With only 24 hours in a day, it can appear difficult to get everything done. An overwhelming list of “to do’s” raise our stress levels, often to an extent that surpasses healthy amounts, leading to illness, fatigue, and burnout. Often times we look back and realize just how much time we “wasted” while ending up in a state of dissatisfaction with our performance, of which time management plays a factor.

Considering our goals, committing to our values, and saying no to those that do not apply and we do not have time for cuts down our “to-do” list. Often we find ourselves saying we don’t have time for everything, yet we consistently say, “Yes, I can do that!” We must understand it is okay to say, “No, I do not have the time.”

Life is full of seemingly urgent, yet unimportant distractions. They can come in the form of cell phones, social media, just to name a few. Often these are not only non urgent, but also unimportant. And they “steal time” from the things that matter most, including time with our family or significant other, exercise, proper eating, and work or school. Far too often we trade off non-urgent, yet very important things for urgent and unimportant matters. We get by day-to-day with this strategy, but eventually it adds up and comes crashing down in the form of tarnished relationships, our health and wellness, and academic and professional success.

Time management is not just about making a schedule of what you have to do, it is about choosing what is important, sacrificing what is not important and performing tasks to the best of your ability. This will provide more time to do important activities, have the time to do them well, while maintaining personal, interpersonal, and professional wellness.