Do You Move Big Rocks or Little Rocks First?

A Zen Master, desirous of teaching his class about prioritizing, asked a group of college students to fill a large glass container with the materials that were on the ground surrounding them. Collectively, they filled the container to the brim with carefully selected large rocks.

He asked, "Is this container full?" They eagerly responded "YES!" feeling quite pleased with themselves for having quickly and effectively completed their assignment.

The Zen Master then took several handfuls of smaller stones and dropped them into the container. Gravity pulled these stones into nooks and crannies throughout the container. The students watched in silence, a little embarrassed that they didn’t see what was right in front of their eyes.

Zen Master asked: "Is the container now full?" Slowly, one by one, the students sighed "Yes." The Zen Master then found a small pile of sand nearby which he slowly released into the container. The sand gracefully filled in the remaining gaps between the large rocks and small stones.

"Is the container now filled?" he asked the curious students. How could the answer be anything but yes? And this time they were right.

What was the purpose of the Zen Master’s experiment? Filling this container is not unlike filling the 24 hours in your day. Do you start with the large rocks or the sand?

The large rocks represent major activities that are vital. Once those are in place, it is easy to see where we can fill in our time with lesser yet still important tasks. And finally, we can fill in the five-ten minute segments between each of the above categories with the sand, the tasks that may be infinitesimal, yet still require our undivided attention.

What if the Zen Master would have asked the students to begin by filling the container with sand? These tiny objects would have occupied all of the space available, leaving no room for larger rocks (areas of focus.)

How many of you look at your time management in this same way? Before you tackle the really important items on your list, you want to eliminate those little irritants that have to be done. Pretty soon your day is over and you feel exhausted but not accomplished.

Part of the Zen master's lesson pertains to your spirit. Do you focus your spirit on things that are truly important to you or allow yourself to be pulled down by the sand? If you begin by focusing on what’s vital to you, you’ll have room for the rest. The opposite is equally true.

Which meaning of this story applies most to you—filling your 24-hour day or your soul? Either way, please take time this week filling yourself with prioritized large rocks and allowing the sand to lay as it will. Enjoy your discoveries and have a great week!