I think the first thing to do is to start recording the time on the clocks with every move.

Then after a game in which you got into time trouble, you can go back to try to work out what caused it in that particular case, then you know what you need to improve.

Gathering data is the first step towards solving a problem

One method i use is to first identify and keep in hand the safest continuation which cuts out (to greatest extent) the opponent's counterplay. Once i have identified the safe route, I will then look for something more ambitious if time permits. As it turns out, often the safest move I think of is the most flexible, and therefore "best" move in the position.

In the first place i also think one shouldn't be too obsessed about finding the "best" move objectively. If you can make the 2nd best move all the time excluding forced captures, you will probably already be playing at 2400 strength. Once you understand that perfection is impossible and being perfectionist is unrealistic, then you can start to find moves which give you the most practical chances.

Hi guys, I'd like to start a topic which I can't find any threads on so far. The topic is of time-trouble, and its causes and cures. To define time-trouble, lets say 1 minute (or less) for every move left.

Time trouble affects me all the time. I have lost many points because of it, and despite my best efforts, my games consistently follow the same pattern - I spend a long time in the opening and early middlegame, so that I have typically used over half my time by move 20. This leaves less time to make the time control, and the typical results that brings. I would say I am in time trouble (as defined above) 90% of the time, against strong and weak players alike. To put it in perspective, I would say that for every half point I win/draw (when I am in a worse position) due to my opponents time time trouble, I lose about 10 when winning/drawing (and my opponent escapes).

Basically, I am heaping a whole load of pressure on myself. I have tried to get out of this habit too. I have started a game specifically trying to stay equal/up on time from the first move, but pretty much the same thing happens every game, even when I consciously make an effort to stop it. 

I like to concentrate on the position and play strong moves (I am 2212 FIDE) and follow a plan. I don't believe in playing simple planless moves just for the sake of it. This is because to beat your opponent at some point it is necessary to think hard and delve into the depths of the position at some stage. I know my openings well and play them consistently, so I am getting familiar positions all the time, so that is not that cause, even if I do spend longer on the opening than necessary sometimes.

I am unsure at what point my time trouble is caused by genuinely thinking about the position in great detail, and where it is just caused by indecision. There seems to be a crossover point between the two, which I regularly overstep. 

Very few books have approached this subject, and those that do usually amount to that follow line of advice 'Dont get into time trouble in the first place' and leave it at that. If only it was that easy....

Of course, this will affect player to player, and requires a certain amount of self-evaluation. Or maybe time trouble is not something that can actually be cured, in which case do you just have to accept it as just part of the player you are?

I am not expecting to find a simple solution to my problems, as I'd imagine the answer lies in something that works for each individual. Its like choosing your openings, you need to get it sorted in your head first, rather than following some generic rule that works for everyone.

Having considered all of the above I would like to hear the opinion and experiences of other that have this problem now, and in particular from those that have suffered from it, but have found a way of ridding themselves of it. Any thoughts?