SETTING PRIORITIES/ TIME MANAGEMENT

One day an expert in time management was speaking to a group of business students and, to drive home a point, he used this illustration. As he stood in front of the group of high-powered overachievers he said, “Okay, time for a quiz.” Then he pulled out a one-gallon wide-mouthed masonry 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 inside, he asked, “Is the jar full?” everyone in the class said “yes.” Then he said, “Really?”
He reached under the table and pulled out a bucket of gravel in and shook the jar causing 20 pieces of gravel to work themselves down into the space between the big rocks. Then he asked the group once more, “Is the jar full?” By this time the class was on to him. “Probably not”. One of them answered. “Good!” he replied.
He reached under the table and brought out a bucket of sand. He started dumping the sand in the jar and it went into 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”.
Then he grabbed a pitcher of water and began to pour it in until the jar was filled to the brim. Then he 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 in it!”
“No!” the speaker replied, “That’s not the point”
The truth this illustration teaches us is, “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? Your children; your loved ones; your education; your dreams; a worthy cause; teaching or mentoring others; doing things which you love; time for yourself; your health; your mate (or significant other). Remember to put these BIG ROCKS in first or you will never get them in at all. If you sweat about the little stuff(the gravel, sand & water) then you will fill your life with little things you worry about that don’t really matter, and you’ll never have the real quality time you need to spend on the big important stuff.
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 them in your jar first.
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