No matter how you look at it, time management is a wonderfully effective tool. The sole aim is to use the hours of the day wisely and efficiently. However, there are people who take the organisation of time to the extreme.

Although it sounds ironic, some people actually waste more time obsessing over finding effective ways to save time that they actually end up achieving very little throughout the day. A good example can be found by people who spend hours trying to find a quicker route to work in the morning. This is a task which is not really worth the effort and stress every single day.

Learning how to effectively use time to its advantage is important as there are so many ways it can be inadvertently used as a disadvantage. Time needs to be factored in to relax and unwind as well as using it as an effective tool. For example, if it is unnecessary to work whilst travelling by train or plane to a conference or meeting, keep the laptop lid down and enjoy the journey, this way you arrive less fatigued and more able to gain maximum benefit from the points raised. Whilst there are always a million and one things to do and never enough hours in the day to complete them in, there are times when a much needed rest can recharge the batteries and make way for effective time management strategies to surface.

We all complain about "not having enough time". This negative and frustrating statement can often give rise to feelings of disappointment and failure for not accomplishing tasks that were pre-arranged for the day. This is usually the point where some people pile on the pressure by waking up earlier than usual to complete tasks or stay behind late at the office when everyone else has left. In some cases, people take these extremities even further and cancel holidays or take a whole heap of work away with them so as their fun in the sun turns into a usual day at the office.

Everyone has experienced these emotional tugs and pulls at one time or another but for some; these feelings are a regular battle. For example, is it really the end of the world if you arrive at work a few minutes late due to an unforeseen traffic jam? If you find yourself constantly battling against the clock, time management could be turning into an obsession.

The way to deal with this is to accept that it is not always possible to complete the tasks you set out to fulfil, but to be grateful for the tasks that you were able to complete. In many cases, the projects that you assigned yourself were probably not urgent and could easily be put aside for another day. Often running on empty can cause sloppy results and make an easy task a drawn out process. If something could just as easily be carried over to the next day, take time out to rest. This way you can complete it in half the time that it would have taken you when you were tired and less productive.

Look at your 'to do' list objectively and imagine the worst case scenario if you do not complete a task. If you cannot see anything major happening and completing something that same evening or in the morning will make no relevant difference, cut yourself some slack.

A 'to do' list is compiled to help you plan your day, it is not set in stone and as long as you have completed tasks of high priority, nothing bad will happen if they are factored into the next day. No-one will ever know, so you do not need to feel as though you have let yourself or anyone else down. Rationalizing tasks will free you from their enslavement and allow you to enjoy yourself or simply rest. Make an important decision to stop worrying and obsessing over projects which you know are unimportant or you could find yourself blowing them up into something which will stop you from progressing.

If this article is starting to sound as though someone has jumped inside your head, try out this little experiment to see if you can make some positive changes to your outlook and routine.

-Name two activities which take up a lot of your personal time
-Name two activities which take up a lot of your work time.
-Think of two activities which surprise you by how much time you spend on them
-Name two activities which surprise you by how little time you spend on them
-Which two tasks do you feel you should spend more time on?
-Which two tasks do you feel you could spend less time on?

Now look back at your answers to ascertain if your time is distributed effectively. You should be able to see which areas of your day are being used to their advantage and which are being used to their disadvantage. This task could also be carried out by those who feel that they have good time management skills as it highlights areas which could cause potential problems and helps you to discover more effective techniques for having a balanced day.