So much to do in so little time...

Homework: It always seems to work out in one of two ways.

1. You have little to no homework and can therefore spend all your time with your friends or catching    up on your favorite TV show or even spending time with your family (as crazy as that seems:). You  seem to have all the time in the universe in the palm of your hand. The thing is, do you ever do homework to get ahead in a class?

2. You have absolutely no time to do anything but homework. In fact, you feel so overwhelmed that you start thinking that you can't even get all your homework done! It's like all the teachers/professors conspired together to make every major assignment due on the same day and all of your major exams in the same week. You begin regretting those few days where you had pretty much no homework because you realize you would have less now if you had done some then.

Right now, I feel the latter result. There are so many things to do and yet I need time to myself as well. How can my professors expect me to function if I can't even figure that out myself. I need "Me Time"! But I am determined. I know that all this is for my experience so that I may know how to prioritize myself better.

So for all of you who need a little help like I do, here are some tips to how to prioritize:

How to Prioritize by Importance – And Stick to It

Is your to-do list overflowing with tasks? Do you end up rushing from one thing to the next, dealing with whatever’s most on your mind at the time – and shoving everything else aside for another day? This can be an effective way to work at times, such as when clearing the decks before vacation, but both your work and your health are likely to suffer if you’re constantly in “firefighting” mode.

So how can you start concentration on what really matters, instead of on what seems most pressing?

The Four Quadrants
There’s a useful technique in time-management that involves dividing your tasks into a grid with four “quadrants”, which are:

• Urgent and Important (eg. “My big report is due in three hours”)


• Important but Not Urgent (eg. “I’m delivering a presentation next month”)


• Urgent but Not Important (eg. “My library books are due back today”)


• Not Important and Not Urgent (eg. “I’m watching YouTube clips”)

What Goes Where? 
Generally, it’s not too hard to decide where a particular task or activity fits. The key is not to confuse a task’s urgency with its importance. For example, it might be annoying to be fined $2 for your library books being overdue, but it’s not really animportant consequence in the grand scheme of things. On the other hand, missing the deadline with your big report might have huge negative consequences on your career.

“Important but Not Urgent” – The Crucial Things We Put Off
The category that time management experts recommend you concentrate on is the “Important but Not Urgent” tasks. Usually, items in this quadrant will become urgent if you leave them too long. For example:

• That presentation due in three months will be looking pretty urgent in two months and twenty nine days...


• Taking care of your health (eg. with exercise and good diet) might become urgent ten years down the line, when you get sick


• Sorting out your taxes will become urgent once the deadline’s imminent

Have a think about your own life. I’m willing to bet that there’s been a time when you put off something “Important but Not Urgent” ... and ended up under a lot of stress because it did become urgent. This might have been anything from a term paper in college to an overdue trip to the dentist.

Why We React to “Urgent” 
Most of us have a tendency to react, in almost a knee-jerk way, to things that are urgent. This is a good survival technique (after all, if a saber-tooth tiger is about to eat you, you’d want to leave off inventing the wheel and run away...) Often, though, it leads to a very ineffective way of working: we deal with things in a panic, procrastinate over anything that isn’t urgent, and end up creating a lot of stress for ourselves whilst not really accomplishing much.

Focusing on “Important” 
So how can you draw your focus back to the stuff that matters? How can you make sure you’re working on what’s truly important before it becomes urgent?

I’d suggest a few simple things:

• Get rid of your “not urgent and not important” activities. (Note – that doesn’t mean get rid of things that relax and recharge you: they are important.)


• Make sure that “urgent and not important” activities never get in the way of “important and not urgent” ones.Frankly, it’s probably better for you to work on your dissertation for two hours, instead of spending that time racing across town with your soon-to-be-overdue library books.


• Remember that “important” is a matter of perspective. Be honest with yourself about what’s important to you. Important tasks are ones which enrich your life: they don’t have to be ones that involve making money or advancing your career.


• Start off your day with an “important and not urgent” task. This might be writing a chapter of your novel, getting some exercise, sorting out your tax return, learning a new language... as per the previous point, you define what’s important to you.

Hope this all helps you as much as it helped me!

Live, Laugh, Love!

Kems

Long Time No Write

Hey all! It has been such a long time since I last wrote! How do I explain everything that has happened to me over the past few months? I guess in one word:

                         SPECTACULAR!!!

I have loved living in Indiana! Granted there are some disadvantages (missing friends and family, no mountains, loneliness at times), but there are excellent advantages (new friends, a chance for independence, a new life to explore). Some of those disadvantages are taken care of though! I have kept in close contact with some of you and many days that is what keeps me grounded with one foot in Indiana and the other in Utah.

There are so many things that are so different between the two states! For example, people here can actually drive! No offense to those who are great drivers in Utah...

Well it looks like my time is limited today so will try to write tomorrow and so forth!

Love ya all!

Don't stop believing in your dreams!

True Love...

How much do we long for the one true love that will sweep us off of our feet? For a boy... I wouldn't know... For a girl...

everyday

                  of
   
                           our

                                     life...

But why do we desire it? We all have our different reasons. A girl longs for what a girl longs for. We desire what we see around us. We don't want to feel the loneliness that surfaces every time a commercial romance holiday comes to town.

