What is that fleeting thought that crosses your mind when you think or hear about Lagos? If there are a few thoughts, I am absolutely sure, traffic congestion is inclusive.
Commuting across the Lagos metropolis can cause a daymare, especially during peak hours you don’t just want to experience. But as a Lagosian, it is practically irrevocable. On average, Lagos occupants spend two to three hours in traffic daily commuting to and fro their respective destinations. This has unfortunately led to the reduction or loss of time expected to have yielded results and it is also why it has remained a major challenge in the city.
Lagos city is synonymous with traffic congestion locally known as ‘go-slow’. The yellow transport buses that are popularly known as ‘danfo’ that conveys thousands of residents across various routes are usually accused of causing gridlock as they are believed to have little or no regard for the state’s traffic management rules.
However, there is hardly any time, Lagos roads are not seen undergoing construction and in most cases, roads get blocked allowing commuters to divert or take alternative routes, some times drivers are found on their unusual lane which Lagosians call the one-way (driving on the one-lane spot is very risk).
There are several other causes for the terrible congestion faced by Lagosians as they can be seen briefly discussed below;
The megacity is known as “the land of the Nigerian dream” even though it is not the country’s capital. It is construed to be the commercial capital of the nation. Lagos to many, in Nigeria, is regarded as what New York is to the United State of America.
Most people come to Lagos with the sole aim of making ends meet as it is often believed that it is a no-man land, therefore it is big enough to accommodate and favour everyone living in it. That is why it will remain the city for strong minds, but then its population increases at a steady.
It is the biggest city that has the largest population notwithstanding it having less than 0.5 per cent of the total landmass of our country, in which over 10 per cent of the population dwells.
Moreso, the poor condition of some roads in Lagos worsens the traffic situation. Quite a number of roads have potholes, in another light, the drainage system is usually bad. During the rainy season, these roads are flooded as a result of the blocked drainage channels.
Furthermore, the increased number of vehicles without any equal development in the transport contrivances is also another reason for congestion. The motorable routes in Lagos can barely accommodate the population in the state which is why a journey of less than an hour can take up to 2 to 3 hours. An example is the Lekki-Epe express road having just a route with an uncountable number of cars plying the road.
Going further, Lagos drivers and their inability to obey laws also constitute the terrible gridlock situation. Before you consider driving in Lagos, it is very important to possess patience and calmness as a virtue. This is because you would see badly-behaved drivers whose conduct can almost leave you insane.
These drivers barely obey traffic rules. They wrongly pack their cars sometimes, not anywhere close to bus-stop as well as other forms of trading activities which interrupt the free movement of cars.
Spending several hours from your normal working hours in traffic can be exhausting as it can render you unproductive for the day, perhaps, why it is encouraged to try multi-tasking in traffic to help tick the box of deliverables and take off the thought of the amount of time spent in the bus not probably getting things done aright.
According to the National Safety Council(NSC), multitasking is a myth. The brain is capable of managing quite a lot of tasks at the same When the same centres of the brain are expected to perform two separate tasks simultaneously, the brain quickly switches back and forth between the tasks even though it does not have them performed at once.
Why should Multi-tasking be encouraged?
When multitasking is being talked about, it is usually performing two different cognitive tasks that make people think and at the same time act. It is an effective tool that helps manage time.
There are basically two ways we can multi-task ourselves, all that is needed is knowing which way is mentally friendly for you as an individual.
Concurrent multi-tasking is achieved when several different tasks are done at the same time.
Sequential multi-tasking is executing a chain of several tasks. This will make you interrupt one task over another and then bring you back to the previous task.
As people tend to be busier and find less time to complete tasks, multi-tasking oftentimes only helps get things done as at the time planned. There is basically no one who does not multi-task in one way or the other in his or her daily activities to accomplish a purpose in a shorter period of time.
How to Multi-task in Lagos traffic
A lot of things seem achievable when you choose multi-tasking over the thought of the amount of time lost probably sleeping in the traffic. Here are a few ways, to handle multi-tasking in traffic to balance time.
Responding to emails while listening to music
Official emails are very important to be treated and feed-backs shared immediately it is received, other than just waiting to resume work later than the stipulated working hour having you violating two laws at a time; late coming and ignoring an official mail for several minutes or hours. In that annoying gridlock, you can immediately treat urgent mails and share feed-backs, and still listen to your favourite song for a few moments you would be in the traffic, having you complain less about the slow movement.
Reading a book while commuting
Reading a book while on the bus, in the traffic, can help you meet your targets of books you want to read in the year. it could also help you stay updated on info, as well as catch up with your favourite author, in that unpleasant situation (traffic jam). All you have to do is to get your headphones, with soft music playing underneath, so as to block background noise, and grab that book.
Speaking to customers over the phone while entering data on your notepad
As an entrepreneur, your ability to maintain customer service skills should be apt. Customers do not want to have themselves repeated after the first conversation, especially the irate ones. It is very key to note every detail while on the call with a customer from the point of order to the point of delivery. While in traffic, you can still reach out to your customers even as you carefully listen and successfully note their requests.
Finally, a lot more can be done while in traffic, multi-tasking may not be considered if there is no prioritized purpose. But it is advisable to instil it in your daily ride, especially in terrible gridlocks experienced in Lagos to have you complain less. Waiting to arrive destination before executing several plans already mapped out for the day can lead to procrastination, having you finally pick a priority over another.
