Essential, Necessary, Nice

And see that all these things are done in wisdom and order; for it is not requisite that a man should run faster than he has strength. And again, it is expedient that he should be diligent, that thereby he might win the prize; therefore, all things must be done in order. Mosiah 4:27

Recently we heard Julie Beck, the president of the general Relief Society speak at a fireside. She did a question and answer session in which someone asked her about setting priorities. She said that she likes to categorize the tasks for her day as being essential, necessary or nice. The essential things are the things that help her gain salvation, the necessary things sustain life and the nice things are, well, nice. This is not a new idea, but somehow the labels essential, necessary and nice brought clarity to me. Most of the things that I enjoy doing are nice, and I'm fairly good at getting the necessary things done. I'm beginning to ponder more what is essential and to answer the question, what essential things should I do today.