Why is time management important? Seven reasons you shouldn't ignore

Time is often considered a valuable resource because it can be finite. You may only have so much time in an average workday to complete certain tasks. Similarly, you may only have so many days or weeks to turn in projects and papers for school. This can mean that the ability to manage the time you have can be the difference between feeling overwhelmed and navigating your responsibilities effectively. Time management can be important for stress reduction, efficiency, self-discipline, and more. For professional help improving your time-management skills, consider in-person or online therapy.

Reason #1: Stress reduction

Stress is seldom fun to experience, and it can negatively impact your mood, ability to function, and so much more. In fact, the consequences of too much stress can be detrimental to your mind and body. Perhaps one of the best ways to limit unnecessary stress is through time management.

If you manage your time appropriately, you may not have to worry about the looming deadline for a project or paper because you are already working on it a little bit each day. Then, by the time the deadline rolls around, you may already have a complete, or mostly complete, paper or project that doesn’t seem nearly as daunting to finish.

Reason #2: Increased efficiency

When you manage your time better, you may find that you work a lot faster and that the work you produce is of higher quality. Consider the following example:

You have a project that is due on Friday. The “old you” would have dreaded the project all week, working on anything except for that project. The “new you,” however, has decided that no matter what, you are going to dedicate one hour each week to complete a piece of the project. This means that, within that hour, if you finish the piece of the project you were working on a little early, then you can devote the remainder of that hour to another part of the project and potentially get ahead of schedule.

In doing so, you’re able to finish your project on time. You know you are turning in quality work, and you have given yourself more time at the end of the week to do whatever you'd like.

Reason #3: Improved self-discipline

Sure, we may say we're going to work on that big project every day until the deadline, but do we follow through? Often, seeing things through can be the area where we falter when it comes to managing time. It’s not necessarily obvious that we’re sabotaging our plans, either. If a friend invites you to go out, for instance, you might agree under the assumption that you’ll just devote double the time to the project tomorrow. But then tomorrow comes around, and you forget that you need to grocery shop, or another assignment pops up and limits your ability to do more work than you originally planned.

It's not always the big things that steal our time away, either. For example, if you're bored while working on a project, have you ever stopped to check Facebook or Twitter and realized that half an hour flew past without you even realizing it? 

Time management and planning can help rein you in. You may begin to teach yourself self-discipline when you devote a certain amount of time each day to the project, prioritize tasks, and learn how to overcome obstacles. 

Reason #4: More free time

Time management can enable you to budget for time to yourself. You might choose to plan your free time around when the kids go to sleep, or when your spouse has a night out with friends, and you'll likely find yourself bright-eyed and ready to take on new challenges come Monday morning.

Reason #5: Enhanced energy

There are several ways in which good time management skills can contribute to increased energy levels. First, when you don't stay up until the early hours of the morning to finish a project, you can get more sleep. More sleep generally equals better health and higher energy levels. Too little quality sleep can, over time, raise your risk of developing chronic mental and physical health conditions.

Second, knowing that your projects are done on time or ahead of time can lessen any symptoms of anxiety you might experience regarding your responsibilities. As anxiety can negatively impact your ability to fall asleep and stay asleep, decreased anxiety can mean better sleep and enhanced energy levels.

Reason #6: Honed skills

To be able to manage time successfully, you likely need to be able to be patient, dedicated, and consistent. These may not be skills that come to you right away, so it might take some work if you're going to budget your time effectively. Like a muscle, the ability to manage time can get stronger and more effective over time.

It may take several weeks of consistent planning and time-management practice to see a difference in your daily habits. If you decide to spend an hour each day working on a project, for instance, you might find that it feels like second nature the longer you do it, so much so that you don’t have to think nearly as hard about how to fit consistent progress into your day. 

Reason #7: More gratitude

When we take time for granted, it can come back to bite us in some ways. For instance, when a loved one passes away, we may believe we spent too much time working and not enough time with that person. When you manage your time better, you can better learn to appreciate time as a whole. 

Just about everyone must do things they don't enjoy; it's often a part of life. Most of the things we don't enjoy can revolve around working or fulfilling responsibilities, but when we excel even at the things we don't enjoy, then those things can pave the way for us to spend more time doing the things we love with the people we care about. Being able to take a step back and see that, while some portion of your time may be spent without much fun, there’s often still plenty of time in your budget to do other things, can help you through busy periods of life.

Want to boost your time management skills?

Learning to manage time isn’t always easy, especially for those living with mental or physical health conditions that can make planning, organizing, and staying on top of tasks more difficult. Reaching out for professional help and guidance can be beneficial, as licensed therapists can often provide insight and support. 

Benefits of online therapy

Working with a therapist online may make it easier to get professional support at a time and location that works for you. Since you won’t have to go to and from in-person appointments, you can save time on transportation as well. 

While more research may be needed regarding the efficacy of online therapy for those looking to improve their time management skills, the evidence generally supports online therapy’s ability to make a real difference in the lives of those who seek it. One review analyzing the benefits of online cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) found it could successfully treat mental illnesses like depression. Even if you’re not living with a mental health disorder, the insight a professional can offer may help you make significant changes to your time-management skills.