What is self management?

By Racheal Kiiza

There is a common assumption that people know themselves. This is a falsity although it is very important for people to know themselves and also learn how to manage themselves. Therefore self management helps people embark on a self discovery journey.

Self management in lay man’s language is the ability to be in charge of one’s life. The art of knowing who you are; you’re strengths and weaknesses, your emotional self and the goals you have set.

The aim of self management is for people to better understand themselves through the use of SWOT analysis and setting SMART goals. SWOT stands for Strength, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats. SMART is a mnemonic acronym, giving criteria to guide us in the setting of objectives. SMART in full: Specific, Measurable, Attainable/Achievable, Realistic and Time bound.

SWOT analysis enables people to assess and evaluate themselves genuinely and also capitalize on their strengths once identified; which helps them fight off inner criticism. Inner criticism is basically watering yourself down or belittling yourself.  As humans we crave affirmation and this erases the foundation for inner criticism.  People need to be nice to themselves, believe in themselves, their dreams and reward themselves.

African Traditional Society puts emphasis on togetherness and ignores the individuality aspect which in the self management segment falls under ‘ME TIME’. The essence of ‘ME TIME’   is to carry out a self analysis, self evaluation and awareness.  The  tables turn from people to an individual and some of the questions asked are : what goals have been  achieved,  what value have I added to myself, what weakness do I need to improve?, among others questions  with a personal touch .The Rotary clubs have a very interesting motto” service above self “ which  emphasizes social responsibility.  As much as ‘ME TIME’ is a priority, social responsibility must not be forsaken.

In life people go through challenges but resilience is the attitude to wear, for life possesses valleys, mountains, hills, rivers which all pose as threats. A resilient person possesses optimism which is having hope that something pleasant is going to happen.

Kyusa participants were given a series of exercises and tasks which helped them to gain a deeper understanding of the topic and how they can practically apply these principles to their personal lives. It was an eye opener and an enriching experience that challenged and inspired them to aim at being the best that they can be in every aspect of their lives.