![stephen covey big rocks stephen covey big rocks](https://i.pinimg.com/originals/4c/db/35/4cdb35451ac460a1294b09f0fff9643a.jpg)
It’s not just about the space the rocks occupy, shape and weight matter, too. People who know the value of time are always doing something valuable with their time.
![stephen covey big rocks stephen covey big rocks](https://i.pinimg.com/originals/77/f9/26/77f9268f3738068b2b8400434373523a.jpg)
There are plenty of people who will happily put rocks in our jar for us, but in the end, it is our jar and we get to choose what goes in. The jar itself deserves care and consideration as the precious resource that it is. We can’t expand the jar, and if we try to cram too much in, we risk breaking it. In its rigidity and fragility, it’s an apt vessel to represent our time. One way is to track where our time goes in 15-minute increments for a few days (be honest!). To gain perspective, we have to deliberately pause, mentally separate ourselves from the stuff around us, and make an assessment. At very close range a pebble can look a lot like a rock, it may be hard to tell when the jar is overflowing, and sand, just like at the beach, has a way of getting all over everything. The reality is that we live inside the jar. For the demonstration, we’re on the outside looking in.
![stephen covey big rocks stephen covey big rocks](https://i2.wp.com/theprocesshacker.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/rachel-nickerson-HynIyGoj1xM-unsplash-1.jpg)
Here are eleven things in the rocks in a jar demonstration that they didn’t talk about that we should keep in mind when we try to manage our time. It’s visually compelling, but like any metaphor, there are aspects to it that are over-simplified or carry deeper significance. For a fuller recap of this idea, here’s a two-minute video version. In application then, scrolling through social media and binging on Netflix should only come after we meet that family commitment, or take the next step on that work project, not before. But if we are smart and put the rocks in first, all the less important things will naturally fall into place around them, and there will be room (and time) for everything. If we put the sand and pebbles into the jar first, there won’t be enough room to fit the larger, more important things.
![stephen covey big rocks stephen covey big rocks](https://i1.wp.com/thejanegroup.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/urgent_pixabay.jpg)
The sand represents everything else – unimportant distractions. The pebbles constitute other important but less meaningful things like work and school. The large rocks represent the most important things in life like family, health and relationships. The professor concludes by telling his class that the jar represents the time each of us has in a day. The professor then pours sand into the jar, which fills the remaining space among the rocks and pebbles. Warier now, the students are less willing to agree the jar is full. Then he produces a bowl of pebbles and pours them into the jar, filling the spaces between the rocks. He asks the class, “Is the jar full?” They agree that it is. The story goes that a philosophy professor sets a large glass jar on a table in front of his students, then proceeds to fill it with fist-sized rocks. “Rocks in a Jar” is a powerful time management concept that’s been around for a while and popularized by Stephen Covey, author of The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. Here are eleven things they didn’t mention about the concept that can make us even better at managing our time. The problem is that I think there was a lot they left out. It’s great for visualizing the need to prioritize what’s important. You’ve probably seen the “rocks in a jar” presentation about time management.