There are many different schools of thought regarding time management.

Maybe you’ve heard of the 80-20 rule, which helps you realize that only a minority of your efforts (20 percent) result in a majority of consequences and conditions in your life (80 percent). Or it could be that you’ve been told organization is the key to getting the job done. You don’t need to prioritize as much as regulate and tidy up the tasks that you do. Or is delegation the active ingredient?

The ideas are out there, the question is whether they will work for you and for how long.

But is that truly the question?

Are we focusing too much on managing the time that we have instead of learning how to effectively master it? All of us are given a certain amount of time. (If anyone knows how to squeeze more than 24 hours out of a day, please call me.) The key is learning how to get hold of that time and use it, instead of allowing yourself to be used by it.

Does your schedule motivate you or do you have it well in hand? Are you constantly watching the clock with trepidation or will you know just what the day holds while maintaining enough flexibility to be genuine? Mastering time is about inner motivations and determination, but it’s also about taking the veil off of preconceived notions and understanding yourself. It’s about being realistic as well as driven.

And above all, mastering time is about having it work for you, instead of just being under your management.