The professor stood in front of the class with an empty jar.
In front of the jar, he had some big rocks, some smaller pebbles, and a pile of sand.
The jar represented his life, and the big rocks, pebbles, and sand represented all the things he needed to get done.
Some of you may know this story...
What happens when you put the sand in first?
You can sneak in the pebbles, but you can't fit in the big rocks.
However, if you start by putting the big rocks in, followed by the pebbles, you can fit the sand in as it fills the cracks around the rocks.
Your big rocks are things that most fulfill you in life.
Big rocks usually include time with friends and family, health, earning a living, and getting enough sleep.
Pebbles add extra fun and satisfaction to your life but aren't necessities like big rocks are.
Pebbles include things like hobbies, projects, being a competitive athlete, or excelling at work.
Finally, sand.
Your sand is bonus activities, they are enjoyable, but not crucial to survival or fulfillment.
Sand includes things like watching TV or social media.
So, if the jar represents life and the limited time we have, remember that you'll be able to fit a lot more in if you get your big rocks in first.
That means taking care of your health, earning a living(work), and spending time with friends and family.
Once those are done/scheduled, and only then, should you fit in your pebbles, things like your projects and hobbies.
Finally, if time allows, dump in some sand, which includes watching TV, social media, and other mindless activities.
Time is our most valuable asset, we only have so much of it, and no matter how much you want to, you can't get more of it.
Your jar is one size, and it's up to you to fit in as much as you can.
Where we trap ourselves is we fill it with sand and pebbles first, saving our big rocks like our health and family time until it's too late and there's no room in the jar.
To give a specific example to health and fitness, you have a jar.
If your goal is to lose weight your two big rocks are things like workout frequency and a caloric deficit.
Nothing else matters if we’re not showing up at a decent frequency, and keeping our calories low.
Pebbles may be things like what exercises we do, and what foods we at.
And sand may be things like what type of equipment we use, or if we should eat broccoli or green beans, it’s quite often details that only matter if you have the rocks and pebbles in first.
Start filling your jar with the big rocks first, then and only then, you can fill in the cracks with pebbles and sand.
1% Better.
Dedicated to Your Success,
Doug Spurling