Prioritizing "Things that Matter Most"

(This post is based on the principles & counsel found in 2 talks: "Of Things That Matter Most" and "Good, Better, Best")

Lately, I've been doing alot of self-assessment...

- Who am I? Do I like who I am? What kind of person do I want to become? What kind of person does God want me to become? (Preach My Gospel, pg. 115-126)

- What do I value? Why do I value these things? Are these things of lasting importance? Are these things in line with godly principles of righteous living that will lead to happiness and peace in this life and eternal life in the world to come? (Matt 6:33) Are these things in accordance to modern and personal revelations?

- How do I spend my money? Am I spending it on things that truly satisfy? (2 Nephi 9:51) Am I preparing/saving enough for a rainy day or emergencies?

- How do I spend my time? (Alma 34:32) Am I allocating my time in accordance to my values/priorities? (D&C 42:42)

I find I'm not comfortable with all my answers to these questions. Thank goodness the Lord knows I'm imperfect and is willing to work with my weaknesses. (Ether 12:27)

I'm entering a new chapter of my life as a graduate student, which comes with a schedule I've never had before - working full time (40 hours/week) while taking evening classes - and, frankly, I'm very scared. I was fortunate to have spent the bulk of my undergraduate studies as a full-time student, and only worked part time (20 hours/week) during the last year. I've been out of school for a year and I've gotten used to having alot of free time for recreation/exploration, exercise, volunteering, building friendships, improving my skills/talents, pondering/journaling...but now I have to shift a lot of that time to my studies.

Mind you, I'm not complaining about going back to school. I've wanted to go to grad school for years - planned for it, worked extremely hard towards it, prayed over it, sacrificed for it ... and I'm grateful the Lord has helped me every step of the way and is strongly supporting me still. But that doesn't mean I won't have to struggle a bit to do well in school and keep my life in balance. Nothing of great value is easy.

So, as I am wont to do, I got organized and started making lists and charts to help me stay focused on "things that matter most" (see President Uchtdorf's awesome talk).

At a recent Institute class, the teacher/speakers encouraged us to figure out what our priorities are and stick to them. I thought my list would be long, so I was surprised that it only ultimately came down to 4 things:

1) God
2) Health
3) Relationships
4) Education

After reviewing my Patriarchal Blessing, recent Priesthood Blessings, and praying about it, I fleshed it out into a "working priorities map" (for lack of a better title)

The main heading is my purpose in life. The top 3 priority categories are of primary importance; the last 2 are secondary but obviously still very important. The scriptures on the margins help remind me of what to do (Matthew 5:16), how to do it (2 Timothy 1:7), and the resulting blessings (Romans 8:28). The 4 items in the middle are simply chores that must be done in life to allow everything else to run smoothly.

I printed copies to tape on my wall at work and at home to help remind me to not waste time on things that aren't on that list, things that are "of no worth" and "cannot satisfy". This will not be easy! So I translated it into a schedule format to make it more practical (click on it to expand)

Please note that these are guidelines, and just because I didn't schedule studying, scriptures, or showering on the weekend doesn't mean I won't do it then haha. It's important to allow for flexibility & fun because the first part of the week is so rigid and I can't live like a regimented robot all the time!

"And see that all these things are done in wisdom and order; for it is not requisite that a man should run faster than he has strength. And again, it is expedient that he should be diligent, that thereby he might win the prize; therefore, all things must be done in order." (Mosiah 4:27)

Wish me luck, I've never done this before! But...Philippians 4:13 :)