Much confusion exists as to what time management actually is. The fact is, we all manage our time - it's how you do it and how productive you can be. There is, after all, such a thing as bad time management. The trick is to know if you suffer from it or not. Many people who leave work on time (or don't take their work home with them) or tend to meet most deadlines don't necessarily have good time management, because other areas may be suffering - from their social life to quality time spent with he family.

Here are a few of the typical indicators that you should do something to improve your time management - not just at work, but all the time you have in a day.

1. Stress levels

Effective time-managers are not as stressed as other people. They know how long they have to complete a task, and have correctly allocated enough time for it, including making room for interruptions or other small deviations. If your stress levels are high or at least getting higher, it might be time to analyse if bad time management is the root cause of it.

2. Too much, or too little workload

"Too much?" you cry, "no such thing!". There might be - perhaps you have the kind of job where it all seems to be peaks or troughs, you're either flat-out and manically busy, or twiddling your thumbs waiting for the next project to come up. Unless you have a job akin to a factory production line in consistency, you should hone your time management skills to make sure that your work levels balance out to a more manageable level.

3. The obvious: deadlines and overtime

If you miss deadlines often, or are always asking for extensions, either your productivity is down (do you need more training on what you're being asked to do?), your team are letting you down, or the obvious - you have time management skills that could use a little work. If you're always the last to leave the office, needing to do "one more thing" before the morning or over the weekend, it's a symptom of the same time management problem that needs addressing.

4. Delegating or being delegated to

If you're not being helped out but actually carried along by the generosity and willingness of your colleagues to take on some of your work, then this is a bad sign.

You should be able to do 100% of your own workload as it fits your job description, without relying on others. Sure, if you're working as part of a team, sometimes you're waiting on someone else's work or results, but you shouldn't be delegating your work unless absolutely necessary.

The same goes for having work piled onto you: learn to say no sometimes, and prioritise your own tasks first. It's no use having your own work suffer while the other team members all make their deadline at your expense.

5. Impact on other areas of your life

Always turning down invites for a social drink or lunch, saying "sorry, I've got too much on?". Sometimes someone's job takes over their whole life, and they struggle with other relationships, whether it's quality time with a partner (or even having the time to meet one, if you're single) right down to looking after yourself - eating properly, visiting family, going to the gym... all the things you should make time for, if you have the time. If you find you haven't, your well being will be suffering as much as your time management.

If you recognise one or more of these signs, thinking "yes, that's me!" then it's time to address the root cause - improve your time management, and your life management will improve as a result. Try it!