Time Management: Regain Control Of Your Schedule

American entrepreneur Jim Rohn once said, "Either run the day or the day runs you." If you consistently feel like you are being run by your day, it may be worth it to examine your time management skills. Before you do that, though, it might help to take a step back and consider what your personal definition of time management looks like. 

In general, time management can be defined as "the ability to use one's time effectively or productively, especially at work,” but it can also mean much more. 

How do you define time management?

Time management is talked about a lot nowadays. Even though we all have the same 24 hours that people had hundreds of years ago, many of us seem to struggle more with getting things done that we need to. As technology has made it easier to complete more each day, the ability to disconnect from feeling busy or constantly checking off tasks on a to-do list has become a luxury for many. 

Many believe that there is a trick to time management. They believe that there are some people that seem to have a secret to being able to get more done in a shorter period of time. However, in many cases, time management all boils down to the way you plan to use your time each day; it’s something that some people may seem to have a natural knack for, but the truth is, it's something that everyone can learn to do.

What does poor time management look like?

Many of us know what poor time management looks like and feels like. Maybe it means constantly running late for your day or showing up just in the nick of time for a meeting. It might also impact your ability to find the time to run to the grocery store, practice hobbies, and keep up with relationships. 

When you have poor time management skills, you may feel an impact in every area of your life. Feeling constantly stressed, behind, or overwhelmed may indicate that you’re having a hard time balancing your time. The consequences of this can be quite tangible, especially over time. Research even suggests that too little or too much leisure time can affect life satisfaction. 

What does time management include?

There’s a lot more to managing time than just drafting an agenda for the day; factors that can play into time management, including things like goal setting, planning, prioritizing, decision-making, delegating, and scheduling. There’s a good chance that you will need to focus on multiple areas to boost your time management skills.

Goal-Setting

Goal-setting is often an important part of time management because it gives you an endgame to focus your planning around. Without goals, it can be difficult to find the purpose that underlies the need for time management. If you’d like to spend more time doing things you enjoy, for example, setting a goal to make time for an hour or two each day to explore personal passions may help you identify where there’s room for change in your routine. 

Likewise, goal-setting may help narrow your focus to the things that are most pressing. Instead of trying to completely overhaul the way you manage your life, you can focus on individual pieces you’d like to see improvement in. Over time, and with consistent setting and changing of goals, it will likely become easier to tackle bigger and bigger changes.

Planning and prioritizing

These two concepts go hand-in-hand when you are working to define time management. First, you may need to learn to prioritize. This means you are establishing what areas are the most important and need your attention first. Once you know what your priorities are, then you'll likely feel better able to start creating your plan. 

Planning allows you to see how the tasks that you need to complete will fit into your day. It can also help you identify when you’re beginning to overbook yourself.

This can be very difficult to get used to if you are not used to planning your day. It may be helpful to start small: planning your morning, evening, or even what you’ll do during your lunch break and staying consistent in this effort can be enough to instill the habit.

Scheduling

Scheduling can help you ensure that you’ve allotted enough time for each task you need to accomplish in a day so that you don’t find yourself in a situation where you must compromise on other priorities. 

Find a way to schedule meetings, appointments, and other responsibilities that work for you, whether it be a calendar, planner, or even a note on your phone. How in-depth you make your schedule is up to you, but taking some time on a regular basis to plan out where and when you’ll get things done can take a huge mental burden off your shoulders. 

Decision-making

Decision-making can be a very important skill to have when it comes to time management. If you struggle with making decisions, you may end up dedicating a lot of your time to mulling over or stressing about things. 

It’s often easier said than done to make decisions quickly and effectively, but like any skill, practice can be key. Plus, when coupled with things like planning and goal-setting, making decisions often becomes much easier. 

Delegating

There is likely only so much that you can accomplish in a day on your own. However, when you delegate tasks to others, you can often tackle a lot more. It may be important to consider what tasks you need to do personally and what tasks can be handed off to someone else. Make sure you choose someone that is great for the job and then trust them with the task. 

Receiving professional support

Time management skills may be an important part of adult life, but that doesn’t mean that they’re necessarily easy to develop or put into practice. Many people who have a hard time with skills like these experience additional obstacles that can make staying on top of their goals more difficult. When that’s the case, seeking out professional guidance, like that of a mental health professional, can be highly beneficial. Time management may affect not only your productivity but also your quality of life. Fortunately, there are many mental health resources available to help, including platforms that allow you to talk to a therapist online.

Online therapy may be an especially helpful solution if time management isn’t your strong suit. Because you can quickly and easily join a session from a location that works for you, fitting therapy into your schedule may be far less stressful and overwhelming.

In addition to being convenient, online therapy can also be an effective, affordable treatment option. A review of over a dozen studies found that online cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) was more cost-effective for most clients than traditional in-person therapy. Saving time, money, and stress may all enable you to confront your time management goals more head-on, all with the support and advice of a professional at your side.