It doesn't help much that movies parade true love around like it is something you come by everyday. Because it's not. No love is true the moment you first lay eyes on someone. It doesn't happen that way in the real world. You can be attracted. But true love comes through a lifetime's effort. Not just a two second montage or glimpse into the soul.

Fairy tales also gave us the dream that our first love will be our only one. But how are you supposed to know a love is true if you won't allow your heart to be broken a few times? I know one thing I will never be good at is getting my heart broken. I would rather sustain the misery of the relationship rather than feeling alone and unworthy of happiness. I am far too sensitive. But I've got to try. Besides, every broken heart means you are closer to the one who truly deserves you.

So don't throw yourself at the first guy who talks to you. The first guy who takes you on a romantic walk on the beach. The first guy who kisses you in the rain. The first guy who looks you in the eye and tells you he loves you. Hold off a bit. Wait a while. You have plenty of time for that in the future.

Great piece of advice from a friend of mine regarding engagement:

Before you think about marriage, know your true love's attitude during all four seasons. This way there is no surprises when united forever and always. <3

Here I Go...

Well I am off to Indiana this Tuesday! Just a trip...not moving...yet...I will be back on Friday just before midnight. I am doing registration for classes, etc. No big deal. Just the business side of Purdue. I am thrilled for what the future holds for me.

Lately everyone has been talking about sunsets. And lately I have had a certain perception of them. The sun seems to be my dream that rises every morning as a reminder and sets with the message that a new life is just beyond the horizon.

This is my chance to start over and discover another true part of myself through the experiences and people I meet. :)

Forgiveness

This past week has been difficult. But if there is one thing that I have learned, it's that anger will get you nowhere in life. If anything, it holds you back from the joys and happiness that can fill the void. Why must our hearts and minds be directed towards injuring others? Why must we have an "eye for an eye"? We are all God's children placed upon this earth at this specific time. Yeah. We make mistakes. We are incredibly stupid at times. We hurt others to protect ourselves from further pain. But we knew in the pre-mortal life that we would be tested. God knew. That's why we came here. But God also knew that every challenge placed before us, we could overcome. Every difficulty we have can be resolved if we have faith in Him. All things are possible through Him. I've come to know this for myself. 

The video below is titled, Jesus is Scourged and Crucified. His last few words touch my heart. He is able to forgive all those who trespassed against Him. 

So what's our excuse that we cannot?

Maybe it's time...

Today I was thinking. I do that occasionally now with all the time on my hands. It was my first official day in Relief Society. (Got the book and everything:) As I was sitting in RS, I realized that I will be 18 this Saturday. And on top of that, I realized that my childish antics have got to stop. I don't have room to be immature all the time.

Does this mean I won't be fun to be around? Of course not! Could I ever get rid of my craziness?! But I have got to stop being the girl who refuses to put her clothes away even though she knows it will only take five minutes. I have to stop being the girl who lets her mom do everything for her as if she is a child.

Long story short. It's time to grow up. No matter how hard and challenging that will be.

Graduation

I graduated. Does it feel real to me? Not yet, but I am getting there. Once college kicks in, I will feel like I actually graduated, but right now only feels like another summer break.

I have had to make choices lately. Anyone who knows me very well knows that I don't like making decisions. I will if I have to, but I don't like to. These choices were even more scary because they will affect the rest of my life. Think about it. I chose Purdue University in INDIANA! That is across the country! I have been excited lately, but it is also very bittersweet. I chose to leave my greatest friends behind. I chose to leave Camille and her sincere, kind, thoughtful advice with a hint of eccentric fun. I chose to leave Abby and her crazy obsession for cows. I chose to leave Sami who is my Once Upon a Time buddy. Who else am I going to talk to about that show? I chose to leave Meghan who has been my soul sister through thick and thin. Believe me. It hasn't always been easy for the two of us, but we resolve problems between us as quickly as possible.

I chose Purdue out of the SIX universities that accepted me and wanted me. Why? I prayed. I fasted. For a long time. It felt right. I felt I had the makings of a Boilermaker (yes my friends make fun of me for that). My choice will affect many decisions later down the road. It will affect new friendships and who I will meet. It will affect where my new home will be and what ward I will be in. It will affect who my eternal companion will be.

Will I be sad and depressed when I cross that state border line knowing that I won't return in a few weeks? Absolutely. Despite Utah and its bipolarity, it has been my home for about nine years. This is where I found friends who will last a lifetime. This is where my mom and I became best friends. This is where I felt I was a part of something. Yeah. Maeser grows on you despite all the sleep and social life it costs you. This is the first place that felt like home. And I am going to miss all of it.

I don't know why Indiana. But I do know it's where God wants me to be right now. So I will go. I will leave behind all I could ever dream of when I was child. I will cry. I will question if I was right. But I will go. Because I know that God has a plan for me and needs me in Indiana right now.

So goodbye to all my friends and family here in Utah. Thank you. You mean more to me than you will ever know and I appreciate each and every one of you with all my heart! I don't know when I will be able to visit, but I will do my best to try to make it down at least once every two years. There is no guarantee though. I love each and every one of you! You will always be a part of my heart! <3

Trust in the Lord with all thine heart and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him and he shall direct thy paths. ~ Proverbs 3:5-6

Pics of my family and friends:

Me and Grandpa :)

Grandpa, Me, and Mom :)

Camille and I :)

Sami and I :)

Meghan and I :)

Abby and I :)