Time Management (part 2)

From the following lesson 

http://www.lds.org/ldsorg/v/index.jsp?hideNav=1&locale=0&sourceId=ba17a41f6cc20110VgnVCM100000176f620a____&vgnextoid=198bf4b13819d110VgnVCM1000003a94610aRCRD

 

Lesson 2: Managing Time Using Righteous Priorities

Ask your family to pretend they are in the following situation:
Someone calls, “Help, the neighbor’s house is on fire!” As you rush to help the neighbors, which of the following would you do first? Carry out the furniture, call for help, save members of the family, or get the car out of the garage? Why did you choose as you did?
Discuss with the family the fact that all of these things are important, but saving the family members is the most important, so it is the thing you should do first.
Explain that in this situation it is very easy to see that one thing is more important than other things and so must be done first. But every day we must decide which are the most important things for us to do that day, and often we have a hard time making the right decisions.
Ask family members to list, in as much detail as possible, the things they did during the last two days. Have them set these lists aside for a few minutes.
Explain that our first priority in this life is to do the things that will help us return to our Father in Heaven. We are commanded to seek first to establish the kingdom of God (see Matthew 6:33).

• • What are some things that you do each day that help you or other people to return to our Father in Heaven?
  

They may name such things as serving other people, spending time with family members, working hard at school or job, making home a clean and pleasant place to be.
Ask family members to look at the list of things they did during the last two days and decide what this list says about their priorities. Have they been doing the things that are most important or have they been spending much of their time doing things that do not really matter?
You may want to have family members make a list of the things they want to do to help themselves and others return to our Father in Heaven. They could then make a plan for how they will use their time during the next week, making sure that they plan to get the things they have listed done.
You may want to spend another evening evaluating the effectiveness of the family’s plans for using their time.

RESOURCES

Scriptures

Joshua 24:15 (Choose you this day.)
John 14:15, 21 (He that loveth me keepeth my commandments.)
2 Nephi 2:27 (We can choose.) 

I like this and appreciate that part of time management is prioritizing. There are so many good things to do in life, but we should focus on the best things. 

Time Management (Part 1)

I have currently been called to serve in the Young Women's program at church. I am very excited about this, as I have never been able to attend and be a part of this group. (Because I was 21 when I became a member.) In the program there is something called personal progress. Earning your personal progress is very similar to earning your Eagle in Scouts for the men. I am beginning to work on my personal progress and hope to complete it in the next year. So far I have learned that there are a lot of projects, of which you can choose and personalize, and also a lot of learning by studying the scriptures and words from the prophets.

So my first study/project is on time management. I have learned a lot in the last few day and wanted write some of it out, so here you go! :) (Or at lest link to what I have found that has been really great.)

A story from LDS Living mag. ( I took out the parts that I didn't use)

FHE: Time Management

Shauna Gibby - January 02, 2012

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"Do not squander time, for that is the stuff life is made of." - Benjamin Franklin
Conference Talk:For more information on this topic read “A Time to Prepare,” by Elder Ian S. Ardern,
Ensign, Nov 2011, 31.


(Elder Ian S. Ardern, “A Time to Prepare,” Enisgn, Nov 2011, 31.)

Scripture:
Cease to be idle; cease to be unclean; cease to find fault one with another; cease to sleep longer than is needful; retire to thy bed early, that ye may not be weary; arise early, that your bodies and your minds may be invigorated.
(Doctrine and Covenants 88:124)



Story:
Elder Elray L. Christiansen
I think of a man they told me about in one of the stakes I was in not long ago. You know how we go out and try to activate the inactive, bring them along, get them to attend church meetings while time lasts. A president of an elders quorum told this story of a man whom they had called on many times,
a good man who had good intentions. He welcomed them to his home, listened to them, and he would usually say, “Well, I will. I intend to. I will do it. I will come to church when I get straightened out.”

Then they would go back another time. The same story, “Well, when I get straightened out, I’ll come to church.”

Then the elders president said, “I was called on to speak at that man’s funeral. He was in church all right, and he was surely straightened out.”

But along the way he had lost a lot of the precious opportunities that time could have provided him in the way of preparation.

