erotichasem.blogg.se - Stephen covey big rocks

Someone replied that no matter how busy you get, you could always fit more things into your life if “you really work at it.” The speaker then added some sand and asked, “Is the jar full?”įinally, the speaker filled the jar to the brim with water and asked the group the point of this illustration.

This time, the group replied, “Probably not.” The speaker jiggled the jar until the gravel filled the spaces between the rocks. He then got some gravel from under the table and added it to the jar. After filling the jar to the top with rocks, he asked, “Is the jar full?” The seminar presenter pulled out a wide-mouth gallon jar and placed it next to a pile of fist-sized rocks. (We originally discovered this theory at a Howard Brinton event) I hope this illustration will help you think deliberately about your big rocks.In “First Things First,” Stephen Covey tells a story that one of his associates heard at a seminar. Where we invest this limited capital makes a tremendous difference.

Personal Development (TED Conference The Leadership Summit)Īs leaders, our time is our primary currency.

So, as it relates to my calendar for 2013, here are some of the big rocks I’ve already put on the calendar: If, from time to time, there’s not room for everything, at least it’s the small rocks that don’t fit. For many years, I’ve tried to put the big rocks in my life on the calendar first. This principle of the Big Rocks First has made quite an impact in my life. I did this illustration in India in front of a couple of thousand leaders and at this moment in the demonstraton, the place erupted in applause. As he begins to pour the small rocks into the jar, a miracle occurs – they all fit! Yes, he has to shake the jar a bit to use every nook and cranny, but they all fit. “Now, let’s see if we have room for some of those small rocks,” he says. Next, he says, “Let’s try that again.” He empties all the rocks from the jar. How often have you felt there just wasn’t enough time to get everything done? But, the story doesn’t end there… You guessed it, there’s not room for all the rocks! This is a powerful metaphor for your life and mine. He then tries to put these important things in the jar on top of the small rocks he had previously placed there.

These represent the important things in our lives… one is for our health, one is for our family, one is for our friends, one is for our faith, etc. Then, he pulls out a half dozen larger rocks – each one about the size of a tennis ball. I guess today he’d include text messages, Facebook and Twitter. He says these rocks represent the day-to-day time demands such as meetings, emails, distractions, etc. One of my favorite illustrations is when Covey takes a large jar and begins by filling it up about halfway with very small rocks. Many of you may have heard Stephen Covey talk about time and priority management. I recently started working on my 2013 calendar… have you? I’ve found over the years that unless I start thinking about the new year at least 6 months in advance, I spend a lot of time trying to catch up and make things work once the new year begins. My process is neither complicated nor original but it works for me.