What is Self-Management?

Self-management, also referred to as ‘self-control,’ is the ability to control

one’s emotions, thoughts and behavior effectively in different situations.
This also includes motivating oneself and setting goals.

Basics of Self-management

To do better at work and life you must be able to manage and improve
yourself in various skills including discipline and timeliness, goal setting,
problem solving, teamwork, professionalism, etc. Once you develop your
personality and abilities you will be able to succeed in personal as well as
professional life.

Some of the skills you must master to succeed in life

1. Self-awareness – Ask for honest feedback. Think about your daily

interactions and how you handled situations well or could have
handled them differently.

2. Responsibility – Taking responsibility for your tasks is very

important. Taking ownership is the step towards self-development.

3. Time Management – Priorities the things you have to do. Remove

waste and redundancy from work. Make a timetable and follow it
diligently.

4. Adaptability – Stay current with best practices and read up on new

information always. Prepare yourself for new changes, so that you
can transition seamlessly.

Session 1: Stress Management

Image by CBSE Employability Skill Class X

Textbook
What is Stress?

Stress can be defined as our emotional, mental, physical and social

reaction to any perceived demands or threats. These demands or threats
are called stressors. Stressors are the reason for stress.

For example,

1. You are too close to the exams but feel unprepared.

2. You are experiencing a loss of someone close in the family.

3. You are worried about what people would think of you if you don’t
dress well or cannot speak confidently.

4. You are stressed due to lack of sleep.

What is Stress Management?

Managing stress is about making a plan to be able to cope effectively with

daily pressures. The ultimate goal is to strike a balance between life, work,
relationships, relaxation and fun.

Always keep in mind the ABC of stress management

A: Adversity or the stressful event

B: Beliefs or the way you respond to the event
C: Consequences or actions and outcomes of the event

What are the different stress management Techniques

Here are a few simple stress management techniques.

1. Time Management: Proper time management is one of the most

effective stress-relieving techniques.

2. Exercise and Fresh Air: A healthy lifestyle is essential for

students. Stress is generally lower in people who maintain a healthy
routine. Doing yoga, meditation and deep breathing exercises help
in proper blood circulation and relaxes the body.

3. Healthy Diet: Having a healthy diet or balanced diet will also help
you reduce stress.

4. Positivity: Focussing on negative aspects of life will add more

stress. Instead, learn to look at the good things and stay positive.

5. Organising academic life; no delaying: By keeping class notes

organised, finishing in assignments on time, and keeping track of all
deadlines, stress can be reduced to a great extent.
 6. Adequate Sleep: We should get a good night’s sleep for at least 7
hours so that your brain and body gets recharged to function better
the next day.

7. Holidays with family and friends: Going to a relative’s place,

such as your grandparents’ house or a new place during your
summer vacations can help you break from the normal routine and
come back afresh.

Ability to Work Independently

If you can become a calm and relaxed person, you will have the
ability to work independently, which means.

 Becoming self-aware, self-monitoring and self-correcting.

 Knowing what you need to do.

 Taking the initiative rather than being told what to do.

 Recognising your mistakes and not blaming others.

 Having the ability and the will to learn continuously.

1.

Emotional Intelligence

Emotional intelligence is the ability to identify and manage one’s own

emotions, as well as the emotions of others. This usually includes three
key skills –

1. Emotional Awareness: The ability to identify and name one’s own

emotions.

2. Harnessing Emotions: The ability to harness and apply emotions

to tasks like thinking and problem solving.

3. Managing Emotions: The ability to regulate one’s own emotions

when necessary and help others to do the same.

Some steps to manage emotional intelligence are as given below

–

1. Understand your emotions: Observe your behavior and note the

things you need to work on. You can then work on the things you
need to improve.

2. Rationalise: Do not take decisions abruptly; be rational in your

thinking.

3. Practice: Do meditation and yoga to keep yourself calm.

Session 2: Self-awareness— Strength and Weakness Analysis

Techniques for Identifying your Strengths and Weaknesses

Finding Strengths (or abilities)

1. Think of anything that you are always successful at.

2. Think about what others like in you.

3. Take out time and think about what you do well.

Finding Weaknesses

1. Point out the areas where you struggle and the things you find
difficult to do.

2. Look at the feedback others usually give you.

3. Be open to feedback and accept your weaknesses without feeling

low about it. Take it as an area of improvement.

Difference between Interests and Abilities (Strengths)

When your interests do not match your abilities, you can either improve
your abilities or follow some other path. For example, you may like music,
but you may not be good at singing. In that case, do not try to become a
singer!

Session 3: Self-motivation

What is self-motivation?

Self-motivation is simply the force within you that drives you to do things.
Self-motivation is what pushes us to achieve our goals, feel happy and
improve our quality of life. In other words, it is our ability to do the things
that need to be done without someone or something influencing us.

Different types of self-motivation?

There are two type of motivation –

 1. Internal Motivation (Love): We do things because they make us
happy, healthy and feel good. For example, when you perform on
your annual day function and you learn something new, such as
dancing, singing, etc., you feel good.

2. External Motivation (Reward): We do things because they give

us respect, recognition and appreciation. For example, Suresh
participated in a 100m race and won a prize. This motivated him to
go for practice every morning.

What are the qualities of self-motivated people?

There are some typical behaviors seen in self-motivated people

which are as given below.

Building Self-motivation

1. Find out your strengths

2. Set and focus on your goals

3. Develop a plan to achieve your goals

4. Stay loyal to your goals

Session 4: Self-regulation— Goal Setting

What do you mean by goals and goals setting

 Goals: They are a set of dreams with a deadline to get them, for
example, saving pocket money to buy a favorite mobile phone by a
particular date.

 Goal setting: It is all about finding and listing your goals and then
planning on how to achieve them.

How to set SMART Goals

SMART stands for Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and

Time bound.

 Specific Goal
  Measurable

 Achievable

 Realistic

 Time bound

Session 5: Self-regulation— Time Management

Time Management and Its Importance

Time management is the ability to plan and control how you spend the
hours of your day well and do all that you want to do.

Time management is the thinking skill that helps you to

 Complete tasks on time.

 Make a daily timetable.

 Make a good guess at how long it will take you to do something.

 Submit homework and assignments on time.

 Not waste time during the day.

Four Steps for Effective Time Management

1. Organize: Arrange our daily tasks systematically.

2. Prioritize: Create a to-do list and rank tasks by importance.

3. Control: Manage activities and time effectively.

4. Track: Identify and record how time is spent.

Tips for Practicing the Four Steps for Effective Time Management

 Avoid delay or postponing any planned activity

 Organise your room and school desk

 Develop a ‘NO DISTURBANCE ZONE’, where you can sit and

complete important tasks

 Use waiting time productively

 Prepare a ‘To-do’ list

 Prioritise

 Replace useless activities with productive activities.