What Is the Connection between Time Management and Stress?

Time management and stress are related, because managing time helps to manage stress. People often experience stress because of a lack of time management skills and feelings of being overwhelmed by all they have to do. They can lessen their stress by using smart time management techniques to help them get their work and other responsibilities completed in a more timely fashion. The relationship between time management and stress is generally an inverse, or negative, one. In other words, the better one manages his or her time, the less stress he or she should have.

If a person has a great deal of responsibilities, whether at work, at home or both, then it would likely benefit that person to keep track of those responsibilities. A notebook or computer file full of daily to-do lists can help a person see what must get done each day. Tasks, projects, meetings and other required responsibilities can be listed and prioritized as urgent, important or optional, with their due dates listed, as well. Optional tasks that are not completed one day can be moved to the task list for the next day.

Calendars also are a helpful tool for keeping up with important dates, tasks and meetings, as well as other routine and non-routine obligations. People can use daily schedules in addition to weekly and monthly calendars to help them plan out their tasks and make optimum use of their time. They can use portable handheld calendars, electronic calendars on their cell phone or computer, or desk or wall calendars. Being able to look at their schedule a week or month at a time can help people realize when they should begin working on projects and when they should have them completed.

Large project chunking is another helpful time management strategy that can reduce stress. Besides being overwhelmed by all that they have to do, people are often overwhelmed when they have to begin a new project, especially a large one. Instead of thinking of large projects as one large task, it can be helpful to break it down into various steps that must be completed along the way and to put tentative due dates for each step. In this way, time management and stress are connected because people who break big projects into small pieces are less likely to feel stressed about the whole project and more likely to be successful at completing it.

Some people find that making the wisest use of their time and knowing what time of day they get the best work done can help them to be more productive. Other people succeed in getting more accomplished once they have made their work environment as conducive as possible to help them concentrate. Delegating tasks when possible and appropriate also can lessen workloads and stress.

The use of these strategies highlights the relationship between time management and stress. When a person uses time management strategies to his or her benefit, he or she can reduce the amount of stress felt. The more organized and efficient a person is, the better he or she will feel about the tasks ahead.