“Organizing Tasks and Priorities: The Savior’s Example Can Help Us Bring Order to Our Lives,” Old Testament Seminary Teacher Manual (2026)
“Organizing Tasks and Priorities: The Savior’s Example Can Help Us Bring Order to Our Lives,” Old Testament Seminary Teacher Manual
Succeed in School: Lesson 194
Organizing Tasks and Priorities
The Savior’s Example Can Help Us Bring Order to Our Lives
How well do you organize and prioritize tasks that need to be done each day? Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ can help us bring order to our lives and use our time and resources more efficiently. When students strive to put Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ first, they can accomplish schoolwork better than if they were attempting it alone. This lesson can help students learn ways the Savior’s example can help bring order to their schoolwork.
Student preparation: Invite students to make a list of the schoolwork they will need to complete this week. This may include homework, tests, projects, or assigned readings (including seminary).
Possible Learning Activities
Bringing order to chaos
To begin class, consider displaying something that requires many steps to complete (such as a recipe, a jigsaw puzzle, or a do-it-yourself project). Invite students to share some of the different ways you could approach completing this task. For example, to complete a puzzle someone could dump all the pieces out at once, separate the edge pieces first, or sort the pieces by color.
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Why can it be difficult to organize and prioritize a project that has many steps to complete?
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How might this be like organizing and prioritizing schoolwork?
The blessings of organizing tasks and priorities
It might be helpful to reassure students that Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ know that our lives are busy and demand a lot of time and attention. Through Their prophets, They have counseled us about how to approach the many demands we face.
Read the following scripture passages, looking for the importance of striving to have order in our lives:
Doctrine and Covenants 28:13; 132:8
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What do these passages teach us about order?
After students have had a chance to respond, it might be helpful to point out that Jesus Christ is organized and orderly in His work. Through the scriptures, He invite us to do the same (see 1 Corinthians 14:40; Mosiah 4:27).
From these verses, help students recognize that having order in our lives helps us follow the example of Jesus Christ.
You could extend an invitation such as the following to help your students seek personal revelation as they study.
Prayerfully consider how much order and organization you have when it comes to your school tasks and assignments. Invite the Holy Ghost to help you see strategies of organizing and prioritizing that could increase the order in your life.
The Creation: A pattern of order
Consider displaying an image of the heavens and our earth. Under the direction of Heavenly Father, the account of the Savior’s creation of the earth can teach us strategies to better organize our tasks and priorities.
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Why would organization and order be important as Jehovah (Jesus Christ) created the earth?
Then display the following instructions for students. Consider organizing students into smaller groups for this activity.
Read Abraham 4:1–25; 5:2–3. Ponder the following questions as you study.
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What are some details you discover that could be helpful when we organize tasks and priorities?
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What are some things Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ did to bring order to the process of Creation? (For example: What do They do first? How do They approach big tasks?)
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Why do you think it was important for Them to take time to reflect and to feel that Their work was “good”? (See Abraham 4:21.)
Likening the Creation to our lives
In your study journal, list some ways the Creation account could help someone organize their schoolwork.
When we liken the scriptures to ourselves, we study the account given looking for details that seem important, comparing them to our circumstances, discovering valuable lessons, and applying them to our lives. Students might see the following details from Abraham 4–5 that could be applied to their efforts to organize tasks and priorities. If students need additional guidance, you could point out the following verses and phrases.
“Let there be light” (see Abraham 4:1–4). Students might recognize that it’s important having the light of Christ in their lives.
“and it was so, even as they ordered” (Abraham 4:7). With each step of our work, we can identify the most important assignments and prioritize their completion before moving on to something else.
“Let us prepare the earth to bring forth grass” (Abraham 4:11). Preparing the earth for planting could be compared to breaking up larger tasks into smaller, more manageable steps.
Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ noted “that their plan was good” (Abraham 4:21). Likewise, we can notice the things that are “good” in our life (things that you have accomplished) and celebrate our accomplishments.
“[W]e will rest” (Abraham 5:2). We can consecrate the Sabbath as a day of rest from our labors.
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How can the details you discovered help you better follow the Savior’s example when you strive to organize your schoolwork?
To help students evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of organizing their schoolwork, you could display the following instructions. Some of your students might feel discouraged as they complete this self-assessment. Assure them that as children of God, He loves us, is patient with our growth, and is eager to help us improve.
Take a moment to prayerfully evaluate how closely each statement describes how you currently organize tasks and priorities (very true, somewhat true, untrue).
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I prioritize Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ in my life by doing things such as regular scripture study and personal prayer to help me throughout my school day.
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I keep track of school assignments and turn them in on time.
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I prepare in advance for tests and big projects.
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My class notes, backpack, books, and homework are neat and organized.
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I feel I can work steadily on big assignments and not put things off until the last minute.
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I feel comfortable talking to my teacher when I have questions or need extra help.
You might select one area where you recognize you struggle to focus on for the next activity.
Practice organizing tasks and priorities
Practicing organizing and prioritizing their schoolwork can help students increase the order in their lives.
One way to help students practice these skills is to provide them a copy of the handout “Organizing and Prioritizing My Schoolwork.”
Invite students to complete some or all of the activities on the handout. This could be completed with a smaller group or partner. Then students could share ideas that have helped them be more organized with others.
After adequate time, you might invite a spokesperson for each group to share some of the things the group discussed during the handout activity. As students make a plan to follow the Savior’s example of organizing, you may want to point out that one of the ways Heavenly Father communicates to us is by helping us recognize ideas we may want to try.
In your study journal, write down one thing you would like to try to better organize and prioritize in your schoolwork.
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How might you invite Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ to magnify your efforts?
Reassure students that striving to better organize and prioritize schoolwork may take repeated attempts. You might share your witness that Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ love them and will enhance their efforts to do better.