Fill the Jug with
Rocks
Imagine that you have a
large wide-mouth jug, which can hold several liters, like those large
milk containers in the old days.
Your jug is empty at
first. But you also have several fist-sized rocks. Now, put the
rocks into the jug, as many as you can fit in it. Is it full?
Next, get some coarse
gravel and pour it into the jug. Put as much as you can. Now, is it
full?
This time, get some
really fine sand. Pour in as much of it as you can. Now, is it
really full?
Finally, pour water
in. For sure, it must now be full!
Now, THINK OF THE JUG
AS THE TIME YOU HAVE AVAILABLE. It is the week ahead, the next month
or the next year. It can be the rest of your life. Then THINK OF THE
ROCKS AS YOUR PRIORITIES, the most important things to do, the
activities that gradually but certainly achieve the goals you set for
yourself (or for your company, if you are in a business
setting). Surely, you'd prefer that more time is spent on these.
What would happen if
you fill the jug in reverse order, if you fill it up with water first?
You will find it hard to get any big rocks in. And if somehow you did
manage to, you would have a big mess!
HAVE YOU PICKED YOUR
ROCKS? Have you decided what's important to you? Any goal that
you've set your mind on is attainable. But there is always a price.
Your goals require your attention, your time, your willingness to
fulfill the self-promise to attain it. They require several
rocks!
IN WHAT ORDER DO YOU
FILL YOUR JUG? Do you plan your time so that "the rocks" are
placed ahead of other things?
Start now. Pick
your rocks today and mark them into your calendar before other things
fill up your week.
- Ramon Regozo
* This
write-up is editorialized from the teachings of Dr. Stephen Covey on Principle-Centered
Leadership. More at http://stevencovey.com
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