Despite the fact that we live in an age where we have many time saving devices at our disposal, many of us complain about our lack of time. It’s silly really, because we all know that a single day is made up of 24 hours, one week 168 hrs and however much we hope for more time, the amount we have in real terms is always going to remain the same. Despite this many of us are extremely poor at managing our time and cause ourselves unnecessary stress because we don’t take steps to tackle the problem. Making even small changes can make a tremendous difference to your life. So if you need time management help – read on.

Be honest: It’s important that you’re honest with yourself about whether you really one to improve your time management or you just want to moan about it but not make any changes. As a coach I've worked with clients who say they want to make a difference but aren't prepared to do anything differently. Whether you do or you don’t is up to you – but don’t waste time if you’re not committed to making some changes.

Keep a log: It’s important that you really understand how you’re spending your time. You may think you know, but by keeping a log for a couple of days or an entire week you will quickly identify where you’re trying to do too much or where you’re wasting time. This is not a strategy to help you suddenly do more multitasking and cram even more into your life!

List your priorities: It’s really important that you compare what you’re doing with the priorities that you have in life. It’s quite common for people to spend a lot of their time on things that are not congruent with their priorities, values or beliefs. See if there are things you need to delegate to other people, or things that you need to stop doing altogether.

Focus on single tasks: Are you one of those people who loves to multitask? Multitasking is not necessarily the most efficient way to get things done as you’re can’t give things your full attention. Try managing your time more smartly and concentrating on single tasks which you’ll probably complete in less time and more efficiently.

Learn to say no: Saying no can be one of the hardest things to say when you have competing priorities and other people want your time. However it’s really important that you learn to say no – when appropriate so that you don’t put unnecessary stress on yourself.

Implement a time management strategy: Some people find following a system to get tasks completed helpful and others think they're a complete waste of time. My advice is if you need extra help, find something that works for you. There are a number of time management experts including Mark Forster who have invented different systems which can be adapted to your own context.

Summary If you’re always worrying about how to manage your time, there’s one thing that’s very clear – the only person who can make changes is you. You need to commit to identifying changes and implementing them. Accept that you may have to cut some things out of your life or delegate them to other people. However, the most important point about managing your time better is that whatever you choose to do is congruent with your priorities, beliefs and values. The best time management help you can get is from yourself.