“Big Rocks”
During a guest lecture to a class of high-achieving M.B.A. students, a time management expert announced it was “time for a quiz.” He set a one-gallon, wide mouthed Mason jar on the table and began to fill it carefully with about a dozen fist-sized rocks, one by one,. When the rocks reached the top, he asked, “Is this jar full?”
Everyone answered, “Yes.”
“Really?” asked the expert. He reached under the table and pulled out a bucket of gravel. He dumped some in and shook the jar, causing the gravel to work itself down between the big rocks. One more time, he asked, “Is this jar full?”
By now the class was on to him. “Probably not,” said one student.
“Good,” said the lecturer. Next came a bucket of sand and sure enough, it filled all the spaces left between rocks and gravel. Once more he asked the question.
This time the entire class yelled, “No” “Right,” agreed the lecturer, grabbing a pitcher of water and filling the jar to the brim.
Then he looked up at the class and asked, “What’s the point of this illustration?”
One eager beaver raised her hand and said, “The point is – no matter how full your schedule, if you try really hard, you can always fit some more things into it.”
“No,” replied the speaker. “That’s not the point. The truth this illustration teaches is:
If you don’t put the big rocks in first, you’ll never get them in at all.”
What does this mean to us?
What are your big rocks?
A project you want to accomplish? Time with loved ones? Your faith, your education, your finances? Teaching or mentoring others? At work, what are the big rocks that will make the most impact on your company’s success? And which items on your “to do” list are gravel…or sand…things to do if time permits or, better yet, to be delegated to someone else?
A warning – gravel and sand are often easier to accomplish than big rocks. They can distract us from our big rocks and allow us to pull ourselves away from tough decisions and major projects. My advice? There’s enough time to do everything, so take care of your big rocks first!
During a guest lecture to a class of high-achieving M.B.A. students, a time management expert announced it was “time for a quiz.” He set a one-gallon, wide mouthed Mason jar on the table and began to fill it carefully with about a dozen fist-sized rocks, one by one,. When the rocks reached the top, he asked, “Is this jar full?”
Everyone answered, “Yes.”
“Really?” asked the expert. He reached under the table and pulled out a bucket of gravel. He dumped some in and shook the jar, causing the gravel to work itself down between the big rocks. One more time, he asked, “Is this jar full?”
By now the class was on to him. “Probably not,” said one student.
“Good,” said the lecturer. Next came a bucket of sand and sure enough, it filled all the spaces left between rocks and gravel. Once more he asked the question.
This time the entire class yelled, “No” “Right,” agreed the lecturer, grabbing a pitcher of water and filling the jar to the brim.
Then he looked up at the class and asked, “What’s the point of this illustration?”
One eager beaver raised her hand and said, “The point is – no matter how full your schedule, if you try really hard, you can always fit some more things into it.”
“No,” replied the speaker. “That’s not the point. The truth this illustration teaches is:
If you don’t put the big rocks in first, you’ll never get them in at all.”
What does this mean to us?
What are your big rocks?
A project you want to accomplish? Time with loved ones? Your faith, your education, your finances? Teaching or mentoring others? At work, what are the big rocks that will make the most impact on your company’s success? And which items on your “to do” list are gravel…or sand…things to do if time permits or, better yet, to be delegated to someone else?
A warning – gravel and sand are often easier to accomplish than big rocks. They can distract us from our big rocks and allow us to pull ourselves away from tough decisions and major projects. My advice? There’s enough time to do everything, so take care of your big rocks first!
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