Lesson 6 Preparation

10:32-12:07
I decided to work from home today simply because today marks a year since my dad's death and I really don't feel like dragging the laptop to the library today. Maybe I'll go to the library later.

Lesson 6 is about Time Management, in other words, learning how to effectively budget time.

It mentions time being a stewardship and I suppose there is some truth to that, as time is a gift we have been given and have been invited to use it wisely for as long as it is there.

There was also mention of investing time vs. spending time and that is an intriguing thought, as spending time may mean that it is just used on frivolities while investing time means dedicating it to a worthwhile pursuit and/or people.

My attention was then directed to reading quotes and scriptures about being stewards of our time and I suppose that means that we are responsible for how we use our time and if we manage it rather than it managing us. The first quote talked about how mortality is such a very small part of our existence and that time is a gift from God that we should use wisely, as it cannot be retrieved once it is used; it also said that WE will be accountable for how we use our time now and in the immediate hereafter.

John 9:4-5 talks about how we must enable the works of our Heavenly Father and that there is only so much time in which we can do that work. It says that as long as we are in the world, we can serve as a positive example to all within it in all we do, say, and hope. We can be a light to those in darkness.

2 Nephi 2:21 says that our time on Earth has been prolonged so that we can have the opportunity to repent and be able to come unto God, making covenants and showing commitment through ordinances by our own will. You see, those who are dead cannot partake of ordinances without the help of the living to bring them through the temples of God, so God does everything He can to provide opportunity for the living to make things right in their lives so that they can bring themselves through the temple and enjoy the blessings while in life. Some do not have that opportunity, however, but they will be given all blessings from ordinances and covenants. Nobody is cheated from a joyful eternity unless they choose to cheat themselves by making bad decisions and refusing to repent.

Alma 34:32-34 says that now is the time for us to get everything done in terms of living and also preparing for the time when God will come. We should not procrastinate our eternal preparation nor should we postpone making things right both spiritually and temporally. God sees our heart and if a heart's desire is all we can have in this life, God will see to it that we receive more after. Mortality can be a very stressful time, so we need to protect our spirit and prepare it for better things to come.

Abraham 3:25 says that we are being tested and tried and are also invited to follow the commandments so that we may prove the promise of the Lord that obedience brings blessings, but we should not procrastinate listening to the Lord. One day, it may be too late to do that.

When it comes to investing time vs. spending time, we need to spend our time doing good for the Lord and sharing our talents so we do not lose them. We also need to cease in behaviors that would stop us from feeling the Spirit and enjoying the blessings that productivity has to offer.

I then read some quotes about time management and the four key relationships, according to President Uchtdorf, that we need to maintain through wise budgeting of our time are with our God, our families, our fellow man, and ourselves.

There was then a quote by President Monson that talked about procrastination being the thief of time, as procrastination is putting things off until you have time for them. If we spend our time doing unimportant things, we may lose the opportunity to do what is really important.

I then re-read 'Keeping Life's Demands in Balance' by Elder M. Russell Ballard and focused on the eight time-management principles that he said will help us in our lives. Those principles are:

1) Think about your life and set priorities. Set aside quiet time to do just that.

2) Set short-term goals that you can reach. Set goals that are well balanced.

3) Through wise budgeting, control your real needs and measure them carefully against your many wants in life. Don't spend money on that which is of little or no worth.

4) Stay close to your spouse, children, relatives, and friends. They will help you keep a balance in your life.

5) Study the scriptures. They offer one of the best sources we have to keep in touch with the Spirit of the Lord.

6) We must schedule time for sufficient rest, exercise, and relaxation. We must schedule time on our daily calendars for these activities if we are to enjoy a healthy and balanced life.

7) Families should teach one another the gospel, preferably in a weekly family home evening.

8) Pray often as individuals and as families.

My attention was then turned to a talk called 'Three Choices' that was written by Elder Wirthlin and it talked about three steps that can help us more than any worldly self-help program could.

The first step mentioned is to choose to repent now. We cannot go back to what was and do things over, but we can start fresh from where we are and build upon that through the Atonement.

The second step is to choose priorities. Perfection cannot be achieved all at once, but priorities can be made and perfection will eventually come in time and with much work and help from the Atonement.

The third thing is to choose the right. We must do more than what we want; we must do what Heavenly Father wants us to do, as they are right and good and will help us to feel a sense of peace.

There was then an article called 'Child of Promise' written by who was then known as Elder Eyring.

The article talked about how time is ours and we choose what we do with it, but that it is also precious and we should treat it as such. It is not our mind, but our heart, that will help us to see the value of time for what it really is and help us to treat it like it is worth something to us.

It talked about how time is a property, a commodity, that we inherit from the Lord as part of our mortal experience and that we can use our agency to decide how we will use our time. We are ALL children of promise when we start out, but whether or not we remain such is up to us entirely.

It also mentioned that when we know who we are, we are more likely to use our time better. We can and should do three things that Henry B. Eyring admonishes us to do.
1) Gain confidence that God keeps his promises. 
2)  Gain God’s confidence that you will always keep the promises, not that you choose to make, but that he asks you to make.
3)  Help others gain confidence that God keeps his promises.

We also need to carry out any commitments we have with great faith in God and in ourselves.

I then began the quiz at 11:31 and I ended up taking the quiz twice because I wasn't quite certain about the answer to question nine and I ended up getting it wrong the first time, as I couldn't find the complete answer. However, I took it a second time and figured out the answer that time. 95% is great and keeps me humble, but I have to learn to trust my instincts more when taking the quizzes.

To end my preparation session, I posted an initial post on the discussion board.

We are free to choose liberty and eternal life or captivity and death, but it takes time to pursue either of those paths; as nothing happens without effort being applied to it. Idleness doesn't necessarily guarantee that we are going to end up doing something wicked, but it does mean that we are not wanting to make the most of what we have simply because we feel it is too much work and the choice of doing nothing makes us lose our motivation to become better. When we lose the motivation to become better simply because we have stopped making the effort, we become captive to laziness and eventually, we also become captive to apathy because by doing nothing, we have chosen not to care about the gift of time and how squandering it to laziness hurts us. Once we are trapped in laziness and apathy, it becomes a habit and we eventually lose the choice to do anything other than nothing at all.

If we are constantly engaged in using our time productively, that motivates us to work at doing good, better, and becoming our best self at things. When we are working hard at improving ourselves, the Spirit gives us the motivation we need in order to dedicate some time to helping others while also remembering ourselves. If we are doing good with our time by being productive and also setting aside a little bit of time for physical and spiritual rejuvenation, as being too busy can often force us to drop everything and turn to idleness for comfort, we will have a clearer mind, a more open heart, and our agency will increase. When we manage our time to take care of others as well as ourselves, we are in a better physical, emotional, and mental place in which we can use our agency wisely and watch it increase.