Self-Management as time management: exploring the temporal dimensions in school wellbeing discourses

This paper explores the role of temporal dimensions in shaping school-based wellbeing discourses, particularly emphasising self-management as a form of time regulation. It examines two prevalent discourses: achievement-driven temporal management and practices aimed at present-moment awareness. Through the notion of temporal regimes, we analyse how schools increasingly position students as “temporal entrepreneurs,” expecting them to actively control, manage, and optimise their use of time in response to intensified demands related to both achievement and wellbeing. The paper advocates for a more inclusive temporal perspective in wellbeing promotion, encouraging critical reflection on how implicit temporal norms influence educational experiences. Ultimately, we argue for educational practices that better accommodate diverse temporalities in place of inadvertently reinforcing existing temporal pressures, emphasising short-term strategies for coping rather than critically addressing or challenging institutional time structures.