By Ellen Samiec
One day an expert in time management was speaking to a group of business students and, to drive home a point, used an illustration those students would never forget. He stood in front of the group of high-powered over-achievers and said, “Okay, time for a quiz.”
He pulled out a one-gallon, wide-mouth mason jar and set it on the table in front of him. Then he produced about a dozen fist-sized rocks and carefully placed them, one at a time, into the jar. When the jar was filled to the top and no more rocks would fit inside, he asked, “Is this jar full?” Everyone in the class said, “Yes.”
“Really?” he said and reached under the table and pulled out a bucket of gravel. He dumped the gravel in and shook the jar, causing pieces of gravel to work themselves down into the spaces between the big rocks. Then he asked the group once more, “Is the jar full?”
This time, the class was on to him. “Probably not,” one of them answered.
“Good!” he replied, now reaching under the table and bringing out a bucket of sand. He dumped the sand in the jar and it went into all the spaces left between the rocks and the gravel. Once more he asked the question, “Is the jar full?”
“No!” the class shouted. Once again, he said “Good!”
Now he grabbed a pitcher of water and began to pour it in until the jar was filled to the brim. He then looked at the class and asked, “What is the point of this illustration?”
One eager beaver raised his hand and said, “The point is, no matter how full your schedule is, if you try really hard you can always fit some more things into it!”
“No,” the speaker replied, “that’s not the point at all. The truth this illustration teaches us is this:
If you don’t put the big rocks in first, you’ll never get them in at all!”
What are the ‘big rocks’ in your life? Time with your loved ones? Your faith, your education, your dreams? A worthy cause? Teaching or mentoring others? Remember to put these BIG ROCKS in your “Life Jar” first or you’ll never get to them at all.
So, tonight, or in the morning, when you are reflecting on this short story, ask yourself this question: What are the ‘big rocks’ in my life? Then, put those in the jar first…
For tips on how to get the sand and gravel out of the way so you can get the big rocks in, my booklet 101 Ways to Accomplish More with Less can help.
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