Understanding What Went Wrong – Time Management

To help you become more mindful about how your time management affects important deadlines and appointments, ask yourself these questions:

1. Briefly describe a recent situation when you had a problem with time management.
2. What happened the morning before the incident? How did your day begin?
3. The night before, how much sleep did you get? How did this affect your day?
4. What unexpected problems did you run into?
5. How much time did you give yourself to make this deadline/appointment?
6. How much time did you actually end up needing?
7. Looking back, what specifically could you have done differently to avoid a negative outcome?
8. To avoid this problem in the future, what other changes could you make?

Answering these questions honestly can help you analyze your approach to important tasks.  When you become aware of time in a realistic way, you can build into your plans enough room for unexpected interruptions, errors, and distractions.  This will help you become more punctual with deadlines and appointments and avoid the disappointment that comes with not meeting your expectations for yourself.