I’m hoping I’m talking to an audience young enough to never to have heard this before. Does anyone else remember Franklin Covey’s time management system? I remember even having one of his day planners – I was such a fan. Too bad I still am challenged by some of his most important tenets – take care of important things first.
I remember watching a video that I believe he put out during the height of his career. He had a large jar and rocks of several sizes, and a bag of sand. He talked to his audience about how he could get all of the rocks and sand into the jar he had – it looked to be an incredible feat. He first showed how NOT to do it – sand first, then little rocks, then medium sized rock, and then there was no room for the big rocks. He took everything out, including the sand. He then showed the correct way. Big rocks first, then medium rocks, then the smaller rocks. While the jar looked full by now, he took the sand and poured it out on top of the pile of rocks. The sand sifted down and filled in the nooks and crannies between the rocks. With a little shake and shimmy, he was able to get all the sand into the jar also.
He likened this to our time management. If we would schedule the “big rocks” first every day, then the medium intensity items, then the little items, we would find we have time to take care of the tiniest of things after.
I see how this helps create less stress and better focus. With less stress, you do better work and have energy to spare (because you aren’t stressed worrying about that big item). You can now deal well with smaller items. Think of how this would work with all areas of your nonprofit. All areas would get the focus and energy they deserve, just because you took the time to prioritize and schedule in those Big Rocks.
I work on this every day. It certainly makes the end of my day more relaxed and less worried from leaving important work undone. I certainly feel better those days I’m able to practice this.
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