Feeble Fumblitis

Hi. My name is Amy and I am a Time Waster.

"Hello, Amy."

It was my first meeting at TWA (Time Wasters Anonymous) and I received some very bad news. According to Douglas L. Callister I have been diagnosed with Feeble Fumblitis. According to him it is a mild disease with symptoms which include but are not limited to wasting time, filling my days with the unimportant things, and being slightly lazy thus not getting anything done.

One of the greatest gifts God gives us is the gift of time. Unfortunately and unwittingly I misuse this gift all the time. It is hard for me not to misuse it. I just get caught up in the little things of the time waster persuasion and by the end of the day I can't figure out where the day has gone or why nothing was accomplished.

And at the end of a wasted day I often remember a story about a great time manager and an even greater man Ernest Wilkinson and I feel very foolish and lazy indeed.

I don't remember the particulars of the story much (I heard it about 5 years ago) but I did write down what he said that drives guilt deep into my heart every time I remember it. He said

"Stop every fifteen minutes and write down what you have done the last fifteen minutes. You will soon become so discouraged with writing 'not much' you will soon start accomplishing so much, you will amaze yourself."

What a profound thought! If we just track our minutes the way dieters track their calories think what we could accomplish. If time is one of the greatest gifts God gives us we should treasure every second and use it wisely. I know I don't ever want to waste a gift from God yet sadly, I do. Every day. Realizing that, I have decided I must put a stop to this waste. If it is from God, we will be blessed if we use it wisely, right?

Concerning that thought Brigham Young said

“Time is all the capital stock there is on the earth; … if properly used, it brings that which will add to your comfort, convenience, and satisfaction. Let us consider this, and no longer sit with hands folded, wasting time” (Discourses of Brigham Young, sel. John A. Widtsoe [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1941], p. 214).

So, with these thoughts in my mind I have decided to change my time using habits. My grandmother always said "Waste not want not" and so I am going to try. It seems I don't have enough time now, but if I don't waste any of it, not even 5 minutes I can cut down on my wanting more time habit I have developed. That is the goal, anyway.

So, I am going to take the challenge of learning to manage my time better. I hope to see myself accomplish much more during the days, feel a deeper sense of satisfaction with my day, and even feel a deeper relationship with Heavenly Father. I will report back next week on how I have done, and I would like to invite any of you to join with me in this challenge.

My plan of attack is making a list each night. I will have three columns. The first column will contain 6 things I must accomplish that day. The next column will contain the things I should accomplish, and the final column will hold the things I would like to accomplish- the unimportant and frivolous things. By doing this, I should be able to fit more things into my day, including the fun things and not get burned out.
That is the idea anyway. We will see if I can actually accomplish it.

I would like to hear who will join me in this experiment, and how it goes for each of you. Look for ways you are blessed temporally and spiritually from managing your time. Remember, Brigham Young has promised us that it will add to our comfort, convenience and satisfaction. Lets prove him right!