Developing Time Management Skills
How to get organized and find more time in a day.
Posted July 27, 2015 | Reviewed by Jessica Schrader
Do you ever feel like there are not enough hours in a day? You run and run around the clock, busy all day long, yet at the end of the day the list of things that you’ve accomplished leaves you feeling unfulfilled. Tired and frustrated, you write another to-do list for the next day and hope you can manage yourself better. And then—surprise—work, kids, bills, laundry, gym, and yet again you find yourself at the end of the day exhausted and with a dozen of unchecked boxes on your to-do list. If you see yourself in this picture, chances are you could benefit from some time management ideas.
When life gets busy, things tend to pile up especially fast. Time management is not about having all of those things done; it’s about having enough time for what matters most to you. Time management is really “personal management” and it is a skill necessary for achieving a better quality of life. By managing your time in a more efficient way, not only you will get the right things done, but you’ll also have enough time to relax, de- stress , and breathe more freely.
Most people think they can manage time effectively by just tagging a few extra hours on—sometimes forfeiting sleep in order to do so. This might sound like a good idea to increase your productivity , but it’s not. People need on average seven to eight hours of sleep to let their body and mind restore themselves. Yes, it has been said before; yet even though everyone knows this, 73% of Americans don’t get enough sleep, according to the National Geographic Channel’s survey. 54% name stress as the main reason for not getting enough night rest, while 37% blame wasted time on social media . If you feel that you have wasted your time, it’s most likely because you haven’t managed it right. A separate survey found that 63% of professionals who identified themselves as lacking time management skills suffered from sleep apnea and blood pressure problems, among other health issues.
Effective time management can not only help you find more hours in a day and get an adequate night’s rest but also, by reducing your stress and anxiety levels, it can ensure that you get a more sound and untroubled sleep. Although successfully adopting this skill does require re-thinking your values and priorities, and making some major sustainable changes to your lifestyle, the resulting benefits are more than worth the effort. Some of the most notable benefits of managing your time better are:
To help streamline your life and get yourself into a better mental and emotional place, don’t put working on your time management skills on tomorrow’s to-do list; start today! Here are six key ideas for taking your time back, and your personal power as a result:
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Beverly D. Flaxington teaches at Suffolk University.
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This article is part of the Bringwise Psychology Journal — daily insights on human behavior, mental health, and personal growth.