Lesson #6 Time Management

Outcomes

• Apply time management skills to progress in your stewardship with the time you have been given.
• Learn and apply the summary study skill.

Doctrinal Introduction

“...it is not the number of hours you put in, but what you put in the hours that counts.” President Thomas S. Monson, Three Gates Only You Can Open, New Era, Aug 2008.

Below are some quotes from President Monson on how to manage ourselves when time is vital.

"There are some basic principles and fundamental concepts of time utilization that are very helpful in learning to manage our time better. The first is the concept that we don’t really manage time but rather we manage ourselves in the amount of time we have. So we are really addressing the subject of self-management. We must learn to operate most effectively in the uniform allotment of time each of us has received.

In using a planner, there is a simple little formula that helps in day-to-day planning. This formula is as follows:

(1) list what needs to be done on a daily to-do list;

(2) prioritize the list by identifying the most important items and marking them with a lettering or numbering system;

(3) write down the tasks to be accomplished on a daily calendar, beginning with the highest priorities;

(4) live by your calendar, revising your plan as needed. Many interruptions will arise, and you must be able to reset priorities as various interruptions change your plans. This is where the real skill of personal planning applies. We can plan our day very skillfully; but if we are not able to revise as various needs change or as new demands affect our day’s plan, then the effectiveness of our personal planning will be limited."

We all struggle with managing our time, and sometimes we attend to those things that are more fun, and leave the "frogs" for later. I have learned that I need to take care of the most unpleasant, or largest task first, and then move on to the others that are more enjoyable each day. Right now, I am faced with giving my dogs a bath. I do not like that task, but it needs to be done. Once that it over, I can move on to more enjoyable tasks for the day.

We Are Stewards Of Our Time

The time we have been given here on earth is only a very small part of our existence. We must understand our time here in the eternal context of the Plan of Salvation. The way we use our time will only change when the way we feel about our time changes. As children of God we are stewards of our time and we will be held accountable for how we use it. The way we use our time will determine what we become in this life and in eternity. We can choose to spend our time or invest our time. By keeping the commandments and our covenants we invest our time in the promises God has given us. This investment will bring eternal rewards.

“Time is, for all of us, a gift from God […] it is given to us as a part of our mortal stewardship ” (Neal A. Maxwell, “ Some Thoughts on Management Tasks and Time,” The Smallest Part, 1973, 44).

As you read the following scriptures, consider why we have been given time on this earth.

• John 9:4-5
• 2 Nephi 2:21
• Alma 34:32-34
• Abraham 3:25

· President Spencer W. Kimball, twelfth President of the Church: “Jesus…taught us how important it is to use our time wisely. This does not mean there can never be any leisure, for there must be time for contemplation and for renewal, but there must be no waste of time…Wise time management is really the wise management of ourselves” (The Teachings of Spencer W. Kimball, ed. Edward L. Kimball [1982], 482).

· “As we turn to our Heavenly Father and seek His wisdom regarding the things that matter most, we learn over and over again the importance of four key relationships: with our God, with our families, with our fellowman, and with ourselves. As we evaluate our own lives with a willing mind, we will see where we have drifted from the more excellent way. The eyes of our understanding will be opened, and we will recognize what needs to be done to purify our heart and refocus our life” (Of Things That Matter Most, October 2010 General Conference, President Dieter F. Uchtdorf).

· “Isn’t it true that we often get so busy? And, sad to say, we even wear our busyness as a badge of honor, as though being busy, by itself, was an accomplishment or a sign of a superior life. Is it? I think of our Lord and Exemplar, Jesus Christ, and His short life among the people of Galilee and Jerusalem. I have tried to imagine Him bustling between meetings or multitasking to get a list of urgent things accomplished. I can’t see it. Instead I see the compassionate and caring Son of God purposefully living each day. When He interacted with those around Him, they felt important and loved. He knew the infinite value of the people He met. He blessed them, ministered to them. He lifted them up, healed them. He gave them the precious gift of His time” (Of Regrets and Resolutions, October 2012 General Conference, President Dieter F. Uchtdorf).

Excerpts from “Keeping Life’s Demands in Balance”

Дата добавления: 2015-11-14