Prioritization of Duties

Steven Covey in his classic book, First Things First, shares a parable on prioritization that spawned the widely used term “big rocks.” It is the story of an instructor giving a lecture on priorities to his class.

As the class took their seats the instructor said, “Okay, it’s time for a quiz.” He reached under the table and pulled out a wide-mouth gallon glass jar. He set it on the table next to a tray of fist-sized rocks. “How many of these rocks do you think we can get the jar?” he asked.

After the class made their guesses, the instructor said, “Okay, let’s find out.” He placed rock by rock into the jar until it was full. The he asked, “Is the jar full?” Everybody in the class looked at the rocks and nodded yes.

Then he said, “Ahhh,” and reached under the table and pulled out a jar of gravel. Then he dumped some of the gravel in the jar of big rocks and shook the jar, and the gravel went in all the little spaces between the big rocks. The instructor grinned and said once more, “Is the jar full?” By this time the class was on to him and replied, “Probably not.”

“Good!” he replied. And he reached under the table and brought out a jar of sand. He started dumping the sand in and it went in all the little spaces left by the big rocks and gravel. Once more he looked at the class and asked, “Is the jar full?” “No” the class roared.

The instructor said, “Good!” and grabbed a pitcher of water and began to pour it in. Almost a quart of water fit into the jar. Then he said, “Well, what’s the point?”

One student replied, “Well, there are gaps in your day and if you really work at it, you can always fit more into your day.” “No,” the instructor said, “that’s not the point. The point is this: if I hadn’t put the big rocks in first, I would have never gotten any of them in.”

Sacred Structures by Jim Barker