Big Rocks

December 4, 2013

An expert in time management was speaking to a group of business students. He pulled out a one-gallon, wide-mouth jar. Then he produced about a dozen fist-sized rocks and carefully placed them, one by one, into the jar. He asked the students, “Is this jar full?” Everyone said, “Yes.”

“Really?” he replied, as he brought out a bucket of gravel. He dumped some gravel in and shook the jar. Then he asked the group once more, “Is this jar full?”

“Probably not,” one of them answered. He brought out a bucket of sand and started dumping the sand in the jar. Once more he asked the question. “Is this jar full?” “No!” the class chanted, getting into the process. To conclude, he grabbed a pitcher of water and began to pour it in until the jar was filled to the brim. Then the expert asked, “What is the point of this illustration?”

One eager student offered a life application, saying, “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 expert retorted, “the truth is this: If you don’t put the big rocks in first, you’ll never get them in.”

ACTION   What are the big rocks in your life? List them.

EVALUATE  Has the small stuff filled the spaces needed for the really important relationship space?

DECIDE  What is one thing you will do this week to prioritize the people who are important to you?