The "Rocks, Pebbles, and Sand" analogy is a metaphor that helps people prioritise what's important in their lives.

We so often hear clients say, "I am so busy and that there is not enough time for everything". However, what is it that you are actually focusing on?

Are you wearing all the hats including all the things that are not that important or necessar, however keep you busy?

If you are,  then you will merely be filling your days with the busyness on a path to physical tiredness and endless drained wellbeing.

A simple yet crucial planning concept depicting that if we set our annual goals (rocks) first, then our 90-day goals (pebbles) and actions (sand) we'll achieve more, (we'll fit more in the jar).

This is a story I was once heard............

Stephen Covey’s “Big Rocks” video. in which he asks someone to follow the analogy in front of an audience.  

Covey discussed the value of making time for big responsibilities like family, large projects, and even vacation before considering small tasks like responding to emails or going grocery shopping. He used the analogy to give busy working professionals a new outlook on how to better manage their time, specifically in the context of work-life balance. 

Small things fill our lives. Urgent and important tasks, personal time, vacation time, major projects, planning and preperation time, relationships & family.

By moving  some of the little things around you might fill in one more of those major things in.  Or, you have given up your vaction and have no time for yourself......................

Or, take a fresh approach, you can work differently.

Put the big rocks in first, put all your big rocks in first then fill your time and life with the small things that are not so important.

Let's explain............

The jar represents your life.

The metaphor here is that if you start with putting sand into the jar, you will not have room for rocks or pebbles. This holds true with the things you let into your life. If you spend all of your time on the small and insignificant things, you will run out of room for the things that are actually important.

Sometimes, everything on your to-do list feels like fist-sized rocks — or even monumental boulders. Even if you know your closest deadline, it can be challenging to structure your day and productively tackle your work when your tasks overwhelm you.

Think realistically about what your rocks are in this analogy. They aren’t necessarily the most difficult or overwhelming tasks, but they’re the big responsibilities you need to uphold. They’re the items you absolutely must prioritise that have critical consequences if not completed.

Make room for what’s important.......

Take care of the rocks first – the things that really matter and are critical to your long-term wellbeing and happiness. If you deal with the big issues first by putting the rocks in the jar first, the small issues can still fall into place. However, the reverse is not true.

• Identify the important things in life (i.e. set your goals and priorities).

• Set aside the time you need to work on them. This is where your focus should be in order to live a meaningful life (without over-extending yourself).

• Then you can fill in the pebbles and sand, knowing it’s ok to procrastinate a little on these things because they are not so important.

 The rocks, pebbles, and sand analogy is a common way to illustrate the importance of allocating time wisely. It aims to prioritise critical tasks (the “rocks”) over less urgent ones (the “pebbles” and “sand”)

• Create a priority matrix which categorise tasks further into four quadrants 

• Schedule breaks to avoid burnout on busy days 

• Practice “eating the frog” in the morning and completing dreaded tasks first

• Try habit stacking to adjust your schedule slowly and with less stress

• Work with a business coach to identify how to find better balance across your life