Self-management skills

Self-management is the ability to identify your needs and goals, to choose the right way to achieve them and assess results, and motivate yourself to do that. An important prerequisite for self-management is self-regulation, i.e. the ability to manage one’s emotions and behaviour in different situations, and to take responsibility for one’s choices. A person practising self-management is aware of how their actions are influenced by internal and external factors, including pressure. They are also able to prioritise different tasks and plan time.

Self-managers are resilient and adaptable, able to motivate themselves and focus their attention in the right direction. They can cope with change as well as setbacks, and can take feedback and criticism into account. Taking care of your mental and physical health is also part of self-management.

Self-management is closely linked to lifelong learning and is an important basis for developing learning skills. A self-managing learner is able to set learning objectives and monitor their learning process.

A moment of reflection: Consider the extent to which you engage in continuous self-development, contemplate what you do and take feedback into account. How aware are you of the influences on your feelings and behaviour, and how well are you able to maintain inner balance? Can you plan your activities effectively and decide on the order in which you carry out tasks? How easy or difficult is it for you to take responsibility for your actions and decisions? Do you know what motivates you? What does your learning process look like?

Inspiration to take action