It seems to me that life is a series of chapters, and chapters have a way of ending. Your time at
the BYU will end. This school year will end. You will leave feeling that your time here has been used wisely, or you will leave with some misgivings about time being unprofitably used. Now we must have recreation and fun and diversion, but it also should be planned, scheduled—and not overdone.

(Leon R. Hartshorn, Outstanding Stories by General Authorities, vol. 3, [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Company, 1974].)

I really enjoyed from this story the point that life is a series of chapters. I liked to think of  parts of life as seasons, but really some season don't come back, like things/opportunists that pass with age. My children with only be children now, and never again.

Doc and Cov 88:124 is good too, I need to get to bed earlier...

Lesson 44: Using Time Wisely

Young Women Manual 1, (2002), 194–97 (Again I deleted what I didn't use, but here is the link to the full thing) https://www.lds.org/manual/young-women-manual-1/lesson-44-using-time-wisely?lang=eng

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Objective

Each young woman will understand the importance and benefits of using time wisely.

Suggested Lesson Development

Timed scripture search

Point out that the scriptures teach us to make wise use of time. Divide the young women into two groups. Appoint a scribe for each group; give her a pencil and the following Scripture Reference List, replacing the words in parentheses with blanks.

Scripture Reference List

1. 1. There is a (time) to every (purpose) (Ecclesiastes 3:1). (a time like a "chapter" mentioned above)
   
2. 2. A wise (man’s heart) discerneth (time and judgment) (Ecclesiastes 8:5).
   
3. 3. Thou shalt not (idle) away thy (time) (D&C 60:13). (We are always being sent to help and lift others. It reminds me of a quote from last conference about never delaying a prompting from the Lord.)
   
4. 4. They must be (judged) of their (works) … which were done by the (temporal body) in their days of (probation) (1 Nephi 15:32).
   

After the signal to start, each group should locate the references, and the scribe should fill in each blank with the proper word or words. Take no longer than three minutes. Ask the scribes to take turns reading the completed scripture statements.

Effective Use of Time Brings Spiritual and Temporal Blessings

Discussion

• •Why do we sometimes use our time ineffectively?

Discuss this question in detail, asking the young women to share examples from their own lives or the lives of others. Make sure the following points are brought out in the discussion.

Make sure the following points are brought out in the discussion.

Possible reasons for wasting time:

1. 1. Not planning properly
   
2. 2. Not seeing clearly what needs to be done and what is most important to do first
   
3. 3. Procrastinating
   
4. 4. Not organizing time or tasks
   
5. 5. Not using proper tools or equipment or the best method to accomplish the task
   
6. 6. Filling time with unimportant things
   

Explain that planning, assigning priorities, organizing, getting started, and using proper tools and methods can make life less frustrating and more productive. Wise use of time enables a person to enjoy greater spiritual and temporal blessings.

Case studies and discussion

Ask the young women to help resolve the following situations so that greater temporal and spiritual blessings result for the person in each case study.

Case Study 1

Ann, a Young Women class president and an active high school student, is taking music lessons and is the only daughter at home. Her life seems to be always in a crisis with homework, Church activity, practices, meetings, personal grooming, and home responsibilities. She never seems to find time to read the scriptures, she sometimes falls asleep during her prayers, and she is often late to meetings.

• •How could Ann enjoy an organized life rather than endure a chaotic one? (She should determine which things are most important and then organize her time to include prayer, daily scripture study, and other essential things.)

Case Study 2

Christine spends many hours after school tending her younger brothers and sisters. She would like to have more time to develop spiritually and to practice some homemaking skills.

• •How could she merge her tending responsibilities with spiritual and homemaking development? (She could teach the children gospel lessons and songs, develop a plan and teach them to cook or sew, and read the scriptures and scripture stories to them.)

Case Study 3

Lisa fulfills her Church assignments and is a good student, an efficient worker, and a helpful daughter. She spends her spare time listening to music, swimming, meditating, and daydreaming.

• •What do you think of the way Lisa spends her spare time? (Lisa seems to be very productive and manages her time well. Time for rest, relaxation, and recreation should be included in our scheduling. Unscheduled time is not necessarily wasted time.)

Summary quotation

Have the following quotation read:

“Mere ‘busyness’ is not necessarily evidence of the wise use of time. There should be time for mental and spiritual development as well as relaxation: time for worship and time to express our thankfulness for our ability to work, and think, and pray, and read, and help, and dream, and laugh, and plan, and learn. …

“The time we spend learning of our Father in heaven will bring untold blessings to us all the days of our lives” (John Longden, “Time Is of the Essence,” Improvement Era, June 1966, pp. 511–12).

