When it comes to time management skills, your first reaction might be to think about how you can really focus for a period of time to get a certain task done and to replicate that philosophy. This might well be the essence of time management, but essentially you are missing the entire point. In truth, time management should go hand-in-hand with goal setting. If you have not set your goals, be they small or large, you should not try and apply your time management techniques. You will be far more successful, effective and productive if you pursue goals and consequently make the right decisions as you are doing this.

Bear in mind that your personal goals must be achievable, tangible and credible. Don’t gloss over this, as goal setting should not be taken lightly. Without any cause whatsoever, your life will seem ineffectual, haphazard and you will have no vitality or spark. Some unfortunate people who have no purpose in life or real goals often suffer from depressive illnesses. Whatever they do, it seems that they cannot be successful or make a difference of any kind.

As if it’s part of a tradition, the closest that we come to goal setting and thinking about time management is at the end of the calendar year. When this time rolls around, we realise that we may be “one step closer to the grave,” as some miserable observer once pointed out and this kind of motivation focuses our attention for a while. We know how easy it is to break those New Year’s resolutions, but remember that goal setting is not a once per year activity, but must be an ongoing philosophy.

Before you set any goals, understand that you need to be realistic first. By setting goals that are not fair and that are destined to fail you will scarcely improve your position. Many who fall at this stage can end up turning their back on time management and goal setting as a consequence. By being realistic you can set a process of betterment in place and actually achieve it.

This is a good acronym – specific, measurable, attainable, rewarding and timely, otherwise known as “SMART.” For your goals to be workable and achievable and really mean something to you, all of these guidelines must be followed.

Write down your specific goals and be detailed. Have a good look at these goals and the reasoning behind them, all the time asking yourself if you are being realistic as you set them. You must be able to measure your path toward that goal in one way or another. Do you have specific criteria to help you determine whether you are advancing? Again, you must be able to measure otherwise your whole program disintegrates. As we know, it’s very important to be realistic and to have those attainable goals. Don’t misconstrue this as saying that you have to have lower goals, as you will always have a challenge to inspire you. Know how you will be rewarded when you reach your goal. Again, it’s important to have a clear visualisation of this and promise yourself a prize. If you like, print out a photograph of the “reward” and stick it up on the fridge door.

With effective goals in mind, you must be focused and must be willing to engage in productive work. Thankfully, time management software can help you to do just this. Due to advances in technology, online time management has become the product of choice for really productive people, those who are not used to leaving anything to chance. By using time tracking software you can see whether you’re allocating the correct amount of time – that you promised yourself, as you set out to achieve your primary goal.