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Self-management skills focus on how you understand and regulate your emotions, behaviours, and thoughts to achieve your goals and navigate challenges effectively. They involve taking ownership of your actions, managing your time and priorities, and maintaining focus on your objectives.

You can see a full list of the skills included in this category at the bottom of this page.

Think about which of these skills you are developing through your study and daily life using the list at the bottom of the page, and use the Skills Discovery Tool to evaluate your skills.

Easy ways to get started

These skills can be developed through everyday practices and mindful attention to your habits. You could try:

  • Setting small, achievable daily goals and tracking your progress - this builds goal-setting skills and self-motivation while creating positive momentum.
  • Practicing mindfulness or reflection for a few minutes each day - notice what emotions you're feeling, what triggered them, and how they affect your behaviour.
  • Using the "pause and breathe" technique when you feel stressed or overwhelmed - take three deep breaths before responding to help develop emotional regulation.

If you're struggling with self-management, remember that these are skills that can be developed with practice. Have a look at the CamGuide for time management. You could learn new techniques through Student Support workshops to develop skills such as managing your time, procrastination or perfectionism.

If you have a disability or neurodivergence that makes self-management difficult, speak to your ADRC advisor or mentor for additional resources and advice tailored to you.

Skills development opportunities

There are many structured ways to develop these skills. Here are some suggestions:

Check out the activities pages for more ideas on how to get involved and develop your skills in this area.

 

Skills in this category

Skill 

Definition 

Ability to reflect 

The ability to engage in introspection, evaluate personal strengths and weaknesses, and seek feedback from others. 

Ability to work remotely 

The ability to navigate hybrid or fully remote work setups (e.g., the use of email and virtual meetings and work without in-person guidance). 

Accountability 

The ability to take ownership of one's behaviours and responsibilities and being able to provide reasonable explanations for one's decisions and actions. 

Achievement orientation 

The ability to concentrate on achieving one's goals and developing or modifying plans to achieve them. 

Adaptability 

The ability to change one's attitudes or behaviours to accommodate new changes (e.g., new technologies, work patterns, new skills). 

Autonomy 

The ability to make your own decisions and to govern your actions and decisions. 

Career management 

The ability to create a long-term vision of future careers, seek opportunities for growth and skill development, reflect on one's progress, and ensure one's skills remain relevant and diverse. 

Compassion 

The ability to understand other people's hardships and express sympathy and the desire to help them. 

Coping with uncertainty 

The ability to navigate and perform adeptly in situations with significant levels of unpredictability or potentially unexpected changes. 

Courage and risk taking 

The ability to embrace uncertainty and potential setbacks in the hope of desired results or great achievements. 

Emotional intelligence 

The ability to have awareness over and to control one's emotions and their expression in order to handle interpersonal relationships thoughtfully and empathetically. 

Financial literacy 

The ability to understand and make use of basic principles of business and finance (e.g. budgeting, investing, etc).  

Goal monitoring, adjusting and evaluating 

The ability to regularly track progress towards a goal, evaluate the effectiveness of activities, and adjust future steps and strategies to ensure alignment with desired objectives. 

Grit and persistence 

The ability to pursue a long-term task, mission, or journey in spite of obstacles and discouragements. 

Independence 

The ability to rely only on oneself or one's own abilities, judgment (e.g.,to complete a task) 

Learning to learn 

The capacity to take personal responsibility for one's own learning; the ability to pursue and persist in learning, to organise one's own learning 

Motivation to learn 

The desire to learn the content of the training and development activities 

Positive thinking 

The ability to focus on thoughts of success, as a strategy for achievement 

Resilience, stress tolerance and flexibility 

The ability to quickly recover from setbacks or challenging situations and easily adjust to changing circumstances or requirements. 

Seeking relevant information 

The ability to identify missing and relevant information and the most effective resource or medium where to find it. 

Self control & regulation 

The ability to stay rational and in control of one's emotions, reactions, and behavioural patterns, even in emotionally charged situations. 

Self-awareness 

The ability to perceive and understand one's own character, desires, motives, and feelings. 

Self-confidence  

The ability to trust one's abilities, judgements, and personal qualities. 

Self-development 

The ability to pursue personal growth and improvement through learning, self-reflection, and intentional development efforts. 

Self-motivation 

The ability to do something enthusiastically without pressure or encouragement from others. 

Time management and prioritization 

The ability to manage one's time, organise tasks according to their urgency, and choose the most efficient method of executing them. 

Understanding biases 

The ability to recognise when pre-existing patterns affect one's thinking process or judgement, often in an unconscious or unfair way. 

Understanding own emotions and triggers 

The ability to understand when and how emotions affect personal decisions and the factors that trigger specific emotional responses. 

Understanding own strengths 

The ability to identify personal values, skills, experience, and knowledge to assess areas of excellence.