Self-management skills “the ability to make wise choises to achieve a fruitful and joyous life”

Self-management skills

“the ability to make wise choises to achieve a fruitful and joyous life”


What do we mean by self-management?:

• It combines the two words management and self.

• Management deals with motivation, planning, goal-setting, calculating resources, controlling, regulation etc. according to a task.

• Self has a double meaning: the self as autonomous actor or manager (not somebody else outside) and as the target of the management.



• Theoretical roots can be found in the self-management-therapy (Kanfer) focusing on patients autonomy by supporting their potential of self-regulation in the context of a chronic disease.

• Cognitive psychology (e.g. Bandura) and especially action theory (Heckhausen, Gollwitzer) build up the theoretical and empirical ground for the important aspects of self-management (e.g. volition, meta-cognition, cognitive learning strategies etc.).



Currently there’s no homogenous definition of self-management and self-management skills. Some foci can be worked out:

• strategic technique for efficient and successfulplanning and self-regulation

• gaining autonomy (link to empowerment)• integrated self-actualization (link to identity)

We propose the following working definition:

Self-management skills are skills on which we decide ourselves to facilitate the awareness, realization and maintaining of our goals, that are important for our self.


Self-management, personal and social skills

Self-management skills use the other skills (personal, social) as resources and combines them in a strategic way in the action process for the own needs and goals.

Self-regulation, self-control, time-management etc. can be seen as integrative components of self-management

Self-control vs. self-regulation


Self-management skills and Lifelong Learning

In the special context of learning the current scientific strategies for learning overlap with the general self-management skills focusing on learning goals and technical aspects.

For Lifelong Learning, the additional aspects of autonomous self-regulated learning in combination with self-actualization in the sense of our working definition has a great importance.

The awareness of the own skills for realizing a learning project and for reaching a learning goal are leading to the perceived self-efficacy, which is essential for the motivation and volition to start an own Lifelong Learning project.


Important steps of self management

Self-management skills are crucial for successfully planning and implementing activities. Each activity – wittingly or unwittingly – is based on a sequence of cognitive and active steps

keeping motivational balance

realisation step by step

effective planing of workprocess

calculating ressources & barriers

setting goals


With regard to learning processes, the following steps can be distinguished:

• The individual must decide on an own specific learning goal. • The predominant goal may for example be earning one’s living, attaining

a higher standard of living or a higher level of education. • What is now needed is to define interim goals en route to the higher-level

goal, which in turn requires additional cognitive and active processes to be performed.

E.g. defining goals with SMART (Doran, 1981)

Specific to target group:

Important to identify and set their own goal which is realistic and coherent to their identity.

setting goals


SMART (Doran, 1981)

Letter Major Term

S Specific

M Measurable

A Attainable

R Relevant

T Timely

E Evaluate

R Reevaluate

A specific goal will usually answer the five "W" questions

A measurable goal will usually answer questions such as:How much? How many? How will I know when it is accomplished?

How: How can the goal be accomplished?

Does this seem worthwhile? Is this the right time?Does this match our other efforts/needs? Are you the right person?

When? What can I do 6 weeks from now?What can I do today?


Calculating resources and barriers: • The individual has to weigh up resources such as time, money, social

support and resolve practical problems such as childcare during a training course, reaching the event venue, and suchlike.

• Weighing up resources and barriers can also influence the motivation and which goals are chosen (e.g. list of pro’s and contra’s).

Specific to target group:It is important to analyse the resources and barriers, to focus on

supporting resources and to be realistic about barriers. Solution can be found in group discussions to overcome barriers.


setting goals


Effective planning of the project:

The individual develops a sort of work plan as well as a realistic timetablehaving regard to the resources available and the existing barriers.

A lot of planning tools and checklist are available (e.g. the 5 “W” questions)They have to be adapted to the situation of the target group, to be not to technical or complex.



setting goals


A specific goal will usually answer the five "W" questions:

What: What do I want to accomplish?

Why: Specific reasons, purpose or benefits of accomplishing the goal.

Who: Who is involved?

Where: Identify a location.

Which: Identify requirements and constraints.


Step-by-step implementation: • The planned steps of the activity now have to be successfully implemented

in the correct sequence. Resources have to be mobilised, obstacles overcome and timetables and deadlines adhered to.

• In the process, further obstacles and questions may surface which were not previously discernible or had not been taken into consideration. The individual must respond flexibly to these new circumstances when selecting techniques and using resources so as to achieve his interim goals.

Unforeseen problems are the most critical situations for the target group. They have to prepare for such situations. At this point, a group situation is important to support a person with ideas and help in the context of a seminar.





Maintaining motivation:

• Putting the steps the activity entails into practice may take some time and require unforeseen obstacles to be surmounted. To achieve this, the individual requires patience and stamina as well as constant motivation.

This part refers to the personal emotion regulation skills and self-control. In the context of self-management skills it is important to be prepared for the situation of low motivation, unforeseen barriers and disappointments. Solutions to cope with loosing motivation in the process can be discussed in forefront.

keeping motivational balance




Remarks on self-management-skills training

According to the cognitive paradigm, self-management focus very much on analytic and self-reflecting aspects. People, who are more impulsive or not used to deliberating on everything should be introduced to it in a playful way, step by step and in a group situation. Self-reflection can be learned best in group discussions.

Thinking about pros and contras as well as about supportive resources and critical barriers can be learned in a first step, if this later “internal” discussion is externalized in a training with persons playing the role of the pros and contras.

Training tasks for goal setting and planning to reach the goal should be important to and achievable for the participants.


How to incorporate the reflective part of self-management skill in learning processes

Some examples:

Journaling: keeping a journal can aid planning, goal-setting, and keeping track of accomplishments

Discussions: talking about accomplishments, difficulties and achievements can be a way to develop self-management-skills

Role-play: the opportunity to practice new skills in a safe environment can provide confidence to use new skills in a public setting

Personal reflection: thinking about accomplishments is a valuable tool for self-assessment, also for goal planning. There should be enough time set aside for reflection of achievements

Peer assessment: it might be easier to accept constructive criticism from people who we accept as peers rather than an authority.

Self-assessment: it is important to acknowledge our own achievements and difficultiesDebates: formalized discussions provide opportunities to offer and take

constructive criticism


Combining social, personal and self-management skills,we are able to achieve our goals!

Self-management skills “the ability to make wise choises to achieve a fruitful and joyous life”

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