There’s an old saying – time is money.  Whether we like it or not, time is a valuable, finite commodity. There are only so many hours in a day, none of which can be reclaimed. Once the time is gone, it’s gone. You have a limited amount of time in your life, it is therefore essential that you manage that time well to make the most of it. The more you value time, the better you will use it. Poorly managed time leads to unnecessary stress and worry (think of how many times in a week you fret over not having enough time in the day to do everything you need to do).

When we understand the gravity of time, learn how to organise it, make the most out of it and actually utilise those skills daily, we can really say our time is being well spent.

“A man who dares to waste one hour of time has not discovered the value of life.” ― Charles Darwin

There are so many ways to manage your time more efficiently, but as with most things, if you don’t understand why you are doing it, you are unlikely to stick to it for very long.

So why is it so important to manage your time?

1. Time is finite: No matter what you do there will only be 24 hours in a day.  You can try sleep less and work harder, but is it far easier to work smarter by managing your time.
2. You can accomplish more from less: By taking control of your time you improve your ability to focus (you’re not worrying about what comes next and what you’ve forgotten), thereby accomplishing more in shorter periods with less effort. Your efficiency is improved because you plan out your day, smoothly transitioning from one task to another without wasted time deciding what to do next. You learn how to work smarter, not harder or longer.
3. You can reduce your stress: If you don’t plan your time, you will often find yourself feeling rushed and overwhelmed, worried about meeting deadlines, and scrambling to do forgotten tasks. It is almost impossible to give an accurate estimate of the amount of time needed to complete a task when you don’t plan your time – you would need to give it serious thought as you are always squeezing things in at the least minute. If you were to plan your time constructively, you would learn to assess how long things take, thereby meet your deadlines easily, reducing your stress and worry, leaving you feeling calmer and in control of your life and less likely to rush and make mistakes. Not only is less stress better for your health, you also have a clear idea of the demands on your time.
4. You can make decisions more logically: A useful side benefit of managing your time is that you are better able to make informative decisions. If you are rushed or under pressure you are more likely to make a poor decision because you do not have the time to properly consider the situation. Through dedicated time management, you can remove the pressure of feeling rushed. You’ll start to feel more calm and in control and make decisions based on fact, which you are less likely to regret in the future.
5. You improve your self discipline: Beating procrastination and sticking to a time management plan takes self discipline. The longer you stick to it the more self disciplined you will become. This is a skill that can positively impact many areas of your life. 
6. You increase your free time: Whether you are into trail running or making pottery, or you just want to sit quietly and reflect on your day, having more free time to do what you love is never a bad thing. In fact it’s essential to your health and happiness. 
7. You get a confidence boost: When you are managing your time you free up the time in your schedule to properly look after yourself. You will feel more put together and in control and feel more motivated as you’re meeting deadlines and exceeding expectations.
8. Your energy levels improve: Being stressed and under pressure is exceptionally tiring and restricts your ability to take on more. When you are managing your time and efficiently working, you save all that time and energy and can utilise it better – improving your skills set or learning a new hobby in your personal time.

By Debbie Taylor