By Josephine DAKE-ABRAHAMS-Head, Public Relations Unit-VRCC
The rhythm of public service life is uniquely demanding. Unlike the private sector, where profit often drives pace, the civil service dances to the drumbeat of duty. This rhythm is both a challenge and a calling; a daily balancing act of managing limited resources against soaring public expectations.
It’s often said that civil service is a thankless job. But it’s more accurate to say it is an invisible one. Much of what is done, such as implementing government plans and policies, coordinating regional development, supporting Municipal and District Assemblies (MDAs), ensuring compliance with government directives, happens quietly behind the scenes. Yet the stakes remain high. The work must go on, even when the clock is unforgiving and the budget, tight.
The Scarcity Reality
In the civil service, scarcity is not a hindrance; rather, it is a test of creativity. Teams frequently face situations where the ideal resource or tool is unavailable. Whether it’s logistical constraints, personnel limitations, or budgetary restrictions, you must learn to innovate with what is available. Time and again, you will discover that the most powerful resource is not money or materials; rather, it’s mindset.
This mindset embraces adaptability. For instance, when official vehicles are unavailable, you should be able to coordinate multiple assignments in a single trip. When funding delays, threaten to stall a program, you must scale down but never cancel. One may ask: “What can we do with what we have?” It’s this question that propels us forward.
Time – The Ultimate Resource
Time is often our scarcest resource. In the civil service, there are days when 24 hours aren’t enough. You may be in the field implementing a strategy, program, or project, or on a monitoring visit, only to be summoned to an emergency meeting elsewhere. Add to that are the deadlines for reports and correspondence with stakeholders. The calendar is not your friend unless you learn to master it.
Time management begins with prioritisation. Break tasks into “must-do,” “should-do,” and “can-wait” categories. Early mornings are gold. That quiet hour before the buzz of meetings and phone calls begins is when the most meaningful work is done. Schedule thinking time, a luxury, but a necessity. Civil service is strategic work, and strategies don’t write themselves in between hurried tasks.
People Are the Greatest Resource
Another revelation is that human capital, when nurtured, surpasses any physical resource. Collaboration, trust, and communication among colleagues make or break efficiency. When we align our efforts and share knowledge freely, we create a ripple effect of productivity.
A five-minute briefing from a colleague can save an entire day of trial and error.
We need to appreciate how invaluable it is to maintain relationships across departments and institutions. A well-placed phone call or a tactful reminder can open doors that budget lines cannot.
Building a Culture of Intentionality
In the face of constraints, intentionality becomes a survival skill. Every decision we make must be deliberate, and every meeting, purposeful. We have to ask ourselves: What is the goal of this activity? What outcomes do we expect? What can we cut without compromising impact?
This culture of intentionality must slowly transform how we operate. We should move from “routine for routine’s sake” to value-based action. It will not be easy, and it may be far from perfect, but the shift will happen, and it will be encouraging.
A Quiet Pride
There’s a quiet pride in doing more with less, in keeping the machinery of government running, even when the oil is low, in serving communities that may never know your name but will feel the ripple of your efforts. That’s the soul of civil service, and we carry that mantle with resilience.
Managing time and resources in a demanding, under-resourced civil service job is no small feat. But it is not impossible. It requires planning, flexibility, teamwork, and above all, purpose. When you’re driven by a clear purpose to serve, to uplift, to deliver, scarcity becomes just another challenge to outwit.
And so, we keep moving not because it’s easy, but because it’s necessary.
