It’s already March, the clocks are about to change and Easter will soon be upon us. The DIY’s still not getting done, work is as busy as ever and the summer holiday is still not booked! How about that evening course or exercise class you’ve been meaning to book for ages? Sound familiar? Where did the last three months go you may be asking?

Managing time can be a big challenge (it is certainly one of mine) and it is easy for time to slip by and suddenly you realise that you have not even started on your goals, let alone progressed them further. Below you will find some time management tips that may help you to make a space to do the things you want:

1. Prioritise towards your goals – The advantage of knowing what your goals are is that you can base your priorities around them. Each activity that you undertake will either take you closer to your goals, or away from them. It’s as simple as that. Try applying this rule for a day and see what happens.

2. Start taking steps, no matter how small, towards your goals – you don’t have to give up your day job or abandon your family, just start doing something in the pockets of time that you do have.

3. Keep your to-do list realistic – it’s better to concentrate on one or two things and to get them done rather than panic and try to get too many things done and not finish any of them. If you make a decision about how long you want to give to each task then there is a greater chance that you will get the task completed within that timeframe.

4. Managing interruptions to your day – You know how it is, you have your to-do list organised and the day beautifully mapped out then someone phones you up with a so-called emergency and your day ends up in shreds. Next time that happens take a moment to think before you react. Tell the person you’ll call them back in five minutes. Now ponder the problem – can you spare the time to sort it out? Does it have to be sorted out now? What about later after you have finished your current task? Tomorrow? Do you need to sort the problem out or can someone else do it? Then phone the person back with your plan.

5. Take control of your time – make a decision to take control of your time and be aware of how other people can easily waste it.

6. Stop, breathe, think – when you do have one of those nightmare days, where everything seems to slip out of control, remember that at any point you can – stop, breathe, think – and then reclaim the remainder of your day.

7. Concentrate on what you can do, not what you can’t – many of us wish we could go to the gym more often or read more or spend more time doing our hobby but the reality of modern life is that we often cannot devote the time we wish to activities we would rather be doing. However, I have found that when I focus on what I can do, rather than what I can’t, I feel better about it. For example, I can go to the gym on Thursdays and Sundays. I’d love to go one more time a week, say on a Monday, but it just doesn’t fit in my schedule so I make the most of Thursdays and Sundays. Likewise with my creative pursuits – I would like to spend more time practising the piano but if I can only spend ten minutes playing through a piece of music then that is better than not doing it. What can you do?