How Does Time Management Help in Managing Stress?

If your response to the need for time management is to start shopping online for a watch that has 25 hours instead of the standard 24, maybe it’s time to get serious about how you allocate minutes and hours to your daily tasks.

Here is an insight into how time management can help you cut down on stress, keeping it to a more manageable level.

1. Managing Time Helps You Avoid Feeling Overwhelmed

When you have way too many items on your to-do list and you can tell it will just make you frustrated trying to cope with every agenda item, it’s time to employ time management. Otherwise, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed. 

People who are overwhelmed find it difficult to envision solutions to their time-crunch problems. Stepping back and taking an objective look at all of the impositions on your hours and minutes is the first task in managing your time.

2. Time Management Definitely Helps You Feel More in Control

One reason individuals start to panic when their tasks become impossible to finish in the allotted amount of time is the sense of growing chaos. Feeling out of control does no one any good. So, using lists to break down your daily duties will really be a big help. So will evaluating your to-do items, and seeing which are truly necessary on a particular day or week to finish. 

You might need practice in refusing to accept invitations when you really don’t have any time to spare. Your friends and family will understand that you have to prioritize where you spend your time. They have the same issues to cope with as you do, after all.

3. Improving Efficiency Is a Direct Result of Proper Time Management

Maybe you are doing things haphazardly, without enough organization. Being able to view yourself clearly is important when it comes to figuring out how much time you have to do things. Aim for efficiency. This could come by you cutting items out of your list of responsibilities. 

In some cases, it might be worthwhile to hire someone to take care of certain tasks, such as grocery shopping with an app instead of going to the store yourself, or hiring a housekeeper when you are choosing between an hour of sanity for yourself or the prospect of cleaning the kitchen when you really need to lie down or meditate.

4. With Enough Time to Get Important Things Done, You Can Finally Get Sufficient Sleep

If the idea of getting a good night’s sleep has been evading you lately, you’ll be happy to hear that managing time will be instrumental in you getting to bed by a decent hour, going forward. 

And when you start to get the sleep you need daily (and enough rest during the day), you’ll feel much better and in control. A simple change, such as cutting out a talk show at night so you can get ready for bed earlier, will have a ripple effect where you have less anxiety about getting the correct amount of rest.

5. Reducing Stress Will Help You Stay Happier and Healthier

Cutting down on your levels of stress should be a top priority since it will help you get more out of home life as well as work life. Being a busy person doesn’t mean you need to feel stressed out all of the time. With careful planning and ensuring you get proper sleep every day, you’ll be well on your way to a less stressful lifestyle.

The tips from the infographic below are from a long-term supporter of GOW, Terry Currie. Terry wrote articles for GOW many times over the years and deliver GOW courses to her local community centre in the USA.