Controlling Time: What are your Big Rocks?

An expert on the subject of time management was lecturing a group of business school students. He pulled out a one-gallon jar and placed a half-dozen big rocks into the jar. When the jar was filled to the top, he asked, "Is this jar full?"

Everyone in the class said, "Yes."

He pulled out a sack of gravel and dumped it in while shaking the jar. Then he asked, "Is the jar full?"

Next, he brought out a bag of sand and filled all the spaces between the rocks and the gravel. Once more he asked the question, "Now is the jar full?"

Finally, he grabbed a pitcher of water and began to pour it in. The point of the story is if you don't put the big rocks in first, you'll never get them in at all.

When it comes to controlling your time, make a deliberate effort to identify your Big Rocks. Most of us can only focus on 3 Big Rocks at a time. If you have 4 or 5 it will be harder to know which one is most important. It’s so easy to get caught up with the sand and gravel, but if you don’t prioritize the Big Rocks you will not find time for what is truly important to you.

Once your Big Rocks are identified, you can reverse engineer your life. You can structure your life with your Big Rocks as your guide. Here’s what I mean. Try these two simple steps:

1.      Write down 3 Big Rocks for the next 12 months.

2.      Create a to-do list under each of them.

My 3 Big Rocks are listed on a piece of paper and kept near my desk. I like to have them listed there because they’re a constant reminder of what I’m trying to get done. It creates visible accountability for me. It gives me a filter to decide how to use my time.

A Psalmist asked God for wisdom to account for his time. It was an important life lesson about priorities he learned through a difficult time. “Teach us to number our days, so that we may gain a heart of wisdom (Psalm 90:12).” Time flies, and life is uncertain. Value each day.

The average life expectancy of an American man is around 78.79 years or 28,758.35 days. I’ve lived around 24,820 days. That leaves me about 3,938 days left or 14% of my life. I’m about 86% through the adventure. That understanding creates urgency and intentionality about focusing on my Big Rocks.

Think about your Big Rocks. What do you want? Why? What are you going to do about it? Successful people always find a way to keep their focus on the Big Rocks. In the end, you control what you think about, what you allow to distract you, and how you manage your time and efforts.