Time

On my mission, I've noticed that using time efficiently is the key to successful and productive work.  Missionaries wake up every morning at 6:30.  They exercise for 30 minutes, get ready, and begin studying by 8.  At 10:00 they leave their apartments and work until 9:00 pm.  There are only a few prime hours we have each day to meet and talk with people. 

This week I've been thinking a lot about how I can use my time more effectively during these hours.  There have been times when I felt like the day was melting away and we hadn't accomplished much of anything.  I often wondered, "How can I learn everything I need to learn in such a short amount of time?  How can I get everything done when I have such a limited amount of time?" 

Sometimes we try to manipulate time, or distort it with too many activities.  We must be smart with the use of our time.  It's important to get the essentials done-but we have to be careful when multitasking.  We do not want to miss the Spirit's promptings because we are simply too busy to listen. 

My father is a prime example of productive time-use.  He is a Pediatric Doctor and the Bishop of our ward.  I've been thinking a lot about the ways he uses his time.  He takes notes and makes lists of the things he needs to accomplish each day.  He prioritizes these and separates them into categories until he has one perfectly concise list.  He then proceeds to plan his day out with the activities and errands that are of the most importance first.  This is something I'm going to try to implement into my busy missionary schedule.  This will help me to be more productive in the work and more organized!  Now, when I feel like the clock is ticking the day away, I won't feel like such a mess because I can look back through my list and see the things I've accomplished. 

Yesterday I had my first interview with my mission president.  Our zone met together up in Paducah, and we listened to a spiritually directed lesson by our president's wife, Sister Hutchings.  She talked to us about having the desire to have faith and to work.  She said the secret to work was working smart!  What a simple but profound statement!  When we work hard and smart, we will become the most effective missionaries the latter days have seen.

It doesn't matter who we are, what our job is, what we do, where we live-we must learn to prioritize and work smart.  I know that the Lord wants us to be a happy and productive people.  When we work towards developing the Christ-like attribute of diligence through our effective uses of time, we will be blessed in all aspects of our lives.