At night before you sleep you often tell yourself that you'll do this, then you'll do that, then you'll buy this, and you'll buy that, then you'll finish this before that, and you'll go there to submit this. The next morning, your boss called you and said that you have some emergency work to do, then your girlfriend called you for something special (which you have no idea about) and then you checked your mail and one of the messages there said that you have to be present for a stock holders' meeting. Now, with all those injections in your schedule, how can you do this and do that, buy this and buy that, finish this before that, and go there to submit this?

Unexpected insertions always come, no matter how tight your schedule is. As the age-old wisdom says, expect the unexpected. How convenient would it be if the universe is just kind enough to follow your schedule and help you in managing your time? How nice would that be? But, enough of those wishful thinking, just be thankful that you are reading this so you can have a little time management training that can help you face the reality that life always makes changes in your schedule.

The first phase of your time management training is dedicated to the improvement of your schedule's resistance to change. Exercise an objective perception of the changes in your schedule. Try to see those unexpected insertions in your schedule, as they really are - just plain unexpected insertions. The world is not trying to mess with your time, it just needs your time, and you get to decide whether to respond to that need or not. So the next time you have an unexpected additional appointment, keep your head cool rather than feel the pressure that is not even there.

Once you can perfectly see those unexpected events as they really are, then, it is the time for you to think about your schedule's flexibility by knowing how to deal with those changes. When people tell you that they need some of your time, think about your own schedule first, and then tell them your response politely, of course. The mouth isn't just designed to say "Yes," so when people - whether your boss, colleague, or whoever they could be - try to negotiate, tell them that you're planning to do this and that and be reasonable enough to sacrifice your own schedule if the two of you aren't able to compromise with each other.

Some people just find it hard to reject those kinds of requests, so if you happen to be one of those people, just take a moment of silence, and sooner, you are going to be asked what your response is, and after that, you will just find yourself speaking truthfully.

Starting is the most difficult part in time management training. Some people are just natural procrastinators. Fortunately, human nature is not the only basis for behavior; nurturing could also shape an individual. So, if you find yourself having difficulty in starting what you have planned to do, train yourself not to even bother about arguing with yourself as to why you should start something or how you should do it; just start what you have planned to do and the rest just follows through.