Wise Use of Time Requires Planning

Object lesson

Ask the young women to enumerate activities they must pursue daily (attend school, eat, sleep, do homework, and others). As these activities are identified, place a stone for each one in a pint jar or bowl. (The bowl or jar represents a twenty-four-hour day.) Fill the jar with stones. Ask the young women to name other things they need to do each day (travel to and from school, make beds, dress, bathe, clean room, care for pets, pray, study the scriptures, prepare clothing, practice music, attend Church meetings, and others). As these other activities are identified, add sand, rice, or salt to the jar of rocks until it looks full. (The sand represents these additional activities.) Acknowledge that the young women’s lives are as full as the jar appears to be. Then add water, explaining that even during an apparently full day there is time for meditation, recreation, and other uplifting activities. (The water represents these activities.) All of us should strive for a proper balance in the use of our time. Accomplishing all we need and desire to do takes careful planning.

Story

“Once an efficiency expert approached the president of a large steel corporation and outlined his firm’s services. ‘No use,’ the president responded, ‘I’m not managing as well as I know how now. We need action, not more knowing. If you could get us to do what we know we should, I’ll pay you anything you ask.’

“‘Fine,’ answered the consultant. ‘I can give you something in a few minutes to increase your doing and action fifty percent. First, write on a blank sheet the six most important tasks you have to do tomorrow. Second, put them in the order of their importance. Third, pull this sheet out the first thing tomorrow morning and begin working on item one. When you finish it, tackle item two, then item three. Do this until quitting time. Don’t worry if you finish only two or three or even if you finish only one item. You’ll be working on the most important ones. Fourth, take the last five minutes of each working day to make out a “must” list for the next day’s tasks.’(Goal setting, that is what it sounds like to me :) I gave a lesson on this last Sunday, and it is so much a part of time management, I didn't even realize!! ) (My side note :)

“Reportedly, the president sent the consultant $25,000 for the idea, $1,000 for each of the twenty-five minutes spent in the visit” (Teacher Development Program—In-service Series 2, 1971–72, Participant Materials, p. 58).

Poster or chalkboard discussion

Display the poster summarizing the efficiency expert’s advice, or refer to it on the chalkboard.

Efficiency Expert’s Advice

1. 1. Write down the most important tasks to be performed.
   
2. 2. Number these in order of importance.
   
3. 3. Begin working on number one in the morning.
   
4. 4. When number one is completed, go to number two and so forth.
   
5. 5. Each evening, make a new list to be used the next day.
   

• •How can our Heavenly Father be involved in this plan? (We should ask for his help in the use of our time and in determining priorities.) (Prayer! We should always ask Heavenly Father to help us set our goals and to know which are most worthy of our effort and time, and which are most important and how to accomplish them! )

Writing

Distribute a blank sheet of paper and a pencil to each class member. Have each young woman divide her paper into three columns, labeling the first column “Must Do,” the second “Should Do,” and the third “Would Like to Do.” Instruct the young women to write under the heading “Must Do” the things that they must do tomorrow, under the heading “Should Do” the things they ought to do, and under the heading “Would Like to Do” the things that they would enjoy doing for pleasure. These are similar to the things identified in the object lesson with the rock, sand, and water. Ask the young women to number the items in the last two columns in order of their importance, since these are the activities they can control.

Lesson Application

Have the young women look critically at the important items they have identified and consider how they can use their time more efficiently to accomplish the most important activities in the last two columns. Suggest that they follow the efficiency expert’s procedure for two weeks. Provide time for them to report on their success in two weeks.

Encourage the young women to kneel and approach the Lord in prayer every morning. They could talk to him about their duties and priorities for that particular day, ask for help and inspiration in performance, and then report the results to him at night.

Suggested Activities

With approval of the bishop or branch president, invite a well-qualified person (for example, a college student, a young mother, or some other member of your ward who is especially well-organized) to share tips on how to make effective use of time.

I marked in red what really stood out to me. I really enjoyed this lesson! My notes are inside the lesson in black :)


More to come... I should get to bed early ;)