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“The key is not to prioritize what’s on your schedule, but to schedule your priorities.”
– Stephen Covey
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The Jar of Life
A teacher of efficient time management walked into a classroom and set a glass jar on the table. He silently placed 2-inch rocks in the jar until no more could fit. He asked the class if the jar was full, and they said yes.
He said, “Really,” and pulled out a pile of small pebbles. He added them to the jar, shook it slightly until they filled the spaces between the rocks.
He asked again, “Is the jar full?” Yes the class said. So next, he added a scoop of sand to the jar, filling the space between the pebbles. He asked the question again. This time the class wasn’t sure. So he grabbed a pitcher of water and filled the jar to the brim.
“What great truth can we surmise from this experiment?” Asked the teacher. .
One student quickly replied, “We learn that as full as our schedules may appear, if we only increase our effort, it is always possible to add more meetings and tasks.”
“No”, replied the teacher. “The truth is if we don’t put the larger rocks in the jar first, we will never be able to fit them later.”
“This jar is your life,” the teacher continued. “The rocks represent the BIG things in your life – what you will value at the end of your life – your family, your partner, your health, fulfilling your hopes and dreams. The pebbles are the other things in your life that give it meaning, like your job, your house, your hobbies, your friendships. The sand and water represent the ‘small stuff’ that fills our time, like watching TV, shopping, or running errands.”
Looking out at the class again, he asked, “Can you see what would happen if I started with the sand or the pebbles?”
What are the big rocks and pebbles in your life? Do you make room for them first in your Jar of Life?
