Meaning & use
self-manage
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Meanings
verbtransitive or intransitive
To control or organize your own work, time, or behavior without needing someone else to direct you.
Grammar: Can take an object (self-manage a project) or be used without one (employees who self-manage).
Patterns
- self-manage a team
- learn to self-manage
- self-manage your time
In this company, employees self-manage their schedules.
She learned to self-manage her workload after the training.
The team was expected to self-manage without a supervisor.
verbtransitivemedical
To manage a disease or condition oneself, often with guidance from a doctor.
Grammar: Often used with medical conditions: self-manage diabetes, self-manage pain.
Patterns
- self-manage a condition
- self-manage diabetes
Patients are taught to self-manage their diabetes through diet and exercise.
With proper support, many people can self-manage their chronic pain.
Word forms
| third person singular | self-manages |
|---|---|
| past tense | self-managed |
| past participle | self-managed |
| -ing form | self-managing |
Common combinations
- learn to self-manage
- New employees must learn to self-manage their tasks.
- self-manage a team
- She was promoted to self-manage a small team.
- self-manage your time
- It's important to self-manage your time when working remotely.
- self-manage a condition
- The program helps patients self-manage their condition at home.
Synonyms and how they differ
- self-regulate
- More formal; often used in psychology for controlling emotions or behavior.
- take initiative
- Focuses on acting without being told, not on managing oneself.
Opposites
Word family
- self-management noun
- The ability to manage oneself.
- self-managed adjective
- Describing a team or person that manages themselves.
Commonly confused: self-manage or manage?
self-manage vs manage
Without 'self-', it means to control or organize something else, not yourself.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'self-manage' correctly?
Choose one answer.
The correct answer is B because 'self-manage' means to manage yourself, and 'her time' is a common object. An is wrong because 'self-manage' does not take other people as objects; you manage others, not self-manage them. C is wrong because a manager manages a project, but 'self-manage' would mean the manager manages himself. D is wrong because 'self-manage' is not used with 'to' in that way.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “self-manage”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.