"constant reminders" or "an analogy that came to me while i was eating stir fry"

i had a 3 hour class this morning, and i didn't bring a morning snack. this is a problem because i am like clockwork when it comes to food. if i don't eat every 2 hours, i get upset and cranky and no one wants to talk to me (first world problems, i know). so the last hour of class, i am trying to hold it together like nobody's business. after class, my group for a project had a question of the professor. we approach him right as "that girl" (everyone has this person in their class) swoops in and starts going off on tangents and asking questions and dragging out everything she has to say. (there is no one left in the classroom at this point, except the professor, this girl, and my entire group. i am glaring at the girl. she does not budge. she continues on, as if we are standing around solely because we are totally interested in what she has to say. but i digress.) finally, we ask our question, discuss our project some more, and i hit the road to get to work. it has been 4 hours since my last meal at this point.

the moment i step into the office i run to the kitchen to fix my lunch. i count the seconds down as it heats up in the microwave. i take it back to my desk and start shoveling. but here's the problem: i was so hungry that i got these huge spoonfuls that wouldn't even fit in my mouth, and as a result everything fell off the spoon and none went into my belly. i kept trying to frantically shovel more and more food into my stomach, until finally i had to stop, take a step back, and take it piece by piece. take it in manageable steps, and my hunger would be satisfied. try to do it all at once and nothing got accomplished, and i was still irritable and frustrated.

so......big finish:

don't we do this with so many things in life? (okay i made that intentionally cheesy because it's kind of ridiculous). but seriously, so often in my life i suddenly realize all these needs i have at one time and i want to do everything at once, all right now, all before tomorrow. i don't pray enough, i don't exercise enough, i have 2 huge projects due in the next 2 weeks, and i'm STARVING. so i eat my meal while i'm running down the street holding a laptop trying to focus on two totally different topics, and asking God for help through it all. but nothing gets accomplished and i'm just tired at the end of the day.

this is more just a reminder for myself that i need to take things step by step, piece by piece, day by day. this is a marathon, not a sprint. i need to set manageable goals, and focus my time and energy so i have time for the things in life that really matter. i constantly need this reminder.