Not Enough Hours in the Day? Here’s How to Make the Most of Your Time

By Heather J. Johnson

Goal setting can chart a proper course for our lives.

When we plan our lives and use our time wisely, the Lord will bless and magnify us to better serve in His kingdom. Applying the following principles¹ can help us have a productive life and prepare us for exaltation.

Break down goals into more manageable parts.

With every major goal we set, we can break it down into three types of goals. Then we can determine what daily tasks we need to accomplish to achieve our goals.

1. Long-range goals. These are overarching, major goals. As an example we may set a goal like “have a professional career in which I can provide for myself and those I’m responsible for.”

2. Intermediate goals. These are more specific goals that lead you to reaching your long-range goal, such as “earn a college degree.”

3. Short-range goals. These goals you can complete in a relatively short amount of time. Completing them moves you closer to completing your intermediate and long-range goals. An example of a short-range goal might be “never miss a class this semester.”

4. Daily tasks. The things we do daily should lead us to achieving our goals. A daily task might be “complete class assignments that are due tomorrow.”

Set goals in several areas.

The model provided above can be used to set goals in all areas of our lives. Elder Robert D. Hales (1932–2017) of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles counseled us to focus on these four areas:

• Spiritual development

• Physical development

• Educational, personal, and career development

• Citizenship and social development²

As we are setting goals in these areas, we should keep this counsel from President M. Russell Ballard, Acting President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, in mind: “Set goals that are well balanced—not too many nor too few, and not too high nor too low. Write down your attainable goals and work on them according to their importance. Pray for divine guidance in your goal setting.”³

We will become more Christlike.

When we set righteous goals and manage our time well to achieve them, we become more like Jesus Christ. Elder Neal A. Maxwell (1926–2004) of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles said, “I thank [Christ] for his marvelous management of time, for never misusing a moment, including the moments of meditation. Even his seconds showed his stewardship.”⁴

Heather J. Johnson is a writer and editor. She loves water skiing and going on winter adventures in the mountains. Her reading list favors British literature, and she recommends the use of “y’all” in everyday conversation.

Discover More

Check out other feature articles about how to make a difference as a young adult in the young adult section of the February 2019 Ensign.

Notes

1. Adapted from The Gospel and the Productive Life (student and teacher manuals, 2004), “Chapter 3: Setting Goals and Managing Time.”

2. See Robert D. Hales, “Fulfilling Our Duty to God,” Ensign, Nov. 2001, 39.

3. M. Russell Ballard, “Keeping Life’s Demands in Balance,” Ensign, May 1987, 14.

4. Neal A. Maxwell, “Jesus of Nazareth, Savior and King,” Ensign, May 1976, 27.