Effective Time Management

Getting the most out of every day is requires you to effectively manage your time. Learning how to manage your time successfully is the key to accomplishing what you must and want. Time management is one of the hardest things to do but one of the most important because:

• When time is gone—it’s gone
• You can’t retrieve it
• You can’t store it up for later use

Let’s learn how to manage time instead of allowing time to manage us. Therefore, it is important that you:

• Be aware of how you use time
• Know how you waste time
• Know what gets in the way
• Learn how to manage/control use of time

Time management is most effective when you have a balanced life-style. It is important to pay attention to the following areas in your life:

•Physical Intellectual Social

•Career Emotional Spiritual

If these areas are satisfied, most likely, your overall functioning will improve. Although there may be times when you may find it difficult to have balance in all of these areas; however, knowing that you can control several aspects of your life is the first step in the process of managing your time.

"People who have no time, don’t think! The more you think, the more time you have." Henry Ford

Recommended Reading:

Manage Your Time, Manage Your Work, Manage Yourself. New York: Merrill and Ronna, & Douglas, 1980.

For additional information, contact the University Counseling Service at 335-7294 and schedule an appointment with a counselor and learn how to be a good manager of time.

This handout was created by Vivian Barnette, Ph.D.