Time 𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗮𝗴ement or Self-𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗮𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗴?

Management begins from within, not with the clock. Consider a fellow who spends the entire day glued to movies. The issue here is not time management; it is self-management.

Once you discover meaningful ways to grow and contribute to something greater than yourself, time begins to take on new value. However, time itself remains unchanged. What has changed is the person’s priorities.

The truth is, if we spent more energy focusing on ourselves rather than on how the clock works, we would get better results. We are humans, intelligent, capable of reflection and direction, but we have been conditioned to pay more attention to managing time than managing ourselves.

In the process, we often gain the whole world and lose the very values that give life its meaning. Why? Because we chase 𝙩𝙞𝙢𝙚, 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙨, and 𝙖𝙘𝙩𝙞𝙫𝙞𝙩𝙞𝙚𝙨 instead of 𝙜𝙧𝙤𝙬𝙩𝙝, 𝙧𝙚𝙨𝙪𝙡𝙩𝙨, and 𝙧𝙚𝙡𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙨𝙝𝙞𝙥𝙨.

Time management focuses on 𝙩𝙖𝙨𝙠𝙨, 𝙖𝙘𝙩𝙞𝙫𝙞𝙩𝙞𝙚𝙨, 𝙩𝙞𝙢𝙚, 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙨, and how much we can squeeze into each day. That is one reason why burnout is so common. People are mentally and emotionally exhausted, constantly pressured to do more, achieve more, and never fall behind. Guilt creeps in when they fail to keep up with the clock’s demands.

Self-management is different. 𝙄𝙩 𝙞𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙥𝙧𝙖𝙘𝙩𝙞𝙘𝙚 𝙤𝙛 𝙥𝙚𝙧𝙨𝙤𝙣𝙖𝙡 𝙡𝙚𝙖𝙙𝙚𝙧𝙨𝙝𝙞𝙥. It focuses on 𝙜𝙧𝙤𝙬𝙩𝙝, 𝙧𝙚𝙨𝙪𝙡𝙩𝙨, and 𝙧𝙚𝙡𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙨𝙝𝙞𝙥𝙨. When you begin managing yourself, you become clearer about what truly matters. You can say no to things that do not align with your relationships, results, or growth. Whether or not someone assigns you a task or monitors your progress, you know what truly matters. You know what you are working toward. 𝙔𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙨𝙘𝙝𝙚𝙙𝙪𝙡𝙚 𝙗𝙚𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙨 𝙖 𝙨𝙪𝙥𝙥𝙤𝙧𝙩 𝙨𝙮𝙨𝙩𝙚𝙢, 𝙣𝙤𝙩 𝙖 𝙗𝙪𝙧𝙙𝙚𝙣. It helps you stay organized, not confined, or overwhelmed.