I used to get offended.
Seriously.
I’d call my cousin in the UK—no answer.
I’d message my business partner—blue ticks, but no reply.
I’d try to check in with a friend in Australia—WhatsApp silent for hours.
For a while, I thought:
“Ah, these people have changed.”
“Diaspora is making them big-headed.”
“Can’t even pick a call from home?”
But then something happened.
I got curious.
I started asking questions.
Turns out my cousin only accepts calls after 6 PM, and my partner—who is a consultant in the UK—is completely unreachable during work hours. Not because they’re ignoring me, but because they’re working. Phones off. Heads down. Focused.
It made me think…
What Are We Doing at Work?
Last year, I conducted 104 seminars across Zimbabwe and Zambia.
In almost every session, I asked one simple question:
“How much time do you spend on your personal phone or social media during working hours?”
Here are just a few of the answers I got:
“I spend four hours.”
“I’m on it for three hours.”
“Sometimes six hours, boss.”
The average? Four hours per person.
Yes, you read that right.
On average, employees are spending half a working day scrolling, texting, posting, or watching skits.
Now imagine this:
- That’s 20 hours a week.
- 80 hours a month.
- Nearly 1,000 hours a year.
That’s 1,000 hours where the job isn’t getting done.
And we wonder why deadlines are missed, sales are down, and clients are frustrated?
Are We Sabotaging Ourselves?
We often blame the economy, the government, the system.
But maybe, just maybe, we’re accomplices too.
We want to grow our businesses.
We want raises.
We want performance bonuses.
But how can we expect progress if half our productive time is lost to TikTok and memes?
Let me be clear: I’m not against phones.
I’m not against social media.
In fact, I use both for business—a lot.
But there’s a time and a place.
What We Did About It at M&J
After realizing how destructive this “phone pandemic” had become, we made a bold decision at M&J Africa:
No personal phones during working hours.
If you’re working—you’re working.
Emergencies? Use the office line.
Family matters? Handle them on breaks or after hours.
Bored? Great—go sell something.
It wasn’t easy at first, but guess what?
Our productivity skyrocketed—by 200%.
We closed more deals.
We served clients faster.
Our meetings became shorter and sharper.
Even lunch breaks started feeling like actual breaks, not phone-scrolling marathons.
Work Phone vs Personal Phone
Personally, I now operate using two phones:
- Work Phone – Always on. Always available. Clients, staff, emergencies—this is the line.
- Personal Phone – OFF during work hours. Simple.
It’s a discipline.
A choice.
A game-changer.
Final Thought
I still love my cousin.
I still call my business partner.
But now I totally understand why I often get the response late.
They’re working.
And I’ve learned to do the same.
Let’s not let entertainment steal our income.
Let’s not let distraction delay our destiny.
Let’s not become the very people who complain about the system—while being the reason it’s broken.
So, the next time your boss says, “No phones,”
Don’t get offended—get productive.
