Managing my time has always been a challenge for me. Am I missing something?

What makes time so valuable? 

Time, as a limited resource, offers us so many opportunities, and each one of us has the same amount of it per day. The way we spend it, though, makes a difference in our quality of life. 

• Do we use our time to do purposeful work?
• Do we spend it on achieving our career goals? 
• Do we give it in the service of our loved ones? 
• Do we put it in activities that bring us happiness? 
• Do we invest it in work that will bring us long-term benefits?
• Do we use it to give our body and mind space to recover? 

There are so many more uses of our time that it is in our best interest to live our life intentionally through effective time management. 

The need for time management

Unfortunately, we often only make efforts to learn to manage our time after experiencing problems from lack of time management. It is one of life’s tough lessons. 

Effective time management enables us to:

• Accomplish what is important to us. Our priorities become clear and we can dedicate time on each important task. 

• Make every year, month, week, hour, and minute count ( They become more meaningful to us.)

• Gain wisdom or insight on how to live with more purpose. We develop discipline into our character as time management becomes part of our daily life.

• Enjoy the process or moments in life because we are not rushed into doing the next activity. It reduces stress from cramming too many things at once that usually happens when we try to meet many deadlines at once. 

Common time management beliefs and tips to improve time management

Our perception of time affects the value we put into it. In effect, the healthier our view of time is, the more we become intentional in spending our time. 

• “I work better when I cram.” 

It is true that pressure to meet deadlines is a powerful motivation. It makes us work harder and faster. However, it comes with a lot of stress too! If we succeed in meeting a goal through cramming, we may feel intensely relieved, but making cramming a habit exposes our body to the harmful effects of high stress levels. 

TIP: Instead of trying to beat the clock, create your own timeline and make that a motivation to work well. One popular time management style is the Pomodoro technique where you allot 25 minutes per task, and take a 5-minute break in between tasks. Many have found it helpful in maintaining their attention span and motivation. 

• “My time is out of my control.”

While urgent  and unexpected things do really pop up, many hours are also spent on things that are unimportant and trivial because we don’t have a clear picture of how we want to spend them. 

TIP: Know yourself and monitor how you normally spend your day hour by hour. This gives you a clear idea of your current time management style. Do your activities align with what you want to achieve in the future? If they don’t, ask yourself how you can maximize your time. 

• “I have to manage my time perfectly.” 

It is common for people to want to do many things and do them well in a short period of time. When these things do not go as planned, we think we failed in managing our time. 

TIP: Time is limited, but there is still time tomorrow. Set realistic goals and action plans for each day, and schedule the rest on other days of the week. Making your goals achievable within the limits of your time and wellbeing, you maintain your energy to work on your goals the next day. Create a to-do list for your daily, weekly, monthly and yearly goals. 

How we manage our time in every season of life reflects our priorities, so if time management is a struggle for you, the best place to start learning it is by becoming aware of your own life goals and applying time management styles that currently fit your lifestyle.  Be disciplined with your time, and you walk wisely. 

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