The term “self-management” incites different reactions from different people. To some, self-management is a necessary tool for conducting successful business. To others, it’s a hard or even impossible skill to learn (we’ll give you a hint: it’s not). In the workplace, the definition of self-management refers to the ability to carry out projects or a workflow without relying on a supervisor. 

We’ll go over some of the traits associated with self-management skills, as well as practical tools you can use to help develop this skill that leads to higher productivity and better quality work. 

Why Are Self-Management Skills Important to an Organization?

Self-management is arguably one of the most important skills to have in the workplace. It involves the ability to take control of your work, manage your time efficiently, and communicate more effectively. 

Learning how to grow your self-management skills will help you become your most productive self at work, and it will ultimately make a huge impact on your career development. Here’s an overview of some of the reasons why demonstrating self-management skills makes you a more important asset to an organization. 

Reliability

When you can show your supervisor that you can efficiently operate on your own without their oversight, you position yourself as a more reliable employee who can effectively manage complex tasks.

Multitasking

While we don’t condone multitasking to the brink of burnout, self-managers know how to juggle different tasks without feeling overwhelmed. A good self-management practice is balancing multiple tasks at once by organizing tasks in order of priority and importance. 

Time Management

It’s no secret that good self-management skills go hand-in-hand with time management. Being able to regulate and manage your time enables you to complete tasks efficiently and prevents wasted time from procrastination or distraction. 

Advancement 

When the time comes around for a raise or job promotion, you can use the proof of your self-management skills to make a case for yourself. Knowing how to manage your own workload is one of the first indicators you’d be a good candidate for managing someone else’s. 

Different Kinds of Self-Management Skills and How to Grow Them

So, now that you know its importance as well as some self-management examples, you’re probably wondering how to start reaping those benefits. The truth is, we all have the capacity to develop self-management skills, no matter how intimidating or impossible the task may seem. People who practice effective self-management skills are not only a valuable asset to their work team, but they benefit in their personal lives as well. Here are a few tips for building strong self-management skills. 

Organization

Developing organizational skills is one of the best capabilities you can give yourself because it’s influential in both your personal and work life. With strong organizational skills, you can get tasks done in an orderly fashion without delays or distractions and keep up with important deadlines and reminders. 

Try this: Try using a planner or a planner app on your phone to keep track of all of the things you need to get done day-by-day, week-by-week, and month-by-month. To-do lists work great for daily tasks as well and help you organize your tasks so you don’t get overwhelmed. 

Self Regulation

Take initiative, and keep yourself accountable. Consider your personal capacity each time you accept tasks, and make sure you can handle your workload before saying yes. It’s okay to sometimes say no to a task or meeting because you know in advance it will be too much for your capacity that week.

Try this: Make an audit of your strengths and weaknesses, as well as your energy capacity for each week. We’re all human, and no one is perfect. Sometimes certain tasks take more time or energy than others to complete. Identify which ones those are, and make sure your schedule is adjusted accordingly so you have a mix of tasks that challenge your weaknesses and play to your strengths. 

Dependability

The more you prove you can handle tasks in an efficient manner, the more trust you establish with your boss or manager. This could eventually lead to more high-level tasks or even a promotion.

Try this: Set goals for yourself. Having attainable short-term and long-term goals to work towards will keep you motivated, continuously challenging yourself to grow. Say you’re hoping for a promotion or a raise. Use that goal to drive you to maintain your dependability as a worker.

Stress Management

Self-management skills can also lead to a high emotional intelligence, which prevents you from letting your feelings affect your work or work life. High emotional intelligence is key to managing stress.

Try this: Remember that to-do list? Try organizing that list in order of importance. Prioritizing tasks and focusing on only one task at a time can help reduce the negative side effects of multitasking, like distractions and burnout. 

Adaptability

A person with strong self-management skills is able to address issues with confidence and clarity. Your ability to solve problems and make decisions independently puts you ahead in a crisis or difficult situation. 

Try this: Prioritize your wellbeing. You cannot be level-headed and adaptable if your body is out of whack. Take steps to eat right, sleep well, and take necessary breaks. When your emotional, mental, and physical states are all taken care of, you can walk in the door each morning ready to tackle any bumps in the road. 

If these skills seem difficult to achieve, try taking small steps at a time. Pick one of these self-management skills and make a conscious effort to work on developing that skill this week. Create small goals to achieve along your journey towards self-management that will help get you closer to being your most productive and efficient self. 

Self-management is one of the most important skills you can build as an employee, and it’s not hard to do so with the right tools. Joychiever’s Joy Journal contains plenty of additional resources for managing work life, reducing stress, and evading burnout.