-being. Check them once a day, not every 5 minutes.

The "Do Not Disturb" Fortress:
Protect your mornings. Phone on DND until 10 AM. No one has ever died because you didn't see a meme at 8:15 AM.